Lemon Meringue Pie

25 Mar Lemon Meringue Pie

The Lemon Meringue Pie is one of Chris favourite dessert, so I do it frequently. You can do it very simple by just purchasing a pre-made base or elevate the dessert by doing it from scratch. Both are valid ways, but I tend to do it from scratch and the base recipe will make two bases so you can freeze one for future use in another pie or tart. 

Ingredients:

Base:

1 1/4 cup of flour

3 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup of cold unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup of cold water

Filling:

2 cans of condensed milk

1/2 cup of lemon juice

4 egg yolks

Meringue:

4 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of water

Prep:

1. In a food processor put the flour and sugar. Cut the butter into small cubes and with the machine turn on throw each cube and let it work till it appears like coarse sand. In a bowl mix the egg yolk and water and pour little by little while the processor still on. Stop when the dough turns into a ball, sometimes you don’t need to pour all the water. Separate the dough into two bags and refrigerate. If you are not using one of them just freeze one, it will last for 3 months. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before using. 
2. Preheat the oven at 180 C degrees. Roll the dough into a 3mm round and put over a tart mould. Cover with parchment paper and pour some ceramic weights or beans over the tart. Bake for 25 minutes. Take out the parchment paper and set it aside.
3. Mix in a bowl the condensed milk and lemon juice and pour the egg yolks thru a sifter. Please do that so you don’t have little lumps in the mixture. Mix it well and pour over the pre-baked dough and bake for 20 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, pour the sugar and water into a pan over medium heat. Leave it until it goes to softball. While the syrup is cooking beat the egg white and cream of tartar to soft peaks. When the syrup is on softball pour in the egg whites with a constant thread. Beat until the mixture is cold. Pour over the cooked filling with a piping bag or with a scoop. Grill it to golden the tips or leave it like that. Depend on taste. Enjoy it.