Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pie is pretty much the perfect dessert. Well, providing you like lemons of course! It is sweet, but not too sweet, tart, and light. I especially love the play on textures - the crisp, flaky crust to the whipped and airy meringue to the smooth lemon curd. All of those things combine to create a beautiful treat perfect for sharing.

Though I didn't make the pie perfectly (I managed to slightly burn the edges, plus my crust shrunk a lot), I knew I had to share the recipe anyways. It may look daunting, with a lot of steps, but it is quite simple to prepare and the results are divine. I am attempting this pie again on the weekend (lemon meringue is A's favourite, and he's coming home for the first time since the beginning of August!) and will update after with my results - hopefully they're improved!

For the dough:
1 cup + 2 tbsp. cake and pastry flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice or white vinegar
1 egg white, lightly whisked

For the lemon curd filling:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. unsalted butter

For the meringue:
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. icing sugar, sifted

Dough:
Sift the flour, sugar, and salt to combine in bowl or using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cut in the butter by hand with a pastry attachment or on low speed just until small pieces of butter remain and the mixture as a whole begins to take on a pale yellow colour.

Stir the water and lemon juice together and add it to the flour/butter mixture all at once, mixing until the dough just begins to come together. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap and chill for at least two hours before rolling.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is in a circle that is just 1/4" thick. Lightly dust a 9" pie plate with flour. Press the dough into the pie plate and trim away the excess, pinch the edges to create a fluted pattern (I just used a fork), and chill for thirty minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line the chilled pie shell with tin foil (making sure to cover the edges to avoid burning) and fill the foil with dried beans, raw rice, or pie weights. Bake the shell for twenty minutes, and then carefully remove the foil and bake the crust for eight to ten minutes more, until slightly golden. Immediately after removing the crust from the oven, brush with a little of the whisked egg white. This will create a barrier to keep the crust crispy when filled. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F.

Lemon Curd Filling:

For the filling, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a medium saucepot, then whisk in the cold water. Have the other ingredients measured and nearby. Bring the sugar mixture up to a full simmer over medium-high heat, whisking as it cooks, until the mixture is thick and glossy.

Pour about a cup of this thickened filling into the egg yolks while whisking, then return this to the pot and whisk just one minute more. Whisk in the lemon juice and cook until the filling just returns to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the butter then immediately pour the hot filling into the cooled pie shell (the filling will seem very fluid, but it will set up once chilled). Cover the surface of the filling with plastic wrap to keep it hot. Immediately prepare the meringue topping.

Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy, then increase the speed to high and gradually pour in the granulated sugar and icing sugar and continue whipping just until the whites hold a medium peak when the beaters are lifted.

Meringue

Remove the plastic wrap from the hot lemon filling, then dollop half of the meringue directly onto the filling (the filling will still be very soft, so work gently). Be sure to spread the meringue so that it completely covers the lemon filling and connects with the outside crust, then use a bamboo skewer or paring knife to swirl the meringue just a touch (this will secure it to the lemon curd). Dollop the remaining meringue onto the pie and use the back of your spatula to lift up the meringue and creates spikes. Bake the pie for about 20 minutes at 325 F, until the meringue is nicely browned. Cool the meringue completely to room temperature before chilling for at least 4 hours.

Tips for Lemon Meringue Pie Success: adding the lemon juice at the end of cooking the curd filling ensures that it retains its fresh flavour, and also reduces the contact with the cooking cornstarch (its thickening power is reduced in the presence of an acid) - it is critical that the filling is hot when spread the meringue over. If it cools, the meringue will sweat, creating a liquid layer in between the filling and itself. - be sure to spread the meringue so that it joins with the crust. This will also help prevent a moisture layer from forming, and will prevent the meringue from shrinking as it cools. - a meringue that sweats or “beads” on top is a sign that the whites have been over whipped, overbaked or merely a sign of a humid day. When whipping, the whites should hold a medium peak when the beaters are lifted and should still appear glossy. Once baked, the meringue should be a light brown, with still a few white patches visible.

Source: Anna Olson