lemon meringue
Basic ingredients for lemon merangue
- To make the crust, use 1 3/4 cups (220g), flour
- 2/3 cup (1150g), cold butter, cubed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Extract
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon cold water (or more if necessary)
- 3/4 cup (150g), sugar
- 5 tablespoons (44.5g), cornstarch
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (360ml), of water
- 1/3 cup (880ml), fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons (45g), butter
- Italian meringue: 3 large eggs whites (105g),
- 1 cup + Tbsp (220g) sugar 50ml
How to make lemon merangue
- Process flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse in the cubed butter until you get crumbs. Process until the dough is formed. Add egg yolk and cold water. Do not overmix.
- Transfer the dough onto a work surface. Now roll it into a ball, then flatten it into a disc. Cover the dough with plastic and let it rest for one hour. After this, roll the dough out on a floured surface.
- Dust the top of your dough with flour. Now Roll the dough until it is approximately 1/8 inches thick. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch (23-24 cm) pie pan. Place the dough evenly on the bottom of the pan and along the sides. Take off any excess dough from the top of your pan.
- Use a fork to gently pierce the crust’s bottom. Transfer the crust to the freezer for 30 min.
- Make the filling while you wait: Now In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the water and lemon juice. After this, Stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens and boils. Mix egg yolks in a large bowl.
- Add 1/2 cup hot sugar mixture to the bowl. After this, In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolk mixture. Bring to boil, and cook stirring continuously until the mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat. Add butter and lemon zest. Allow cooling.
- Preheat the oven to 340F (170C). 5. Blind baking: Line a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Add dry beans, rice, or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes. Continue baking for 10-15 minutes, or until the crust becomes slightly golden. Take out of the oven. Let cool.
- Place the filling in the crust and let it cool while you make the meringue. Italian meringue: Heat water and sugar in a saucepan. Cook until the sugar syrup reaches 244degF (118degC). In the meantime, use a stand mixer to whisk the egg whites slowly. After this, the syrup has been poured into the egg whites, turn the motor on and slowly pour the syrup into them. Now Continue whisking until the meringue becomes thick and glossy (8-9 min).
- Spread the meringue however you like and brown.
- Notes: You can use French meringue instead of Italian meringue. For this recipe, however, I prefer the Italian meringue. You can broil the pie at 400F (200C), for about 10 minutes.