Description
Classic Lemon Meringue Pie is a delightful dessert featuring a homemade pie crust filled with a sweet and tangy lemon curd and topped with a fluffy, glossy meringue. Perfect for special occasions or as a refreshing sweet treat.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Homemade Pie Crust*
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- 5 large egg yolks (use the whites in the meringue below)
- 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) water
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (38g) cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
Meringue
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare the pie crust: Start by ensuring your pie dough is prepared beforehand. It’s best to make the pie dough the night before, as it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and adjust the oven rack to the lowest position. Partially blind bake the pie crust in a 9-inch pie dish. Make sure to crimp or flute the edges of the pie crust. You can begin preparing the filling during this step if you’re comfortable multitasking. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the filling: Begin by whisking the egg yolks together in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup and set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the water, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble (around 6 minutes). Once thickened, whisk again and reduce the heat to low.
- Temper the egg yolks: Slowly stream a few spoonfuls of the warm lemon mixture into the egg yolks to temper them. Then, slowly whisk the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan. Turn the heat back up to medium and cook until the mixture thickens and large bubbles form. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Spread the filling into the warm, partially baked pie crust. Let it sit as the meringue is prepared.
- Prepare the meringue: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed for one minute. Increase to high speed and continue beating until soft peaks form (about 4 minutes). Add sugar and salt, and continue beating on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form (around 2 minutes). Spread the meringue over the warm filling, ensuring the meringue touches the edges of the crust to prevent separation. Create decorative peaks as desired with the back of a spoon.
- Bake the pie: Place the pie on the lowest oven rack and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20-25 minutes. If the meringue browns too quickly, tent the pie with foil (avoiding contact with the meringue). Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool at room temperature for 1 hour before transferring it to the refrigerator to chill for 4 hours before serving.
- Serve: Slice and serve chilled. Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator. Note that lemon meringue pie is best enjoyed the day it’s made.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Pie crust can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Blind baking can also be done ahead of time.
- Freezing: Lemon meringue pie is not ideal for freezing, as the filling and meringue textures change.
- Special Tools: Electric mixer (handheld or stand), 9-inch pie dish, rolling pin, pie weights, glass mixing bowls, citrus zester, saucepan, whisk, cooling rack.
- Pie Crust: If using the ‘dough strip’ method from the blind baking tutorial, 1 and 1/2 pie crusts will be needed. Otherwise, 1 pie crust suffices.
- Preparation: Pre-measure and prepare ingredients like lemon zest and egg separation before starting. The filling and meringue are time-sensitive.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of pie)
- Calories: 319
- Sugar: 35g
- Sodium: 170mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 51g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 104mg
