Over 200 years old, lemon meringue pie was first created by an American innovator named Elizabeth Goodfellow. Though she owned a bakery famous for many cakes, pastries, and other breads, her most sensational and lasting invention was the lemon meringue pie. The recipe for this appetizing pie can be tricky at times, but as long as you go slow it will be totally worth it in the end! It is a delicious dessert for the whole family and great for a hot summer day.
Ingredients:
- 1 pie crust (see recipe below)
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 and ⅓ cups water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Meringue:
- 5 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions:
For the filling –
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan or in a double boiler, whisk the water, sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Boil for about 6 minutes, stirring constantly so you don’t burn the mixture. Once it is thickened and starts to bubble, reduce heat to low.
- To temper the egg yolks, slowly pour a little bit of the lemon mixture into the egg yolk mixture and then pour the rest of the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan, whisking it while turning the heat up to medium.*
- Stir the mixture until it is thick and big bubbles form; then finally, remove from heat and whisk in the butter.
For the meringue –
- Either with an electric mixer with a whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together for about a minute and then increase the speed until soft peaks begin to form in the mixture. This is when the substance is a bit foamy and curls like a peak when you lift the whisk from the mixture.**
- Add the sugar and salt, and mix until stiff peaks form in the mixture.
- Spread the meringue on top of the filling and make sure to spread it to all of the edges so that the whole pie is covered.
- Bake the pie for 20-25 minutes, checking often so that the meringue on top does not get too brown. When the pie is done cooking, cool for 1 hour at room temperature and then place in the refrigerator for 4 hours to chill. Enjoy!***
For the pie crust –
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons or 1 stick unsalted butter, diced
- ¼ cup ice-cold water
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Scatter the butter over the flour and use your fingers to mix the butter into the flour until it is thoroughly coated.
- Gradually drizzle the water on top, using a spoon or your hands to stir until the dough comes together. Make sure the dough is not wet or on the liquid side.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Partial Blind Baking:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough. Carefully place the dough in the pie pan, making sure there is no air or bubbles in the pie.
- To blind bake the pie, bake for about fifteen minutes or until the edges of the crust are slightly brown.****
- Take the pie out and poke holes on the pie with a fork so that no bubbles will form. Put the crust back in the oven and bake for around 7 minutes or until the bottom is beginning to brown. After this, take the pie crust out and you’re ready to continue on with the recipe.
Notes:
- Tempering the egg yolks is important so that the two liquids will be at the same temperature before blending them together, that way they can come together without it affecting the finished look and texture.
- Make sure you beat the mixture until the peaks form and that your mixture isn’t too watery. I have made this mistake many times and even though it still tastes fine, it doesn’t give the right texture or look to the pie!
- While I would suggest eating the pie as fresh as possible, you may store leftovers in the fridge.
- Many recipes suggest to line the pie crust with parchment paper and then to fill it with pie weights. I would suggest this method if you have the materials available, but if you do not have them, the pie will still turn out delicious.
Source –
McKinney, Sally. “Classic Lemon Meringue Pie.” Sally’s Baking Addiction, 31 Jan. 2022, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/lemon-meringue-pie/.
Photo Credit: Author