Lemon Meringue Pie
Makes: 1 9-inch pie
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Ingredients
1 Pie Crust (1/2 the recipe or 3/4 for a thick edge)
Filling:
- 5 large egg yolks (use the whites in the meringue)
- 1 ⅓ cups water
- 1 cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup lemon juice (fresh is best)
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest (optional)
- 2 Tbsp butter (softened)
Meringue:
- 5 large egg whites (beat the whites a little them remove about 1 Tbsp for brushing on the crust)
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ cup white sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions:
Crust & Prep:
- Make the pie crust and completely pre-bake it. In the last few minutes of baking it, brush the crust with egg whites to create a barrier between the crust and the filling. Bake a few more minutes then remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool. *The crust can be warm still when you assemble the pie.
- Separate the eggs for the pie. *The eggs separate more easily when they are cold. After separating, leave the egg whites out so they become room temperature. (That will cause them to beat to a much larger volume.)**Make sure the egg whites have absolutely no egg yolks in them and the bowl is completely clean. A glass or metal bowl works best because they don't hold grease residue.
Filling:
- Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl or a liquid measuring cup. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the water, sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest together.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking often. *The mixture will be thin and cloudy then eventually begin thickening and bubbling after about 6 minutes.
- Temper the egg yolks: very slowly, while whisking constantly, stream several large spoonfuls of warm lemon mixture into the beaten egg yolks.
- Then, also in a very slow stream, whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan.
- Turn the heat back up to medium. Stirring constantly, cook until the mixture is thick and big bubbles begin bursting at the surface.
- Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the butter. Set aside as you prepare the meringue.*Don't let the filling cool down too much as you want a warm filling when you top with the meringue. The warm filling helps seal the two layers together, preventing separation.
Meringue:
- In a mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat the room-temperature egg whites and the cream of tartar together on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Then increase to high speed until soft peaks form (about 4 more minutes).
- While still beating, slowly shake in the sugar and salt. *Don't dump them in or they will cause the whites to deflate.*
- Continue beating on high speed until glossy, stiff peaks form (about 2 more minutes).
Assembly:
- Pour the hot filling into the pie crust then spoon the meringue on top of the filling. (You can make decorative peaks with the back of a large spoon. Just don't make the peaks too high or they will burn.)*Make sure you spread the meringue all the way to the edges so that it touches the crust. This helps prevent the meringue from weeping.
Baking:
- With the oven preheated to 350°, bake the meringue for 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned on top. *Make sure the pie is centered in the middle of the oven.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack until completely cool - about 1 hour. *Don't put it in the fridge while it is still warm.
- When completely cooled, place in the fridge for at least 3 hours or until ready to eat.
Notes:
Storage: Don't firmly cover - cover with a tented foil or insert toothpicks and drape plastic wrap over them. Otherwise the meringue will weep.
This pie is best eaten the same day it's made. It's impossible to make this if it's a humid day.
Prep Ahead: It's hard to get this done all at the same time, so it's best if you prep ahead.
-Make and completely bake the pie crust.
-While the crust is baking, separate the eggs (return the yolks to the fridge) and squeeze the lemons.
-Measure all the filling ingredients besides the eggs and butter into the saucepan, then set aside. (Have the butter measured out and sitting by the stove or you might forget it .😉)
-Combine the sugar and salt for the meringue, have the cream of tartar out, and have the egg whites in the mixing bowl.