The Friday Baking Project

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

Yield: 1 9†pie

# of Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients

Crust:
1 recipe P¢te Bris©e 2 

Filling: 
½ cup (3.5 oz / 99 g) sugar
1 ½ cups water
1 tbl lemon zest, approximately 3 lemons
¾ cup (6 fl oz) fresh lemon juice
1 pinch kosher salt

¾ cup (5.25 oz / 148 g) sugar
â…“ cup (1.7 oz / 48 g) cornstarch
¼ cup (2 fl oz) water
4 egg yolks (save whites for meringue)

2 tbl unsalted butter, room temperature

Swiss Meringue: 
7 egg whites² (7 fl oz)
2 cups (14 oz / 387 g) sugar

Special tools and equipment needed:

• 9 “ by 1 ¼ pie dish
• Dried beans or pie weights
• Heavy bottomed 2-qt saucepan
• Heat-proof spatula
• 21†plastic pastry bag and medium star tip
• Small butane kitchen torch, optional 

Pre-recipe preparations:

• Wash lemons and let dry on clean kitchen towel 

Directions

P¢te Bris©e pie shell: 

1. Roll out the P¢te Bris©e into a 12†to 13†circle. Roll dough around the rolling pin and drape onto pie dish. Form a decorative edge and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  This may be well-wrapped in plastic and frozen after the 2-hour rest.
2. Pre-heat oven to 375 °F.
3. Place a parchment paper circle or aluminum foil sprayed with pan release against the pastry and fill with dried beans. 
4. Bake at 375 °F for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the dough is just set. The bottom will still be slightly raw. 
5. Remove the beans and the parchment circle and continue baking until the bottom dough is cooked and just begins to color a light brown, about 10 minutes.
6. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. 

Lemon Filling:

1. Place sugar, water, lemon zest and lemon juice in saucepan over low flame.
2. Place sugar, cornstarch, water and egg yolks in medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
3. Increase heat in the sauce pan and bring just to the boil. Reduce flame back to low. 
4. Temper (warm) the egg yolk mixture in the mixing bowl by slowly whisking â…“ to ½ of the hot lemon juice mixture. 
5. Whisk this warmed egg yolk mixture into the remaining juice mixture in the saucepan, increase heat to medium, and while gently whisking, cook until it comes to the boil, is thickened and smooth.  This step should take just under 3 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the butter.
7. Pour the hot mixture in the pie shell, and press a piece of plastic film against it to prevent a skin from forming.
8. Let cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, then place in the refrigerator until cold and set, about 3 hours.

Swiss Meringue: 

1. Add water to a small saucepan until ¼ full, and bring to a simmer. 
2. Add egg whites and sugar to the bowl of stand mixer and mix together with a heat-proof spatula. 
3. Place the bowl over the simmering water, and while continually stirring, heat until the sugar is totally dissolved. You should feel no sugar granules when rubbing two fingers in the egg whites. 
4. Remove from the heat and using the whisk attachment on medium speed, beat until cool and stiff peaks. Use immediately.

Finishing the pie:

1. If not using a kitchen torch, turn your oven’s broiler on low, and place a rack at the slot one below the top.
2. Pipe or spread an outer ring of Swiss meringue against the crust to ensure that it won’t pull away from the crust.
3. Brown the meringue to a golden brown. 
4. Keep refrigerated. Pie is best served the same day. 

Notes:

1. The filling recipe and idea for using Swiss Meringue are from the wonderful book, Pies and Tarts, by Kristina Petersen Migoya.
2. You will need an additional three egg whites to add to the four leftover from the egg yolks used in the filling.