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Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie is a classic that everyone should have in their recipe collection!
Ingredients
1 14-ounce pie dough for a 10” glass pie plate (see our Perfect Pie Crust recipe here and weigh out 14 ounces using a kitchen scale)
Meringue
1 1/4 cups egg whites (about 8-10 large eggs separated)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
Lemon Filling
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
7 tablespoons corn starch
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest grated fine (about 2 lemons)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup egg yolks in a medium to large bowl (about 8 large eggs separated)
8 tablespoons butter cut into pats (1 stick)
Instructions
- Prepare the pie dough according to these directions. Measure out 14 ounces and set aside.
- Cut off a piece of foil larger than your pie plate then press into the pie plate to get the shape. Remove and set aside.
- Roll out the dough an inch or two larger than your 10” pie plate. Roll onto your rolling pin and unroll into the pie plate. Cut off excess leaving an inch hangover and fold that in over the edge. Then with your knuckle on one hand and thumb and index of the other, make a low fluted top.
- Place the pie plate in the freezer for 30 minutes to allow the dough to chill. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- After 30 minutes, press the foil into the frozen pie dough and fill with pie weights or dried beans, making sure they go up the inside edges so the sides stay firm during baking.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove and lift the foil and beans out and place the crust back in the oven for ten more minutes.
- Remove the pie crust and reduce the oven to 325 degrees F.
- While the crust is baking, make the meringue and filling. We found it easiest to get the filling ingredients ready but not mixed and the whites, cream of tarter and vanilla in the stand mixer ready but not whipped. As the crust got closer to finishing, we then completed the filling and meringue so the filling was nice and hot and the meringue freshly-whipped.
- In a sauce pan start the filling by placing in the water, sugar, corn starch, zest, juice and salt. Have the yolks and butter ready but not added yet.
- Start the meringue by whisking the whites, cream of tarter and vanilla to soft peaks with the whisk attachment. Once at soft peaks and with mixer running add the sugar then whisk to stiff peaks. Let sit in the mixer bowl for now.
- Finish the filling by heating the pan to dissolve the sugar and once hot and bubbling, temper the yolks by adding a little of the hot liquid to the yolks while whisking briskly. Keep adding small amounts of the hot liquid, up to two cups, then add the tempered yolks to the pan and whisk.
- Add the butter and whisk and cook to a hot thick filling. Don’t remove from heat until fully thick.
- When the pie crust comes out of the oven, and you have reduced the oven to 325 degrees F, pour the very hot lemon filling into the pie crust then top with the meringue by spooning on first around the edges then towards the center to form a peak. Take the back of a soup spoon and keep pressing and lifting across the top to form peaks.
- Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes, no longer.
- Cool completely at room temperature before cutting. We let ours sit for five hours to make sure the filling was completely set.
- Keep any leftover pie refrigerated.
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Notes
You’ll want to make this Lemon Meringue Pie in a deep dish 10″ glass pie plate.
Find it online: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/lemon-meringue-pie/
