Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie
Bring a bit of sunshine and warmth to the dinner table with this retro classic dessert! Lemon meringue pie has been a celebrated dessert in my family for generations and was always made from scratch. Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange resulting in a slightly sweeter lemon flavor with the skin being fragrant.
Serves 8
adapted by Fine Cooking
You will need:
Lemon Filling:
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large egg yolks (at room temperature)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1-1/2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1/3 cup strained juice – about 3 medium lemons
3 tablespoons finely ground gingersnap cookies
Meringue:
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup superfine sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 425f. Prick the base of the pie crust with a fork but don’t pierce all the way through. Cover crust with tin foil and fill half-inch deep with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust 15 – 18 minutes until edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and let rest for a minute before removing foil and weights. Reduce oven temperature to 375f and bake pie shell until golden brown – 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes and keep the oven on. When crust has cooled, sprinkle the ground gingersnaps over the bottom of the pie crust
To make the lemon filling: in a heavy nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in 1/4 cup cold water until the mixture is smooth. Then whisk in another 1-1/4 cups cold water until combined. Cook over medium to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally at first with a heatproof spatula, then continuously as the mixture comes to a boil (you will see a few large bubbles pop), turns glossy, and thickens into a semi-translucent gel, 4 to 6 minutes. Whisk briefly to smooth out the mixture; then reduce the heat to low and cook 1 minute more, gently pulling the mixture from the sides to the center with the spatula to prevent scorching. Remove the pot from the heat.
In a medium bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks. Gently whisk about 1/2 cup of the gel into the egg yolks; repeat with another 1/2 cup gel. Pour the yolk mixture into the pot and gently whisk to combine. Over low to medium-low heat, cook the filling, gently pulling it from the sides to the center with the spatula, until it begins to boil (you will see a few large bubbles pop), 4 to 6 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring as before, until the mixture thickens further(don’t worry if it clumps at this point), about 1 minute more. Remove the pot from the heat and dot the filling with the butter, pushing it under the surface; let stand for a minute to melt. Gently whisk in the lemon juice and zest until smooth. Pour the filling over the crumbs and smooth the top with the spatula. Let cool to room temperature before making the meringue, at least 30 minutes.
To make the meringue: Bring 1/2 inch of water to a simmer in a pot that will hold the bowl of a stand mixer without letting it touch the water. Reduce the heat to low. Put the egg whites in the bowl off the heat and whisk (preferably with a balloon whisk) until frothy. Add the sugar about 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking for about 5 seconds between additions. Put the bowl over the pot and whisk gently but constantly (you are not trying to incorporate air, but to keep the whites moving so they don’t cook) until the whites are very warm to the touch and the sugar is thoroughly dissolved (lift a ribbon of whites from the bowl with the whisk and rub the whites between your fingertips—you should feel no grit), 2 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and cream of tartar, transfer the bowl to the stand mixer, fit with the whisk attachment, and beat, gradually increasing the speed from low to medium high over the course of 1 minute, until the egg whites form thick, glossy medium-firm peaks (they should hold their shape but curl at their tips), 3 to 5 minutes total.
Using a soup spoon, drop some of the meringue in mounds in a ring around the edge of the filling. With the back of the spoon, gently spread the dollops of meringue over the entire surface of the filling and all the way to the crust’s edge. It is essential that all of the filling be completely covered by the meringue, without any air pockets, and that the edge of the meringue is anchored to the rim of the crust. Mound the remaining meringue on top. Make decorative peaks with the back of the spoon.
Bake the pie until the meringue peaks brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Cool the pie on a rack away from drafts to prevent the meringue from shrinking. Let stand at least 1 hour before serving. To slice, rinse a sharp, thin-bladed knife in hot water and shake off the excess before making each cut.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: So lemony-good! This pie is best eaten the same day it is made but will keep, covered, for up to two days in the fridge. Enjoy!