Tummy Tuesday: Lemon Meringue Pie

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Lemon Meringue Pie is a dessert dish that hasn’t been around much over the last 20 years, but it is coming back into fashion again, take a look at the internet every cook of importance has Lemon Meringue Pie recipes, Jamie Oliver, Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsey plus much more.

It’s a pie that takes a while to get it perfect, you can have many failures, but with perseverance, you will get it right, you will wonder why it took so long.

 

Ideas for Pie Crusts

These pies can be made quickly if you have a bought pie crust all ready to use, but I think it always tastier to have a home-made pie crust. There are many version available, it’s up to you to decide what kind you like best.

Here’re a few pie crust recipes I have been using over the years. This first one has lemon juice in it, appropriate for a pie like this.

Biscuit Pastry

1/4 lb butter, 2 oz sugar, 1egg yolk, 1 tablespoon water, 1/2 lb flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, pinch salt,

Method: Soften butter and sugar, add yolk and water, sift in the flour, baking powder, salt, add lemon juice.

Press into a pie dish, put baking pie weights in, and bake in a hot oven for 20 mins, remove baking pie weights if you have used them (recommended), then return to oven for another 1 minute to dry out pastry base.

Short Pie Crust.

1/2 lb flour, 1/4 lb butter, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, a small half cup of water.

Method: Soft the butter,(good if at room temperate) then rub it into the sifted flour, cream of tartar, dissolve baking soda in the water and add.

Roll out and line a dish for the pie, (not a sweet crust) follow instructions as above.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

1 cup standard plain flour, 250 grams (4 oz)

85 grams ( 3 oz) butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

METHOD:

Sift flour. Cut in butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Stir in sugar. Add egg yolk and water.

Mix to a stiff dough.

Chill for 30 mins before using.

Use as required for sweet pies and tarts.

makes about 400 grams ( 14 -16 ozs, 1 lb).

HINT

Always use eggs that are a few days old (never fresh) and at room temperature for the meringue.

This pie is usually eaten as a dessert, very nice, cooled a little and eaten with vanilla ice-cream.

As in most food using lemons flavor is determined by the lemons you use as every lemon as a different taste, tatty, bitter or sweet.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Ingredients

• Three eggs
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon melted butter
• 1 1/4 cups milk

Instructions

1. Method:
2. Mix thoroughly the 3 egg yolks (beat lightly), add the honey, flour and lemon juice, flesh and grated rind of half the lemon, and melted butter.
3. After mixing in the order given, add the milk.
4. Pour into the pie dish which has been lined with a good crust, prick to prevent air bubbles.
5. Bake until set.
6. Cover with meringue ( 3 beaten egg whites, 3 tablespoons of honey, few drops of lemon juice), spoon on top of lemon filling
7. Return to oven and bake until it is a nice brown, about 10 mins.

Links to Making a Lemon Meringue Pie. – Also, help for Meringue topping success.

There is an art to having a success when making these pies.

Here are a few sites that have lots of ideas to make this a successful occasion.

• Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Pie.
  Gluten-Free Lemon Meringue Pie is a lusciously sweet and tart pie baked in a buttery gluten-free pie crust.
• Mary’s Lemon Meringue Pie
  Mary Berry shows you how to make an easy lemon meringue pie with no soggy bottoms in sight.
• Not So Humble Pie
  Not a soggy bottom pool pie, lot’s of good hints for a successful Lemon Meringue pie.
• What’s Cooking America.
  This classic lemon meringue pie is exceptional and is absolutely beautiful to behold!
• How to make Meringue Pie Topping
  Peaks and swirls of meringue are the crowning glory to some of the most beloved pies…

Never use plastic bowls (Tupperware), wet or greasy bowls, as the egg whites will not beat nice and fluffy, it will be flat and not become peaky when beating.