Mary´s Lemon Meringue Pie

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Today I am sharing with you Mary Berry´s recipe for a Lemon Meringue Pie.

Although quite popular in the UK, to me, Lemon Meringue Pie is a really American dessert. Apparently, there is even a National Lemon Pie Day on August 15^th – It doesn´t get more American than that! I love American pies and really want to try making more of them in the future! I think a Pecan Pie and Key Lime Pie are definitely on my to-do list!

What is Lemon Meringue Pie?

For those who don´t know, lemon meringue pie is made with a shortcrust pastry case, filled with sharp lemon curd or lemon custard and topped with a sweet layer of French meringue. The meringue is briefly baked in the oven to ensure a crisp, browned top but a soft and fluffy inside.
It´s the perfect balance between sweet and sour!

With multiple elements to prepare, you will need to set aside a little more time to make this dessert. However, it is well and truly worth the effort!

I have used Mary Berry´s recipe for the filling and meringue topping (you can find the recipe I used here) But I used my go-to recipe for shortcrust pastry as it gives me the best results. And as shortcrust pastry can be difficult to get right, I like to use a recipe I know works for me.

I recently stumbled across this video on YouTube, where Mary Berry makes a faster, easier version of Lemon Meringue Pie, so that might be worth checking out, too.

When Life Gives You Lemons…

…Make Cake!

For more delicious recipes using lemon, why not try my easy No-Bake Lemon Cheese Cake, this Lemon Yoghurt Cake, Lemon Fairy Cakes or a British traybake classic (and a personal favourite of mine…): Lemon Drizzle Cake!

Mary´s Lemon Meringue Pie

Recipe

I found that this recipe made enough to make a 23cm lemon meringue pie (will serve about 8-10 people) as well as two small lemon meringue pies. The miniature version is quite cute actually, so you could also opt for making 6-8 of those instead, rather than a large one.
It´s also possible freeze the remaining shortcrust pastry and you could use the excess lemon filling to make this No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake.

Ingredients:

For the Shortcrust Pastry

• 225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 150g cold butter, cubed
• 25g icing sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten

For the Lemon Filling

• 6 lemons, zest and juice
• 65g cornflour
• 250g caster sugar
• 6 free-range egg yolks

For the French Meringue Topping

• 4 free-range egg whites
• 225g caster sugar
• 2 tsp cornflour

You will also need

• 23cm loose-based fluted tart tin
• Ceramic baking beans (alternatively you can use rice)
• Rolling pin
• Electric hand whisk

Method

1. Start by making the pastry. For success when making shortcrust pastry, read my baking basics post here.
   First, in a small mixing bowl, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Next, stir in the icing sugar. Add the beaten egg, a little at a time, and mix until the pastry starts to come together into a nice ball. You might not have to add the whole egg! If you have added all of the egg and the mixture is still very dry, add a little cold water, a teaspoon at a time.
2. Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll out until 2mm thick. If the pastry is too sticky, wrap in clingfilm and briefly chill in the fridge first before rolling.
3. Line the tin with the pastry. Trim some of the excess pastry but leave a little bit of overhang.
4. Chill the pastry case in the oven for half an hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
6. Remove the pastry case from the fridge and prick the base all over with a fork. Scrunch up a piece of baking paper, unfold and use to line the pastry case. Fill with the ceramic baking beans and bake the pastry case blind for 15 minutes.
7. Remove the baking beans and parchment paper and bake the case for a further 5 minutes to dry out the bottom of the pastry. Remove the pastry case from the oven. Whilst it is still warm, use a sharp knife to trim the edges of the pastry tin to give a neat finish.
8. Lower the temperature to 170°C.
9. To make the lemon custard filling, mix the lemon juice and zest with the cornflour to make a smooth, thick paste. Add 450ml to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the lemon cornflour paste and stir until the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat.
10. In the meantime, separate the eggs, adding the yolks to one and 4 of the egg whites to another bowl (make sure you don´t get any of the yolk into the whites!). Set the egg whites aside (the remaining egg whites can be used for a different recipe, e.g. Pavlova or Meringue Roulade).
11. Add the sugar to the egg yolks and whisk until pale and frothy. Slowly pour into the saucepan with the lemon mix and whisk. Set over a medium heat and mix until thickened. Leave the mixture to cool for a few minutes before pouring into the baked pastry case. Don´t fill completely to the top, otherwise, the filling will overflow once you spoon on the meringue.
12. Next, make the meringue. Using a hand-held electric whisk, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Start adding the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking well between each addition. Continue until all the sugar is incorporated and the meringue is thick and glossy. To finish, whisk in the cornflour.
13. Carefully spoon the meringue on top of the lemon filling to cover it completely. Use a palette knife or the back of a metal spoon to create little swirls and spikes in the meringue for a pretty effect.
14. Bake in the oven at 170°C for about 15 minutes until the meringue is crisp and lightly golden.
15. Leave to cool completely before removing from the tin. To do so, place the tin on an upside-down bowl with a smaller diameter than the tart case. Gently easy down the sides of the flan tin until it comes off completely. Slide the pie off the base of the tin (I´d recommend using a cake lifter for this) onto a serving plate or cake stand.