Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

This Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe is based on Pamela Shippel's recipe in "My Way with Food" - I add a bit more lemon juice and use plain sugar for the meringue. It is great if you don't like a lemon pie recipe which is too sweet. This is the old-fashioned cooked version which doesn't contain condensed milk. Nevertheless, it is still one of those quick easy dessert recipes which never fails to impress. Friends love it!

You can make this Lemon Meringue Pie recipe up to about 12 hours ahead. However, I wouldn't keep it longer as the filling tends to "weep" slightly.

Follow the instructions under Easy Pie Crust Recipe for blind baking the crust.

Ingredients:

Meringue Topping

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 315° F / 160° C.
2. In a pot, mix together the sugar and cornflour. Add the water and whisk over a low heat until the mixture becomes thick and "gloopey". Cook for a minute.
3. Off the heat, add the butter and 4 egg yolks. Whisk hard. Return to the heat and whisk for about 2 minutes.
4. Add the lemon juice and lemon rind.
5. Pour the mixture into the baked pie crust
6. Using an electric whisk, beat the egg whites until they hold a stiff peak. Slowly add the sugar and the cream of tartar, beating all the time.
7. Heap the meringue on top of the lemon mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the meringue is slightly golden.
8. Allow to cool before cutting.

Why unwaxed lemons? There are various additives, like fungicides, that are added to the waxing process of citrus fruit. These all help to preserve the fruit and add to its shelf-life. Therefore, when adding zest to a recipe, try to use unwaxed citrus.