Lemon Meringue Pie
by de Cuisine

One of the great classic desserts that was unfortunately degraded so much in the 70's with packet mixes, but as a fresh pie has almost no equal.

It looks fantastic and irrestistible as a dinner party dessert and is even more popular as a family pudding. Serve it hot or cold, it is just a feast of different flavours and textures.

We used a 23cm (9”) loose-based Deep Fluted Flan, which looks good for a centrepiece because the loose base makes it easy to remove intact, however you could also use a traditional Pie Dish. Serves 6.

Pastry
175g (6oz) plain flour
90g (3oz) butter or margarine, chilled & diced
2 tbs icy cold water

Lemon Filling
2 large lemons, retain separately the zest and lemon juice
275ml (10 floz) cold water
3 tbsp cornflour
50g (2oz) caster sugar
2 large egg yolks, (carefully separate and retain whites for meringue)
40g (1½oz) butter

Meringue Topping
2 large egg whites
110g (4oz) caster sugar

Make the pastry by hand or in a food processor

By Hand
Aerate the flour by sifting the flour and salt together, through a sieve into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter or margarine and using only your fingertips, lightly rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle on the cold water, a little at a time, and using a rounded knife tip, mix to form a stiff dough, which will leave the bowl cleanly. (You may not need to use all of the water or may need a few extra drops.)

Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it a little to make it smooth and even. Wrap it in Clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes – this prevents shrinking during cooking.

Using a Food Processor
The secret here is to not over-process and overheat the pastry, which makes it oily. The metal blade should be used. Sieve the flour and salt into the bowl of the processor and mix by pulsing 2 or 3 times.

Add the cold butter or margarine and pulse or run at medium speed until the mixture just forms fine crumbs (about 5 – 10 seconds)

With the processor running slowly, add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, through the feed tube – the mixture should just bind together in less than a minute. Don't over-process and stop immediately the mixture forms a ball.

If the mixture doesn't bind, add a little extra cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it binds. Remove the dough from the bowl; wrap it in Clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes– this prevents shrinking during cooking.

Now place a baking sheet in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas 4).

Baking the Pastry Cases
The pastry case is “baked blind”, that is, it is baked before it is filled. This prevents the filling soaking into the pastry and keeps the base crisp. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and use it to line the flan tin. Prick the bottom with a fork to allow any trapped air to escape during baking. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and carefully fill with baking beans.

Place in the preheated oven on the baking sheet and bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until the pastry is set and the rim is golden. Carefully lift out the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack and leave in the tin.

Now reduce the oven temperature to 150ºC (300ºF, Gas 2).

Preparing the Lemon Filling
Put the cornflour and sugar into a mixing bowl and add a little of the cold water, stirring to make a smooth paste. Pour the remaining water and and the lemon zest into a saucepan; heat to almost boiling and then pour in the bowl of cornflour paste. Mix to make a smooth paste and then return to the saucepan. Place over a gentle heat and stir continuously for about 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and using a whisk, beat in the egg yolks, lemon juice and butter. Pour the lemon filling into the pastry case and spread it out evenly with a spatula.

Preparing the Meringue Topping
Ensure that the whites are totally free of any egg white (otherwise they won't beat properly).

Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and using a balloon whisk, whisk them until they are stiff (you can just turn the bowl upside down!) but not dry.

Beat in a quarter of the caster sugar at a time and then spread the meringue topping evenly over the lemon filling, using a spatula. Ensure that the meringue is spread to the pastry case edge to seal in the lemon filling.

Return to the cooled oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until the meringue is crisp and lightly browned. The meringue has a lovely marshmallow texture inside if it is not overbrowned.

Allow to cool, or if serving warm, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the tart tin by standing on a small bowl and gently ease the body down from the pastry. Carefully slide the tart off the tin base onto a serving plate.