Lemon Meringue Pie (Different Recipe)
Remember this and its not-supposedly-runny lemon custard? I tried different recipe this time, which resulted in beautiful, thick custard. I was so happy!
The custard looked so right and tempting we couldn't resist the urge to do some custard-tasting, right from the sauce pan. A considerable amount of custard didn't make it to the pie crust, that's for sure.
Look at that mountain high meringue! This recipe calls for more egg yolks so there were more egg whites for the meringue. I didn't even use all the meringue because i thought it would be too much. Then I tried to make pavlova from the rest of the meringue (but failed).
But you know, oddly enough, I kind of missed the last version of the pie. The custard might have been runny, the meringue was thin and sunk when it cooled down, but after stored overnight in the fridge it turned out just right. The custard and the meringue kind of melted together on my plate, created a perfect blend of taste, sour and sweet.
On the other hand, the thick custard on the latest pie was getting thicker and solid in the fridge it felt separated from the other elements of the pie. And the meringue was too much, it was overwhelming. I couldn't eat all the meringue on my plate.
But it might be just me. Let's compare them again side by side:
You make your choice. Happy baking!
Lemon Meringue Pie
Adapted from The Essential Baker by Carole Bloom
I halved the recipe and used a 15 cm
pie pan.
Pie Crust
For the crust I used my favorite recipe. Bake the pie crust until light golden and set.
Lemon Filling
Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
1 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
a pinch of salt
Methods:
Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl,
whisk together lightly.
Place the water, sugar, and cornstarch
in the saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture
is thick, shiny, and translucent. Remove from heat.
Take about 1/4 cup of this mixture and
stir it into the egg yolks to temper them. Add the egg yolks to the
cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Return the saucepan to the
heat and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the
mixture comes to a boil.
Remove from heat and blend in the lemon
juice, butter, lemon zest, and salt. Stir to blend completely and to
melt the butter.
Pour the filling evenly into the baked
pie crust.
Meringue Topping
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Methods:
Place the egg whites, sugar, and cream
of tartar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the wire whip
attachment, or use a hand-held mixer. Whisk the mixture until they
hold stiff, shiny peaks.
Use a rubber spatula to spread some of
the meringue in an even layer around the rim of the pie plate, making
sure it adheres to the pie crust. This helps prevent the meringue
from shinking as it bakes. Spread the rest of the meringue over the
top of the pie, mounding it slightly on the center. Use the spatula
to form swirls and peaks randomly over the meringue.
Bake the pie for about 10 minutes until
the meringue is lightly browned. Remove the pie from the oven and
cool on a rack.
Serve the pie at room temperature or
cold.
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