 |
| Lemon meringue pie |
TART
PASTRY
175g plain flour
100g cold butter, cut in small pieces
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 egg yolk (62g egg gave me 15g yolk)
½ tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp cold water
LEMON
FILLING
2 tbsp cornflour
50g golden caster sugar (original: 100g)
finely grated zest 2 large lemon
100g fresh lemon juice (1 huge lemon) (original:
125g)
Juice 1 small orange
85g butter, cut into pieces
3 egg yolks (total: 53g)
1 whole egg (56g)
MERINGUE
4 egg whites, room temperature (total:
145g)
100g golden caster sugar (original: 200g)
2 tsp cornflour
Used 23.5cm tart pan.
Used eggs of weight 62/63g each.
Prepare the tart one day in advance. Do the
meringue, then do the lemon filling.
TART
1.
For the pastry, mix all the ingredients
together (save the white for the meringue) and 1 tbsp cold water.
2.
Tip the pastry onto a lightly
floured surface, gather together until smooth, then roll out and line a 23 x
2.5cm loose-bottom fluted flan tin. Trim and neaten the edges. Press pastry
into flutes. The pastry is quite rich, so don’t worry if it cracks, just press
it back together. Prick the base with a fork, line with foil, shiny side down,
and chill for ½-1 hour (or overnight).
3.
Heat oven to 180°C. Bake the pastry case ‘blind’ (filled with dry beans) for 15mins
(may want to increase to 20mins), then remove the foil and bake for 12mins
until golden. Set aside (can be done a day ahead if you want).
LEMON
FILLING
4.
For the filling, whisk the
cornflour, sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice
gradually. Make orange juice up to 100ml with water (original: 200ml) and
strain into the pan. Cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly, until
thickened and smooth. Once the mixture bubbles, remove from the heat and beat
in the butter until melted.
5.
Whisk the egg yolks and whole
egg together in a separate bowl. Pour egg mixture very slowly and whisk into
the pan. Return to a medium heat. Keep stirring vigorously for a few minutes,
until the mixture thickens and plops from the spoon (it will bubble, but
doesn’t curdle). Take off the heat and set aside while you make the meringue.
MERINGUE
6.
Put the egg whites in a large
bowl. Whisk to soft peaks, then add half the sugar a spoonful at a time,
whisking between each addition without overbeating.
7.
Whisk in the cornflour, then
add the rest of the sugar as before until smooth and thick (whisk to almost but NOT stiff peaks, peaks must be able to fold over a little to look pretty). Quickly reheat (*till piping hot) the filling and pour it into the
pastry case. Immediately, put spoonfuls of meringue around the edge of the
filling (if you start in the middle the meringue may sink), then spread so it
just touches the pastry (this will anchor it and help stop it sliding). Pile
the rest into the centre, spreading so it touches the surface of the hot
filling (and starts to cook), then give it all a swirl.
8.
Heat oven to 180°C. Return to the oven for 17mins (20mins was too brown) until the
meringue is crisp and slightly coloured. Let the pie sit in the tin for 30mins (*important),
then remove and leave for at least another ½-1hr before slicing. Eat the same
day.
Adapted from: bbcgoodfood
  |
| To separate egg white and yolk |
 |
| Lemon meringue before baking |
