She loved to bake and one of her favorite things to make for us was lemon meringue pie. I still remember the magic of that whipped meringue topping that went into the oven like soft cloudy pillows and came out firm and golden brown. Taking that first bite? Cutting into the light billowy meringue, scooping up that buttery lemon filling? Sigh. Now as much as I loved my grandmother’s lemon meringue pie, she left no record of the recipe that I have found. But this one? It’s even better. I think it’s the best lemon meringue pie recipe around.
Video: Lemon Meringue Pie
Three Elements for the Best Lemon Meringue Pie
There are three elements that make up a perfect lemon meringue pie:
The Trick To Making Lemon Pie Filling for Lemon Meringue Pie
A lemon pie filling is the base for a lemon meringue pie. You make it with egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest, and fortify it with cornstarch so the filling holds its shape when you cut the pie. What happens when the lemon filling fails to set properly? A runny filling, no fun! According to Shirley Corriher (author of Cookwise, terrific book), the problem arises when the egg yolk meets cornstarch. Egg yolks have an enzyme in them that can thin out the starch, leaving you with a runny filling. With enough heat, the enzyme is deactivated, so the solution is to bring the filling to a boil for a long enough time to neutralize that enzyme. You might think that boiling egg yolks would make them curdle, but after they’ve been tempered and combined with the starch mixture, the starch prevents them from curdling.
How To Make Meringue for Lemon Meringue Pie
Egg whites demand attention to whip well, and extra help to hold their shape in a meringue. The best lemon meringue pie trick I learned (also from Shirley Corriher) is to add a gelled cornstarch and water mixture to the meringue. In addition to the acid from cream of tartar, and the use of sugar, the cornstarch helps the meringue hold its shape, and keep it from weeping or shrinking when baked in the pie. This is how you get a “mile-high” lemon meringue pie. Plenty of egg whites, and enough support to keep the whipped meringue sturdy enough to cut, yet tender to eat.
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This pie is really at its best on the same day that it’s made. If you do wind up with leftovers store them in the refrigerator, loosely covered with plastic wrap. The pie will technically stay fresh for 2 to 3 days, but meringue has a tendency to weep the longer that it’s in the refrigerator, so try to eat it as soon as you can! Egg whites will refuse to whip up properly if they are in contact with any fat. So, make sure your mixer bowl and whisk are completely clean. Also make sure that there are not bits of yolk that have made their way into the egg whites when you separated them. You need to make the pie the day it’s served, but if you want a jump start, make the crust the day before.
5 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/3 cup (266g) sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the meringue:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (128g) sugar
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Line your frozen pie shell with aluminum foil so that the foil extends over the edges (will make convenient handles). Fill two-thirds of the way with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and the pie weights. Poke the bottom of the crust in several places with the tines of a fork. This will help prevent the bottom from bubbling up. Put the crust back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes more, or until the crust is lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside. In a medium saucepan, add 6 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 cups water, and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil on medium heat, whisking constantly. Let simmer for a minute or two until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the cornstarch mixture has thickened up well (consistency of Cream of Wheat) remove from heat. Take a spoonful of the cornstarch mixture and whisk it into the beaten egg yolks to temper the yolks. Continue to whisk in spoonfuls of the cornstarch mixture until you’ve used about half of the cornstarch mixture. Then add the egg yolk mixture back to the pot with the cornstarch. Return to a boil, on medium to medium high heat, stirring constantly. Cook 3 to 4 minutes. (The starch will keep the eggs from curdling.) Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter. Once the egg whites are frothy, slowly add in the sugar and cream of tartar, a spoonful at a time. Beat until the egg whites form soft peaks. Add the cornstarch water mixture (it should look like a gel) a spoonful at a time, as you continue to beat the egg whites. Increase the speed to high and continue to beat until the egg whites have formed stiff peaks. Do not over-beat, or your meringue will be grainy. Scoop the steaming hot filling into the pre-baked pie shell, spreading it evenly. Make sure the mixture attaches to the crust with no gaps. The crust will help anchor the meringue and help keep it from shrinking and weeping. Fill in the center with more meringue mixture. Use the back of a spoon to create peaks all over the meringue. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely to room temperature. If the pie is even remotely warm when you cut into it, the lemon base may be runny. To help firm up the base, after the pie has cooled down, you can place the pie on top of a cooling pack covered with a tea towel. This pie is best eaten the same day you make it.
