lemon meringue pie Archives - SmallSpaceCooking

Desserts, Travel

Lemon Meringue Pie – for my sweetie pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

For years – 20 or so – I have been making lemon meringue pies for my husband because I thought it was his favorite. Last Thanksgiving I made a pecan pie. I rarely make them because I find them too sweet. At dinner my husband exclaimed ‘Pecan pie, my favorite!” Oh well. It is good to learn something new.

I’ve tried all sorts of recipes for lemon meringue pie and most of them take a long time. A few years ago it dawned on me that lemon curd was the perfect lemon filling because it makes the pie quick to create and not a chore. If you buy a crust, it is a cinch. I often make the dough and the lemon curd a day ahead.

At the Koffee Kup in Hico, Texas they make a lemon meringue pie with a meringue top well over 6” high. It is a marvel. In Hico you’ll also find wonderful chocolate confections from Wiseman House Chocolates.

The meringue in the lemon meringue pie does not reach the 6” height but add another egg white and you might make reach it!

Lemon Meringue Pie

one 10″ pie

Ingredients:

1 Old Fashioned Pie Crust, made with this recipe.

Lemon Curd, made by doubling this recipe.

Meringue:

3 egg whites (room temperature is best but not essential)

1/2 c sugar

Utensils:

Mixer, 1 large mixing bowl (very clean), spatula

Method:

If you are doing this in one day, start by making the pie dough. While it is cooling in the fridge make the lemon curd. While the curd is cooling, roll out the pie dough and place it in a 10-inch pie pan. Chill the pie crust one more time to stop shrinkage and blind bake it. Pour the lemon curd into the baked pie crust.

Finally, preheat the oven to 400F and make the meringue: whisk the egg whites until they begin to get fluffy. Add half the sugar while continuing to beat. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks just begin to form. Add the rest of the sugar and beat till stiff peaks form.

Spread the meringue on the lemon curd, making sure to completely cover the curd and sealing the meringue to the crust.

Place the pie into the 400F oven and bake for 7 minutes. The meringue will be slightly crisp, golden brown on the outside and lovely and soft on the inside.

November 1, 2015 by Bowman O' Connor

Desserts, Fruit

Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is so simple and delicious that I make it all the time. There is something about the balance of tart with sweet that perks up your taste buds. And I’ve just finished making limoncello so I have lemons on my mind.

You can use lemon curd over fruit or put fruit over lemon curd depending on which you prefer. Lemon curd is my secret for making a lemon meringue pie quickly. You can spoon lemon curd over ice cream, dip gingersnaps into it … the list goes on and on.

If you want something a little different, use limes or Meyer lemons. Lime curd with blueberries is wonderful.

Lemon Curd

10 minutes, makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

2 large lemons, zested and juiced

4T butter

1/2c sugar

2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, well beaten

Utensils:

1 medium size saucepan, a measuring cup, a wooden spoon, a bowl

Method:

Melt the butter over low heat . Add the sugar, lemon juice and zest. Slowly add the egg mixture, stirring gently so the egg does not scramble. Continue to heat and stir gently until the curd covers the back of the spoon. Take the saucepan off the heat, pour the lemon curd into a bowl and leave to cool and thicken.

After cooling, place a piece of wax paper on the surface of the curd and store it in the refrigerator.

If you have a little scrambled egg in your curd from heating it too quickly, just strain the curd through a sieve.

October 30, 2015 by Bowman O' Connor