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pie

Desserts, Travel

Lemon Meringue Pie – for my sweetie pie

lemon merangue 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
Desserts

Old Fashioned Flaky Pie Crust

Rolled out pie crust 20140818-_MG_8661.CR2

Old Fashioned Flaky Pie Crust

I’ve tried a lot of different pie crust recipes over the years. I have a collection of unusual ones like a boiled crust. While most are quite good, I find myself going back to the basic French recipe I’ve been using for a long time.

Treat your dough gently and you’ll have a wonderfully flaky crust. Double the recipe and put half in the freezer. It will make your next pie a cinch.

Pie Crust ready to bake 20140818-_MG_8668.CR2

a double crusted pie ready to bake

Old Fashioned Flaky Pie Crust

makes one 10 inch pie crust

Ingredients:

5T              butter, cut into 1 inch cubes. I usually keep a few sticks of butter in the freezer expressly for making pastry

5T              shortening, very cold, just like the butter

2c              all-purpose flour

1t               salt

1                egg yolk (optional). Save the white to brush on your crust if you are blind baking your crust.

2t               sugar (for a sweet crust)

1/4c           ice water (more if you need it)

Utensils:

Food processor, a fork, measuring cup, measuring spoons

Method:

measuring flour 20151023_MG_2913.CR2

By Hand: On your counter or in a bowl add the butter, shortening, sugar (if using) and salt to the flour. Cream the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients by using your fingertips to rub the butter mix into the flour until it looks like coarse meal. Beat the water and egg together. Make a well in the center of the flour and gradually add the egg and water till the dough comes together.   You can do this with a fork. Gently gather the mixture into a ball of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes

In the Food Processor: Mix the flour, salt and sugar (if using) in the bowl with a few quick pulses.

pie crust butter and shortening 20151023_MG_2918.CR2

Add the butter and shortening. Pulse the motor a few times until the mix resembles peas. Whisk the water and egg yolk. Leave the motor running while you slowly pour in the ice water/egg yolk mix. When the pastry starts to form a ball stop processing immediately. Empty the dough onto the counter, gather it up in plastic wrap and form a disk. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to give the gluten in the dough time to relax and the butter time to become solid again. I have been known to stick the dough in the freezer to speed the process.

Blind Baking for a pre-baked crust

Preheat your oven to 350F. When you want a pre-baked pie shell such as is needed for a lemon meringue pie, roll out the chilled dough and line your pan with it. Put it back in the refrigerator and chill it for 30 minutes. Place a disk of parchment paper or foil on top of the crust and place weights on the paper. I use beans or rice for weights. I save my rice and reuse it.

Pie Crust with rice weights 20151023-_MG_2957.CR2

Bake the crust for 25 minutes then remove the parchment paper and weights. Brush the crust with lightly beaten egg white and bake for another 5 minutes. You now have the basis of, for example, Lemon Meringue Pie.

October 31, 2015 by