Lemon Meringue Pie and Tutorial (Part 1)

Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest make this lemon meringue pie filling tangy and appealing. And when it's poured into a waiting crust and covered with mounds of meringue and baked...it is heavenly.

3 eggs are pictured, but one more egg white will be needed for the meringue, so you need a total of 4 eggs.

Lemon Meringue Pie

1 (9") baked pie shell

Filling:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. flour
Dash of salt
1 1/2 cups water
3 egg yolks (use large eggs)
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice

Meringue:
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp. cornstarch
4 egg whites (use large eggs)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sugar (superfine sugar will give better results)
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

From the meringue portion of the ingredient list:  In a small saucepan, combine the water and cornstarch.  Cook over medium heat until thick, translucent, and boiling, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, and pour mixture into a small bowl to cool.
 
From the filling portion of the ingredient list:  Separate egg yolks from whites.  Crack an additional egg and separate the yolk from the white discarding the yolk so that you have a total of four egg whites for the meringue and three egg yolks for the filling.  Refrigerate yolks, and set whites aside to warm to room temperature for 30 minutes.

Measure out the rest of the ingredients for the meringue and the pie. (See photos in tutorial.)

 Prepare filling:  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium (3 qt.) saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour, and dash of salt.  Gradually stir in water.  Cook and stir over medium-high heat till thickened and bubbly.  Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat.

Beat egg yolks slightly.  Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten yolks.  Return mixture to saucepan; bring to a gentle boil.  Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat.  Stir in butter and lemon peel.  Gradually stir in lemon juice, mixing well.  Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of filling to prevent a skin from forming.  Set aside.

 Prepare meringue:  In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cream of tartar.  Mix well and set aside.  Whisk the cornstarch mixture (that was prepared earlier) and set aside.  Place the egg whites and vanilla into a scrupulously clean glass or ceramic large mixing bowl.  (I use a 4 qt. bowl.)  With an electric mixer, begin beating slowly until mixture begins to foam; then increase speed to high, and begin gradually adding the sugar mixture one tablespoon at a time until all the sugar is added.  Beat until soft peaks form.  This can take some time.  Decrease the speed to medium; add half of the cornstarch mixture, mixing well.  Repeat with the other half.  Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.  Set aside.

Assemble pie:  Remove plastic wrap from the filling and reheat it on medium until it starts boiling again. Whisk it as it boils for about five seconds then pour it into the shell.

Immediately spread the meringue over the filling.  Put a large part of it (about half) in the middle of the pie so that it can start cooking from the underneath, and spread the meringue toward the outside adding more to the perimeter as needed.  Make sure you get it over the crust edges (so it won’t pull away as it bakes).  Add remaining meringue to the center creating a nice, high mound.  Using the back of your spoon, push into the meringue while pulling up to make decorative peaks.  

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes until the meringue is lightly browned.  Cool the pie away from drafts on a wire rack at room temperature for 1 hour.  Refrigerate uncovered for at least 3 hours before cutting and serving. Pie is best made and served on the same day.  Store leftovers loosely tented with aluminum foil in the refrigerator. 

Click here for printable format 

Perfect Pie Crust:  http://easyaspiecanbe.blogspot.com/2013/12/perfect-pie-crust-recipe-and-tutorial.html

Lemon Meringue Pie 101:

From the meringue portion of the ingredient list:  In a small saucepan, combine the water and cornstarch.  Cook over medium heat until thick, translucent, and boiling, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, and pour mixture into a small bowl to cool:

From the filling portion of the ingredient list:  Separate egg yolks from whites.  Crack an additional egg and separate the yolk from the white discarding the yolk so that you have a total of four egg whites for the meringue and three egg yolks for the filling.  Refrigerate yolks, and set whites aside to warm to room temperature for 30 minutes:

 Measure out the rest of the ingredients for the meringue and the pie:

 Prepare filling:  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium (3 qt.) saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour, and dash of salt.  Gradually stir in water.  Cook and stir over medium-high heat till thickened and bubbly.  Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat:

 Beat egg yolks slightly.  Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten yolks.  Return mixture to saucepan; bring to a gentle boil.  Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat.  Stir in butter and lemon peel:

 Gradually stir in lemon juice, mixing well.  Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of filling to prevent a skin from forming.  Set aside:

  Prepare meringue:  In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cream of tartar.  I like to use superfine sugar (pictured here) as it dissolves quicker making your meringue less likely to bead and/or weep.  Mix well.  Place the egg whites and vanilla into a scrupulously clean glass or ceramic large mixing bowl.  (I use a 4 qt. bowl.)  With an electric mixer, begin beating slowly until mixture begins to foam:

Increase speed to high, and begin gradually adding the sugar mixture one tablespoon at a time until all the sugar is added.  Beat until soft peaks form.  This can take some time.  The tips will curl over when this stage is reached:

Decrease the speed to medium; add half of the cornstarch mixture (that was prepared earlier), mixing well.  Repeat with the other half.  Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.  They will be firm, rigid, and glossy.  Set aside:

Assemble pie:  Remove plastic wrap from the filling and reheat it on medium until it starts boiling again. Whisk it as it boils for about five seconds then pour it into the shell.

Immediately spread the meringue over the filling.  Put a large part of it (about half) in the middle of the pie so that it can start cooking from the underneath, and spread the meringue toward the outside adding more to the perimeter as needed: