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Ingredients

How to make it

  • Directions:
  • To Make the Crust:Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.
  • Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.
  • To Make the Filling: Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.
  • To Make the Meringue:Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.
  • Free-Style Lemon Tartlets(from "Ripe for Dessert" by David Lebovitz)Prepare the recipe as above but complete the following steps:To roll out tartlet dough, slice the dough into 6 pieces. On lightly floured surface, roll each circle of dough into a 5 inch disk. Stack the disks, separated by pieces of plastic wrap, on a plate, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.To bake the dough, position rack in oven to the centre of oven and preheat to 350ºF (180ºC). Place the disks of dough, evenly spaced, on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely.To finish tartlets, first place oven rack in the upper third of the oven and increase heat to 425ºF. Divide the lemon filling equally among the disks, mounding it in the centre and leaving a 1-inch border all the way around. Spoon the meringue decoratively over each tartlet, right to the edges, in dramatic swirling peaks.Return tartlets to oven and bake for about 5 minutes, until the meringue is golden brown.
Lemon Filling Ingredients   Close
Mixing Sugar and Corn Starch   Close
Lemon Filling Resting in Crust   Close
Still Waiting for Room Temperature   Close
Fluffy Meringue   Close
YUM!   Close

Reviews & Comments 5

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    " It was excellent "
    chriesi ate it and said...
    Looks fantastic.
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    " It was excellent "
    divaliscious ate it and said...
    a difinite fave of mine and a huge tradition in our family...it's so interesting to see the little variations while comparing our recipes...I am going to try yours the next time! Let you know how it goes for sure! ps- any tricks from having meringue not water out? as mine have done recently on homemade cream pies and the last time I did lemon meringue? - The pie fillings were fantastic,, but since using my new kitchen aid mixer, after cooking the meringue, they tend to become water on the bottom where the meringue meets the pie filling...terribly embarrassing when the filling is oh so great! btw, the meringue after baking looks great and I have not done these dishes on humid days - following all the normal tricks I know. thanks!
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
    " It was excellent "
    lunasea ate it and said...
    Oh baby - sign me up! Lemon Meringue Pie is one of my all-time favorite pies - ever. Yummmm. Love your photos! Great post - thanks so much!!
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
    " It was excellent "
    michellem ate it and said...
    LOVE THIS!! Thank you so much for the wonderful delicious photos..I could grab that pie right through the screen and eat it! Your meringue looks FANTASTIC!! Perfect 10 for you girl!!
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
    " It was excellent "
    marriage ate it and said...
    Lemon Meringue is my absolute favorite pie ever. I have many recipes for it. I really like this one and will give it a try. Thank you for sharing.
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag

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