Lemon Meringue Pie

I've never tasted any other Lemon Meringue Pie but this recipe made by my own hands. Maybe I'm missing out, but to be honest, I'd be pretty happy to just eat this for the rest of my life...

I've made it three times. The first was a revelation. Never before had I tasted such the harmony of lovely pastry, tangy filling and crisp, sweet meringue. The second was a bit of a meringue disaster and caused a small kitchen tantrum. This time it was just beautiful - especially with the addition of a few clementines.

Once I had decided to make this again, I went to the local shop to pick up some extra eggs and lemons. I was intending to use a blood orange I had hanging around in the filling to sweeten it up. Then I got there and spied some beautiful clementines, as you can see above. I couldn't stop myself from buying a few and using them instead of the orange (which in the end turned out to be very pale inside and a bit old - that's my excuse, anyway). They add a bright sunniness the the filling, mellowing out the tang without being overly sweet. 

Last time I made the pie I had some filling left over and used it to make these Lemon Surprise Cupcakes, which were awesome - yet another excuse to make it!

My pastry case came out beautifully, it's a really lovely recipe. I need to learn to be neater, though! The meringue still doesn't look perfect which annoys me - I want it to peak properly. It tastes pretty fantastic though, so I'm not complaining too much. I have no real idea where I'm going wrong. My current theory is that I need to whip it to stiffer peaks before starting to add the sugar. Any ideas?

Lemon Meringue Pie

(Adapted from Good Food Magazine, see here)

For the pastry:

175g plain flour

100g butter

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 egg yolk

Chop up the butter into small cubes and pop in the bowl you're going to use to make the pastry. Put the whole bowl in the freezer. I often put a glass of water in too to chill. Weigh out the flour and sugar, separate the egg and then beat the yolk lightly. When ready, take the bowl out of the freezer and sieve the flour and sugar over the top. Rub the butter in then use a knife to mix in the beaten egg. Add tbsp by tbsp of cold water until it comes together into a ball, being as sparing as possible. Cover the ball in cling film and put in the fridge for about half an hour. Dust a surface with flour and roll out into a circle big enough for your dish (I used a 23cm loose based tin) then press the pastry in, clearing off the tops and forking the bottom. Put in the fridge to firm for 10-15 minutes while the oven heats to 180C. Bake blind for 15 minutes, then crisp for another five. Leave to cool in the tin.

For the filling:

zest of 2 lemons

125ml lemon juice (of 2-3 lemons)

juice of 4 clementines (or a small orange)

2 tbsp cornflour

85g butter, in small pieces

3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg

100g caster sugar

Mix the cornflour, zest and sugar together in a saucepan. Sieve the lemon juice and stir in slowly. Sieve the clementine juice into a measuring jug and top up to 200ml with water, then add and stir in. Cook over a medium heat until clear and thickened. Remove from the heat and beat in the butter until melted, then beat in the beaten eggs till smooth. Return to heat and stir till thick - it should drop off the spoon like thick lemon curd. Put aside to cool.

For the meringue:

4 egg whites

200g caster sugar

1.5 level tbsp cornflour

Preheat oven to 180 C. Whisk the egg whites to soft glossy peaks then add tablespoons of sugar till half of it is gone, beating after each addition. Sieve the cornflour over the top and whisk in. Continue with the tablespoons of sugar until it has all gone and the meringue is thick and glossy. Quickly reheat the lemon filling then smooth it into the bottom of the pastry case. Spoon meringue around the edge of the case so it touches the pastry, then heap the rest into the middle. Bake for 15-18 minutes then turn the oven off, leaving the pie in there for another 15 minutes. Take out and leave to sit for 15 minutes or so before turning out. It's best on the same day, but still very lovely the next!