Sunday 26 May 2013

Lemon Meringue Pie

This version of a lemon Meringue Pie is very easy to make and and absolutely delicious. Please give it a go.

Ingredients :

For the Meringue:
3 egg whites at room temp.
6 Tbsp of powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract.

For the Base :
10- 14 Digestive biscuits (crushed to make breadcrumbs)
1 tbsp of butter.

For the Lemon Curd :
1 cup of water
1 cup sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp corn flour
3 egg yolks

Preparation Method :

Firstly prepare the base of your pie by putting the digestive biscuits into a zip lock bag and bash them to your hearts content until they are fine crumbs.




Now melt the butter in a pan on a low heat and add the crumbs to it.


Once it resembles a wet sand look remove the pan off the heat.


Now add the crumbs into a cake tin and spread them into the tin firmly either using your hands or the bottom of a glass. 
Chill the base in the fridge for ten minutes or until the curd is made.

Now it's time to make the Lemon Curd:
Add the water, sugar , lemon juice,zest and corn flour to a pan on medium heat and stir continuously until it thickens up.
Now take the pan of the heat and pour a some mixture into your bowl of egg yolks while whisking quickly. This is called tempering. Do Not add the yolks straight into the pan or they will scramble.
Add the egg mix back into the pan and whisk in quickly.
Now add the butter and stir it in. Cook for a minute or 2 to make sure the yolk gets cooked.
Remove the pan of the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.

Now bring out the base from the fridge.


Pour the Lemon curd into the base and chill in the fridge until your meringue is ready.

Now pre heat your oven to 180.

Time to make the meringue topping !


 Add your egg whites in a clean grease free/yolk free bowl.
Whisk gently until they become frothy and stop whisking.
Now add 1 tbsp of the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract and continue to whisk.
Add in the rest of the sugar a little at a time until it's gone whilst still whisking.

Continue to whisk until they form stiff glossy peaks like this :)


And the beater/whisk looks like this.


At this point you should be able to hold the bowl upside down over your head, but I still haven't been brave enough to do so hehehehe :P
If it doesn't slide around the bowl when tipped, it's ready :)

So let's put the yummy topping onto our pie now .


Gently add the meringue on top of the curd using a spatula.
spread it all over and gently tap and lift your spatula over the meringue to make small peaks.

Time to bake :)

Place your pie into the middle shelf of your oven and bake for 10- 15 minutes.


Your pie is now ready woohooo!
But stop right there! Do not be tempted to dig in just yet NO NO NO! :p
The pie needs to chill for 3 hours in the fridge to allow the curd and meringue to set.
Trust me it's worth the wait. If you do not chill it, your pie will fall apart and your efforts will have gone to waste so please follow this instruction.

Tick Tock I know you've been clock watching like I have.
The pie is now ready to serve and enjoy :)



Enjoyyyyyyyyyyyy :)

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