Source: foodnetwork.ca: Christine Cushing Live: The Best Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup cold vegetable shortening
- 5 tablespoons ice water
Lemon Curd
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup cornstarch, plus 2 tbsp.
- 10 egg, yolks
- 1 cup lemon, juice (5 à 6 citrons)
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- grated zest of 4 lemon
Meringue
- 4 egg, whites
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup sugar (4 c. à table sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon, juice
Directions
Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Sift the dry ingredients together.
- With a pastry cutter, blend in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the ice water gradually until dough forms.
- Pat the dough into a flat disk and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Roll the dough into a 13-inch round. Place it into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges in a decorative pattern.
- Pierce the bottom with a fork.
- Place a piece of parchment or tinfoil in the shell. Fill the shell with pie weights.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pie weights and paper and continue to bake about 15 minutes until the pastry is golden and set. Cool on a wire rack.
Lemon Curd
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 1 cup of water until dissolved. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan add egg yolks, lemon juice, sugar, lemon zest and salt and the remaining 1 cup of water.
- Cook over medium low heat for one minute, stirring constantly. The mixture should not boil but the sugar should dissolve.
- When the sugar has dissolved pour in the cornstarch mixture and turn up the heat to medium.
- Cook mixture, stirring continuously with a spoon so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom or the sides of the pan.
- Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until it has started to boil, thickens and becomes translucent.
- Set filling aside to cool slightly.
- Immediately make meringue so filling stays warm.
Meringue
- Whip egg whites on high speed.
- Immediately add cream of tartar and whip until soft peaks form.
- While whipping, add the sugar one tablespoon at a time to allow it to dissolve.
- Add the lemon juice at the end when the meringue is shiny and holds medium stiff peaks.
Assembly
- Pour the warm filling into the cooled pie shell and spread the meringue on top, making sure to reach the edges of the pastry.
- Use your spatula to swirl the meringue into peaks.
- Cook the pie at 375 degrees F. for about 6 minutes until meringue is just golden.