Hallmark Carehomes

Lemon meringue pie recipe

11 January 2017

Lemon meringue pie recipe

Mary Honour, 86, a resident at Maycroft Manor, our care home in Brighton has been using this recipe for years.  She said: “It’s the best as it’s very lemony and quite tart, with a big fluffy soft meringue.”

Serves: 8-10 people

Preparation time: 2 hours

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Pastry

Ingredients:

175g plain flour

100g cold butter (cut into small chunks)

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp cold water

Method:

  1. Place all ingredients into a food processor and mix until it binds together
  2. Roll out to line a loose bottom 20cm x 3xm tart tin (the pastry is rich, so it may crumble, just press together if this happens)
  3. Prick the base with a fork and line with foil and baking beads
  4. Chill for 1 hour
  5. Pre-heat the oven to 200oc (180oc fan)
  6. Bake for 15 minutes with the foil and baking beads
  7. Remove the foil and baking beads, brush with egg wash and bake for another 5-8 minutes, until the pastry is golden and cooked
  8. Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 180oc (160oc fan)

Lemon filling

2 level tbsp cornflour

100g caster sugar

Zest of 2-3 lemons

125ml lemon juice (3 lemons)

85g butter

3 egg yolks

1 egg white

1 orange (squeezed)

Method:

  1. While the pasty bakes, mix cornflour, sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan
  2. Stir in the lemon juice
  3. Make orange juice up to 200ml with water and add to the pan
  4. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and smooth
  5. Once the mixture bubbles, remove from the heat and beat in the butter until melted
  6. Beat the 3 egg yolks and 1 egg white together
  7. Stir this into the pan and return to a medium heat
  8. Stir for a few moments, until thick
  9. Sieve the lemon zest from the curd and set aside

Meringue

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

2 level tsp cornflour

200g caster sugar

Method:

  1. Put egg whites in a large bowl and whisk into soft peaks
  2. Add half the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition without overbeating
  3. Whisk in cornflour and add the rest of the sugar until smooth and thick
  4. Quickly reheat the lemon filling and pour into the pastry case
  5. Immediately put spoonful’s of the meringue around the edge of the tart (if you start in the middle it may sink)
  6. Complete by making a fluffy pile or meringue on the tart
  7. Return to the oven and cook for 10-20 minutes until the meringue is crisp and slightly coloured
  8. Sit in the tin for 30 minutes then remove

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