This pie is delicious, smooth and sour in a sweet way. It appeals to most people. Both the ones, who are not crazy about sweets and those who love sugar. Perfect balance. Traditionally this pie is served with french meringue, but i like swiss meringue a lot better. So there is a recipe for both. Then you can pick your own favorite.
If you wanna make the pie in small molds, like those you see in the picture, then it’s exactly the same procedure. The baking time is the same on the crusts, but the cream should only bake for approx. 20 minutes or until it is just set in the middle.
The crust
- 1 3/4 cups plain flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
- 1/3 cup icing sugar mixture
- 175g butter, chilled, chopped
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons iced water, approximately
The filling
- 5 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1 cup pure cream
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
The French meringue
- 4 eggwhites
- 1 cup caster sugar
The Swiss meringue
- 4 eggewhites
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
Method:
1. Blend flour, almond flour, icing sugar and diced butter at low speed. When the mixture is crumbled, add the egg yolks and water. Blend on low speed until the dough is incorporated. Remove the dough from the mixer and knead it quickly until it is completely uniform. Shape the dough as a disk and wrap it in cling film. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C/392°F. Butter a 23- inch metal pie dish.
3. Roll out the dough on a floured counter top. Roll it out to 3-4 mm thickness.
5. Put the dough into the mold and smooth edges. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
6. Place the dish on a baking plate, covered with a baking sheet. Cover the dough with baking paper and fill the pie with dried beans or rice. Bake the base in 10 min.
7. Remove the cake and remove the rice. Bake for another 10 min.
8. Let the bottom cool down. Turn oven down to 180°C/356°F.
9. Make the filling. Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Take the cooled pie crust and put in the filling.
10. Bake the cake for 25-30 min., take the cake out and let it cool for 15 minutes (if using French meringue). Let the cake cool completely if you use Swiss meringue.
11. Select the meringue you want to make:
a. French meringue:
Beat the whites until stiff and add sugar 1 tbsp. at a time. Whisk constantly till the sugar is completely dissolved. Put the frenchmeringue on the cake and put it into the oven for 5 minutes. Serve.
b. Swiss meringue:
Make a water bath, not very hot. Mix egg whites and sugar in a bowl, and put them over the water bath. Stir gently until all the sugar is completely dissolved. Take it off the water bath and wipe the water off the bottom of the bowl. Beat egg whites in 7-10 minutes until the mixture is stiff. Decorate the cold cremepie with the meringue and give it a little burn on the meringue before serving. The Meringue can be kept in a pipingbag in the refrigerator for several hours before you put it on the cake.
Can I make lemon meringue pie in advance?
Yes the pie can be made in advance. The Meringue should be made the same day, as it is getting served. You can freeze the Lemon Meringue pie and you can take it up the day before, make the meringue and then the cake is ready to serve.
