A zesty lemon pie covered in a marshmallow meringue. The fresh citrus flavour will leave you wanting more!
This is something my grandmother called Canadian Lemon pie - her recipe is essentially the mixture to go into your pastry case. You will need to blind bake the pastry case before adding the filling and topping it with the meringue. See notes below if you're unsure how to do this.
This is her list of ingredients for the whole pie filling. I have updated and separated it into those for lemon curd and meringue and increased the quantities to give a filling for a 23cm flan dish.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Zest and juice the lemons.
Lemon curd
250g caster sugar
300ml boiling water
3 egg yolks (beaten)
juice and zest of 3 lemons
3 tbsp cornflour
Put the sugar into a saucepan and gradually whisk in the boiling water over a low heat. When the sugar has dissolved, add the lemon juice, zest and egg yolks. Bring to a simmer whisking continuously. Remove from the heat. Mix the cornflour with a little water and add to the saucepan, whisking again to combine.
Do not be tempted to put it back on the heat - it should not be necessary.
Once it has thickened, allow to cool slightly before pouring into your pastry case.
Meringue
3 eggs whites
150g caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
Put the egg whites into a large bowl and whisk until peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating until you have a stiff shiny mixture. Then sprinkle the cornflour into the mix and fold in. Spoon the meringue on top of your filled pie case, making sure you it goes to the edges of the pastry to completely seal the edges. Put in the oven for 15 minutes or until browned, but be careful that you don't give it too long or the meringue will crack.
Delicious on its own or served with double cream.
How to blind bake a pastry case
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Roll out your pastry and fill your tart tin. Take a piece of baking paper, slightly larger than the tin, and put it into the tin on top of the pastry. Then fill with ceramic baking beans, dried pulses or rice to weigh the paper down. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to allow the base to dry out. When it's done, remove any excess pastry from the edges using a sharp knife.
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