Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

I have always loved a good lemon meringue pie.  Below is my recipe for making a lemon custard pie that’s creamy and full of lemon flavor.  The lemon flavor comes from the half of a cup of lemon juice and from the finely grated lemon peel that is added to the custard.  I also use vanilla and almond extract in the custard to give the pie more flavor.  The pie then is topped with an easy to make meringue that is made from egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar.  The lemon meringue pie is then placed in the oven until the meringue is golden brown.

Pie Filling Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) pie crust
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of whole milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons of butter at room temperature
1/2 cup of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of finely grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract

Meringue Topping Ingredients:

3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar
6 tablespoons of sugar

Instructions:

You will want to begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line your pie crust with parchment paper and fill it with dried beans.  Then place your pie crust into your preheated oven and bake your pie crust until the crust is set.  This  should take 12 to 14 minutes.   Then remove the paper and weights from your pie crust and then continue to bake until golden brown.  This should take 8 to 10 minutes.  Now, remove your pie crust from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  Then reduce the temperature of your oven to 350 and leave your oven on.

To make the lemon custard you will want to whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk until smooth in a heavy large saucepan. Cook and stir the mixture over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. You will then want to reduce the heat and cook while stirring for 2 minutes longer.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and then stir in a small amount of hot mixture into a bowl that you have beaten your eggs in.  This is called tempering the eggs and you do it so that you don’t create scrambled eggs in your mixture.  Once the eggs are tempered return the mixture to the saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Your next step is to remove the saucepan from the heat and then stir in your butter until it melts and is incorporated.  Then add in your lemon juice, lemon peel, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until combined.   After your custard has cooled slightly you will want to pour your custard into the pie shell that you have already baked.  Set your pie aside while you make your meringue topping.

You will now want to prepare the meringue by taking a medium mixing bowl and add in in your egg whites and cream of tartar and beat your ingredients with a hand mixer on a medium speed until soft peaks form.  Then gradually add in your sugar a tablespoon at a time while you beat your mixer on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form in the meringue and your sugar has completely dissolved.   Then spread your meringue completely over your lemon filling that will still be hot.  I think curly peaks give a great texture to a lemon meringue pie’s top so use a spoon to swirl and twist the meringue until you achieve this result.  Make certain that you seal the edges of the meringue to the crust of your pie shell.  If you do not then the meringue will shrink a bit as it bakes.

Now place your lemon meringue pie into your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees F. until the meringue is golden brown.  This should take 10 to 15 minutes.  Keep an eye on it after 10 minutes to make certain it doesn’t over brown   Then cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.  After that time place your pie in the refrigerator and chill your lemon meringue pie for 3 to 4 hours or overnight before serving.  enjoy