This lemon pie is a must in my little kitchen. Sometimes I prepare it in a round or rectangular mould, play with the piping bag for the decoration, or even let my little guy who masters it to perfection.
I always have what it takes to make it, 3 lemons in the fridge and eggs, a shortcrust pastry in the freezer, and each time it is a huge success.
Lemon meringue pie
For what ? Because it is fabulously simple:
A very lemony cream, with plenty of finely grated zest that melts into the cream. A delight for fans of tangy desserts. Opt for organic lemons, untreated it’s better when you use the zest.
A fluffy cream, not frozen by too much butter or gelatin, it is creamy as it should be, but knows how to stand well so that you can cut pieces easily.
A thin layer of meringue that is not too sweet, perfect to counterbalance the acidity of the pie.
A fine shortcrust pastry, not homemade, but the ready-made dough is the only one that allows you to have a thin layer of dough, the homemade shortcrust pastry gives a thicker, richer, less light pie and it is less easy. And then this is my time-saving tip for this recipe!
A quick recipe well done, ready in less than 30 minutes, it just needs at least an hour in the fridge (two is better) before being tasted.
Ingredients
°1 shortcrust pastry
°3 eggs
°75g caster sugar
°75g butter
°3 lemons (organic, untreated)
°3 egg whites
°100g icing sugar
°1 pinch of salt
*Instructions
Line a tart mold with a removable bottom with the shortcrust pastry, it should not be too large, 22 or 24 cm in diameter. With the scraps of dough, double the contours. Cover with parchment paper and ceramic beads to facilitate cooking. Bake at 180° for 20 minutes.
Rinse the lemons, collect the zest with a microplane grater. Squeeze the lemons to get the juice.
Melt the butter, add it to the pan. Heat everything over medium heat, stirring first with a whisk and then with a spatula throughout the cooking. The cream should thicken and take on the texture of pastry cream. Stop cooking when it has thickened.
Using a stand mixer, mix everything in the pan, the texture should become foamy.
When the pie crust is cooked, remove the beads and parchment paper. Pour the lemon cream.
Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt. Add the icing sugar little by little spoon by spoon until the whites are well whipped and the texture at the end of the whisk resembles a bird’s beak.
Pipe the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a smooth nozzle. Using a torch, brown the meringue. Then let cool for 1 hour in the refrigerator before serving.
Enjoy !