A Lovely Lemon Meringue Pie

I couldn't remember the last time I'd had lemon meringue pie. A not-too-sweet pastry shell filled with a tangy lemon 'curd' and topped with glossy white meringue. Swoon! We used to have it on very special occasions when I was growing up but I would only have had it a handful of times since then. So, when Laura over at Grow Gather Enjoy mentioned the pie she made for her Dad recently, I decided that it had been way too long between slices! I made a lemon meringue pie that very day and it became dessert for our shared Fathers' Day dinner. My husband did notice the break in tradition from the usual cheesecake I always make him for his special days but the loveliness of tangy lemon with fluffy sweet meringue soon silenced any protest! 

A piece of oh-so-delicious pie!

My Mum made the filling for her lemon meringue pie with condensed milk, lemon juice and eggs. Lemony fillings thickened with cornflour just don't carry the same memories for me! A quick search and I discovered this simple recipe, contributed by Ruth Salecich-Brown, over at Love in a Little Black Diary, that her grandmother, Evelyn Proposch, used to make. It seems Ruth has fond memories of lemon meringue pies too!

So, I gathered all the basic ingredients and set about the baking of this lovely pie. It is quite easy to make and the recipe includes instructions for the easiest pastry I've ever made. No rubbing butter into flour! Here's how it came together in my kitchen:

Lemon Meringue Pie

For the Pastry:  Warm 60g butter, 2 Tablespoons sugar and 1/4 cup milk until butter just melted. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 beaten egg. Add 1 1/2 cups of self raising flour until a soft dough forms. Roll out dough on a floured surface or sheet of baking paper and then line your pie plate with it. Neaten the edge of your pie by trimming off any excess pastry. Prick carefully with a fork and then bake in a slow oven for 10-15mins until lightly browned. Cool before adding the filling.

 A quick & easy homemade pastry...

...forms a lovely little pie crust.

For the filling:  Beat 1 tin of condensed milk, 1/2cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 2 eggs yolk together until blended. Add to the baked pie shell.

Egg yolks, condensed milk & lemon juice ...

... make a luscious, tangy filling. 

For the meringue:  Beat two eggs whites until stiff peaks form. Very gradually add 4 Tablespoons of caster sugar and whisk until meringue is white and glossy. Spread meringue over the top of the pie's lemony filling. Bake in a slow oven (150C) until meringue is just beginning to brown. (My pie was ready after just 15mins in my oven.) 

Egg whites whipped with a little sugar for the glossy meringue ... 

 ... that tops off this sweet & citrus-y pie.

Ready to be sliced and shared.

With that lovely lemony filling waiting underneath that fluffy meringue, a layer of creamy yellow and glossy white, this is a pie that combines tangy with sweet in a mouth-watering way. I couldn't wait to try it! One bite and I remembered how wonderful a homemade lemon meringue pie tastes! Unfortunately though, there were no second helpings (probably just as well;) so I think I will have to make another again soon. Xx

Do you bake homemade pies?  What's your favourite?

Meg