Wednesday 5 September 2018

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 meringueBeat 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







25 comments:

  1. Hi Meg,
    I love a good lemon meringue, it was my late FIL’s fav. I too haven’t made one in years, I will have to remedy that soon. Fi

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    1. Let me know if you need a taste tester, Fi! Meg:)

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  2. That looks so delicious!
    I’ve only ever made a lemon meringue pie once, I remember it being very nice, but from memory the kids weren’t fond of the meringue, so I haven’t made it again.

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    1. All the more for you, Cheryl. There were no leftovers of my pie and I certainly wished there had been! Meg:)

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  3. We love lemon meringue pie, home made with fresh lemons, I follow Mary Berry's recipe, umm might have to make one. Its the same as cheese on toast, you see it and you want it.

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    1. That's exactly what happened when I read about the lemon meringue pie that Laura made for her Dad. I read it and just thought, "Ooooo!" Meg:)

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  4. I can remember making that pie when the children were growing up. I can't remember if that was the pie that I had to make sure I didn't use bush lemons for which would stop it from setting. Condensed milk used to be used a lot in pies a while back. The cans used to be boiled to make caramel for caramel pie. There were a lot of cooks with stories of burst cans and caramel all over the walls if the water dried up in the saucepan. LOL!

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    1. Now you have me thinking about caramel tarts, Chel! My mum would boil tins of condensed milk to make caramel. I remember her softening Gingernut biscuits in the oven and using a spoon to make little tart cases out of them then filling them with that caramel. Memories! Meg:)

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  5. I love to bake pies, but only once did I attempt a Lemon Meringue Pie and it was so yummy, if misshapen enough to generate what seemed to me a funny blog post about it :-)

    My mother-in-law used to make a lemon pie like this, with condensed milk, but she didn't go all the way to making it a lemon meringue pie. My mouth is watering looking at your pictures!

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    1. Oh, the meringue is what makes it that bit special, I think. It's that lovely combination of fluffy sweet meringue and the tangy lemony filling. It doesn't matter if it comes out a bit wonky, it still tastes the same! Meg:)

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  6. Yummmmm! I have never made a lemon meringue, but I have a feeling I need to now!
    I made a pie just this weekend for my husband's birthday. He likes pie more than cake. His favorite is pecan. My favorite is buttermilk.

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    1. It seems like there might be lemon meringue pie for dessert at your place soon, Kath. Happy baking! Meg:)

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  7. Lemon meringue pie was a favourite birthday dinner treat when my girls were little. We had it again recently but was so sweet, we decided to stick to cheesecake that we could moderate the sugar a bit. Did you brown the meringue in the oven Meg? I love the sound of your pastry crust and will give that a whirl soon.

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    1. I did brown the meringue, just slightly, in the oven, Sally. I found this pie not too sweet as there's very little sugar in the pastry and the meringue and the lemon in the filling cuts through that sweetness there. Meg:)

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  8. I do love a lemon meringue, but my all time favourite dessert is cheesecake, but I am not keen on the baked ones.

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    1. My husband's favourite is still cheesecake, Marlene, but the lemon meringue made a nice change. I am not keen on baked cheesecakes either, I find they can be a bit dry. Meg:)

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  9. Mmm...that looks delicious! I remember my mom making my dad a lemon meringue pie for his birthday when I was a little girl. We loved it. The ingredients are interesting, especially for the pastry. I will have to try it. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. The pastry is very simple and quick to make. I know I'll use it the next time I make a pie. Hope you find it works well for you too. Meg:)

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  10. This looks so delicious. I used to make lemon meringue pie years ago, but that recipe didn't have condensed milk. I'm going to try your recipe sometime soon. Thanks Meg. 😊

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  11. I haven't made a Lemon Meringue pie, in I don't know how long now. But I do remember making a Lemon delicious pudding. I love the sweet zing of lemons in a desert though - whatever the kind!

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    1. I love lemony desserts too, Chris. I love the contrast of tangy lemon with sweetness. Meg:)

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  12. That pie looks delicious Meg! Been a while since I made one of these.

    Now I am plant based I will have to come up with something else just as tasty. After seeing your pie, I have challenged myself to find a vegan style lemon meringue pie and give it a try :)

    xTania

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    1. I hope you'll share a vegan recipe if you find one, Tania. I am always interested in alternative ingredients and how they can be used to make delicious food. Meg:)

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  13. Oh it's got to be condensed milk all the way meg - i find the cornflour ones so disappointing! My recipe is pretty much the same except it has a biscuit & butter base instead of full pastry.
    It was a such a hit around here that my nearly-2yo is requesting it for her birthday cake this week. When I ask is she wants a special cake for her birthday she keeps saying 'lemon meringue pie time!'. It's pretty cute I must say.
    Glad yours was enjoyed too :)

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