Easy Lemon Meringue Pie

Easy Lemon Meringue Pie – This simple Lemon Meringue Pie is refreshing, creamy, and tart – the ideal dessert for any occasion! If you’re pressed for time, go all-out handmade or take some shortcuts. It’s the ideal spring and Easter dessert — light, fresh, and zesty — but it’s also ideal for the dead of winter, when citrus is in season. The flaky crust, sweet and tangy filling, and toasted meringue combine to produce an enticing treat. Using a pre-baked pie crust streamlines the process, but if you prefer, you may create one from scratch. It’s bursting with fresh citrus flavor and topped with a sweet, creamy meringue. Unlike other pie recipes, which can have flaws such as a mushy crust, a soupy filling, or a weeping meringue, this one is failsafe. It’s difficult to resist with a wonderful handmade pie crust, tangy and creamy lemon filling, and a fluffy toasted meringue topping. 

Easy Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe:

This zingy lemon meringue pie is topped with a mound of light as air Italian meringue and rests in a crisp and flakey handmade butter crust, making it a simple to prepare yet extremely unique treat! This pie is a lemon lover’s paradise! Each mouthful has a ton of zing and a wonderful combination of sweetness and textures. This recipe was delicious with a handmade butter crust, but you may substitute a crushed cookie or nut crust if you like. The contrast between the CRISP butter top and the soft zingy inside is fantastic. If you don’t like meringue, you can always top with a heaping spoonful of whipped cream!

Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Cornstarch
• Water
• Sugar granules
• Butter
• Zest of lemon
• Juice of lemons
• Pre-baked pie crust

How To Make Easy Lemon Meringue Pie?

1. Begin with the crust — you may make it from scratch or use a store-bought, refrigerated or frozen pie crust. If you need to take a shortcut but still want it to seem homemade, use the chilled, rolled crust, which you can put straight into your own pan.
2. Next comes the filling, which I try to make as easy as possible by whisking everything together before cooking rather than tempering the eggs later. The only danger is a lumpy filling, which is easily avoided if you whisk constantly during the cooking period.
3. You may strain it if you want to guarantee it’s extremely smooth, but I’ve never had any problems with it.
4. Finish with the meringue: Make sure your egg whites are free of any egg yolk or oil, as this will hinder them from whipping.
5. Also, make sure the sugar is thoroughly dissolved before whipping it, since undissolved sugar might result in a weeping meringue.
6. After that, you’re almost done! To toast it, simply place it in the oven for a few minutes.

Tips And Tricks:

• To avoid a soggy pie crust, follow these steps: Begin by blind baking the pie dough according per package directions. You want to partially blind bake the crust since it will continue to bake when the lemon meringue pie is baked.
• Let’s prevent a watery lemon filling: this is where I’ve always struggled. Lemon meringue pie filling is essentially a thinned-out lemon curd. You’ll be tempering egg yolks. While the lemon meringue pie filling should be deliciously creamy, it should also be sturdy enough to slice neatly. (Think of it as a somewhat stiffer type of pudding that isn’t quite as solid as jello.) There was a lot of back and forth over how much water, lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar to use. It’s not too sour, not too sweet, and has a silky, but not too watery, texture.
• Let’s not have a crying meringue: There are many other varieties of meringue toppings, but we’ll stick with the classic French meringue. Soft peaks of egg whites are formed, then sugar is added and stiff peaks are formed.

Notes:

1. Make careful you start with only egg whites. There wasn’t even a dribble of egg yolks.
2. Make certain that the bowl you’re using is totally clean.
3. There is no oil or water residue.
4. Make careful to include the cream of tartar. This will help to keep your meringue stable.
5. Make sure the sugar is added after the soft peaks have formed. If added before that, the egg whites may expand too much, preventing a stiff peak from forming. (These suggestions also apply to my chocolate swirled meringue cookies.)
6. Make certain that the meringue topping touches the pie crust. This binds the lemon filling beneath and lets the crust to hold the meringue, preventing the two from separating. Finally, do not attempt to bake lemon meringue pie on a humid day.

How To Make Pie Crust From Scratch?

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.
• Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the butter until pea-sized pieces of butter remain.
• Add cold water gradually, stirring after each addition, until you can press it together.
• Form it into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or freeze for 30 minutes, until cold.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Roll out the dough to fit a 9-inch pie dish.
• Press the mixture into the pie pan and up the sides. Trim and crimp the edges if desired, or leave as is. To assist avoid ballooning, poke the bottom and sides with a fork all over (or use pie weights if you have them).
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown. Set aside while preparing the filling.

How To Make The Lemon Filling?

1. Collect all of the components.
2. Set aside the egg yolks in a medium-sized mixing dish.
3. Combine the cornstarch, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. To mix, whisk everything together. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring regularly. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
4. While whisking vigorously, add 1/2 cup of the heated cornstarch mixture at a time to the egg yolks until at least half of the cornstarch mixture has been added.
5. Pour the egg mixture and the remaining cornstarch mixture into the pot. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
6. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, lemon zest, and juice until well incorporated.
7. Pour the mixture into the pie crust that has been pre-baked. Place aside.

How To Make The Meringue Topping:

• Bring approximately 1/2 inch of water to a simmer in a saucepan large enough to contain the bowl of a stand mixer without touching the water. Reduce the heat to low.
• Off the heat, whisk the egg whites and sugar until frothy.
• Place the bowl over the stove and whisk softly but consistently for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the whites are very warm to the touch, about 115°F, and the sugar is entirely dissolved. (Heating the egg whites and sugar before beating them helps solidify the meringue so it doesn’t leak once cooked.)
• Remove the bowl from the heat and place it in the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix in the cream of tartar.
• 3 to 5 minutes total, beat on medium-high speed until the egg whites form thick, glossy medium-firm peaks.
• When lifting the whisk out of the bowl, the whites should retain their form but curl at the tips.

Why Is My Pie Soggy?

Weeping occurs when water collects between the lemon curd filling and the meringue topping. To avoid this, add the meringue when the filling is hot—this will cook the meringue from the bottom and prevent a watery pie. Spreading the topping all the way to the pie crust’s edges will also assist.

How Do You Keep The Lemon Meringue Pie From Creaming?

This recipe called for an Italian meringue, which is significantly more stable than the more basic French version. As long as your filling is clear of moisture, you won’t have to worry about weeping. Baking meringue can destabilize it slightly, so browning it with a torch also helps with this.

How Long Will It Last In The Fridge?

Your lemon meringue pie will keep at room temperature for a few hours but should be refrigerated for any time longer. A lemon meringue pie will keep in the fridge for about 3 days.

Lemon Meringue Pie Storage Instructions:

Lemon Meringue Pie is best eaten right away since the meringue tends to leak and become runny if refrigerated for an extended length of time.

I prefer to make mine the night before and leave it in the fridge uncovered overnight. It will set properly while remaining fresh and not watery.

Any leftovers should be refrigerated after a few hours, and the crust may soften somewhat but remain excellent.

MORE DELICIOIUS RECIPES HERE:

Garlic Butter Baked Salmon

Garlic Mushroom Pasta

Deviled Eggs

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Dark Chocolate Cookies

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

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