When life give you lemons … it’s the best time to make Lemon Meringue Pie!
Nothing could be better than fresh Lemon Meringue Pie made with real lemon juice, fresh eggs, and sugar. The tartness of the lemons combined with the sweetness of the sugar makes for one tangy dessert that is one of my favorite pies of all time.
Lemon meringue pie was one of the many pies we’d have for Thanksgiving along with apple, pumpkin, and pecan pie. Mom would use a dehydrated lemon mix you’d add eggs and water to. Then you’d cook the mixture up and pour it into a pie shell and top it with meringue. The lemon pudding was tasty but it does not compare to what a lemon curd made from the juice of real lemons tastes like.
Since those days, and because I have such a fondness for Lemon Meringue Pie, I’ve tried many different recipes for lemon curd, always wanting to get just the right tart taste in the pie. This recipe is one of my favorites because of the amount of lemon juice it has in it.
Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients
LEMON CURD
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest plus 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 8 large egg yolks egg whites reserved for another use
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter 10 tablespoons, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
MERINGUE
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/4 cup cornstartch
- 8 large eggs whites only
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Instructions
CRUST
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fit a homemade or store-bought pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate; line crust with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is lightly browned, about 45 minutes. Carefully lift and remove paper with pie weights and let crust cool.
LEMON CURD
- In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, zest, and egg yolks; whisk in lemon juice and salt.
- Add butter and place pan over medium-high. Cook, whisking constantly, until butter has melted, mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and small bubbles form around the edge of pan, about 5 minutes (do not boil).
- Do not chill curd; pour directly into cooled crust and smooth top. Refrigerate until chilled and set, 3 hours (or up to 1 day).
MERINGUE
- In a large bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Pile meringue on pie, making sure it touches the crust all around. Bake until meringue begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.