Lemon Meringue Pie

Lactose Free or Dairy Free - but Full of Lemon 

We’ve made lemon tarts and Shaker lemon pies. Why never a lemon meringue pie?

Lee realized she was a little intimidated. Grandma (Lee’s mom) baked a lot of pies, most often lemon meringue. From a child's eye view, it seemed like such a challenge to get them to turn out right. If Grandma had trouble, why would she try?

Here's why. Because if you love pie you want to practice, and you learn. What we’ve learned is that with any kind of pie, each and every one’s a work of art, never quite turning out the same as the last one, but always worth the effort. Grandma got good at making lemon meringue pies because she enjoyed them so much. And because Grandpa did. 

Now Grandpa (Lee’s dad) was coming for a visit, and Rebel thought we should make him a pie. So we got curious, interested in a new challenge, and set out to make our very first lemon meringue pie.

Taste Test Kitchen

We do love lemons, lemon curd, lemon tarts, lemon scones, lemon in potatoes, Greek lemon soup…so you know we made an effort to bake a great-tasting lemon meringue pie and give you a recipe that would be pretty full proof to follow.

The main trick to a great lemon meringue pie is getting the meringue to cook evenly and set up from top to bottom, to adhere to the lemon pudding so it doesn’t slide all around when you serve it, and to cook to a lightly golden but not overdone top with pretty peaks and valleys. 

First, Lee decided to research recipes and instructions. She wanted get to the bottom of what goes on when meringue meets lemon filling and then how to keep the crust from turning soggy. 

The best sounding techniques aimed to increase the temperature of the bottom of the meringue as well as the top to help it cook evenly. One recipe had you reheat the lemon filling just before pouring it into the crust, but then the recipe used a pretty hefty crust to avoid letting it get soggy. That didn’t sound too appealing. What else could we try?

The method we chose has you warm the egg whites just before beating them. That seemed a good solution. Then there’s the choice to broil or bake the pie once the meringue is on top. Grandma had always broiled it. Lee wanted to try the baking method hoping it would allow a moment more for the meringue to actually set.

Recipes range in how many egg whites you can use, which will make either a high or really high topping. Who doesn’t love a nice, tall meringue? We went with more egg whites.

We’d made lemon curd before with vegan margarine and knew it was a successful substitute for butter, making it a lactose free and dairy free filling. This time, though, we used lactose free butter. It tasted great.

How Did it Go?

Phew! First off, the piecrust was a success. Then we used Meyer lemons in the filling, which are always our favorite because they have more lemon flavor and are a little sweeter than regular lemons. With a few beautiful flourishes on the meringue, we popped it in the oven and waited.

Just writing this up now, we can still taste it. What a great pie. Can’t wait to make it again. And it passed the Grandpa test. We think Grandma would've liked a slice.

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Lemon Meringue Pie

by Burnt Toast Food Blog July-20-2018

Here’s a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth lemon meringue pie recipe that won’t fail. Fresh squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest give the filling a bright, delicious flavor. And warming the egg whites just a bit before beating them makes for a meringue that cooks evenly from top to bottom.

Ingredients

Pie Dough for 9” Pie Shell:
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3-4 tablespoons ice cold water
Lemon Filling:
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 3 eggs yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons lactose free butter or vegan margarine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
Meringue Topping:
• 5 egg whites (2/3 cup)
• 8 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°. To make the pie crust: 1. Whisk the flour and ¼ teaspoon salt together in a medium bowl. Add the shortening and work it into the flour with a pastry blender or two knives until dough is about the size of small peas. Sprinkle on the water, one tablespoon at a time. Stir the dough lightly with a fork after each addition. Add just enough water so that the dough holds together. Shape into a disc. 2. Roll out the dough on a floured board to about 1/8” thickness and 2” wider than the inverted pie pan. Transfer the dough to a 9” pie pan (turned right side up). Trim the edges and repair any holes or tears. Turn under the edge of the overhanging dough to make a ridge about ½” high all around. Crimp the edges with your fingers or the handle end of a table knife. 3. To prevent the dough from puffing or shrinking, do the following: prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork (at 1/2” intervals) and then press lightly a 12” square of foil onto the bottom and sides, securing in the creases. 4. Place in the upper third of the preheated oven. Bake for 6 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes until light brown. If the dough begins to puff or swell, use the fork to prick or gently push it down again. To make the lemon filling: 5. Mix thoroughly 1 cup of sugar and the cornstarch in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in 2 cups water. In a small bowl, beat the lemon juice and egg yolks together until well blended. (Reserve the egg whites for the meringue.) Add the yolk mixture to the sugar mixture. Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt. 6. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and is translucent. Continue to cook, stirring, for at least 3 more minutes until mixture is almost as thick as pudding. Remove from the heat and add the butter/margarine and lemon zest, stirring until melted and blended. Cool for about 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally so a skim doesn’t form. So the crust doesn’t get soggy, wait until just before preparing the egg whites to fill the pie shell. Pour the lemon filling into the pie shell and spread evenly. To make the meringue: Preheat oven to 375°. 7. Combine the egg whites, 8 tablespoons sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large electric mixer bowl or bowl for a hand mixer. Place over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir briskly for about 15 seconds until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is slightly warm to the touch. Heat a little longer if needed. 8. Transfer the bowl to the mixer. Beat the egg white mixture at high speed for about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom. Beat about ½ minute more until firm but not stiff peaks form. Don’t over beat or it will be hard to spread. 9. Spread the meringue over the lemon pie filling. Spread to the edges of the crust to seal in the filling. Create peaks and valleys with a small spatula or the back of a spoon. 10. Lightly brown in the oven for a minute or two. Keep watch the entire time until a few peaks turn golden and the meringue sets (doesn’t slide around if the pan is shifted slightly). 11. Let cool and serve at room temperature. If you’re not serving it within a couple hours, store the pie in the refrigerator. Notes: - To transfer a rolled out pie crust, roll it up around the rolling pin and unroll it over the pan. Gently settle the crust into the bottom edges of the pan. - Lactose free butter or vegan margarine work equally well in the lemon filling. - Use Meyer lemons if they’re available because they’re sweeter and just seem to have more flavor.

Details

Prep time: 55 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 2 hours, including cooling time Yield: 6-8 servings