Lemon Meringue Pie

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Lemon meringue pie is that pie that immediately makes your mouth water, and looks like a dessert dream come true! It's actually way easier to make than you might think and only really requires a few special tricks and techniques to make right.

For more great meringue-themed recipes, why not try The Perfect Meringue Cookies or this recipe for Chocolate Meringue Corn Flake Cookies?

Lemon Meringue Pie

A great lemon meringue pie should be equal to parts delicately sweet and lemon sour. It should taste noticeably of tangy citrus but still be all about that intense sweetness from the meringue, as well as having plenty of that satisfying buttery-ness from the pastry.

With just a few useful cooking techniques and some careful temperature control, you too can make a really amazing lemon meringue pie.

Lemon Meringue Pie Ingredients

Make sure you check the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amount needs for this pie.

• Grated lemon zest
• Lemon juice
• Cornstarch
• Water
• Butter
• Salt
• Sugar
• Egg yolks
• Pie crust

Meringue

• Egg whites
• Sugar
• Cream of tartar
• Vanilla extract

How To Make Lemon Meringue Pie

This is only a recap, please read the detailed instructions below!

• Whisk the cornstarch into the lemon juice and water while cold, and then add in the grated lemon zest
• Add in the sugar and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Stir in the butter.
• Separate your egg yolks from your egg whites
• Whisk the egg yolks completely, then temper by pouring in some of the hot liquid into the egg yolks and whisking thoroughly
• Combine the two mixtures and then let them cool slightly
• Make the meringue by whipping the egg whites together until foamy

• Add in the sugar gradually, whipping it until stiff peaks form
• Spread the meringue over the pie, either using an icing bag or just flatting it down
• Bake at 325 Fahrenheit until the meringue is as golden brown as you like it, checking every 5 minutes.

How To Separate Your Eggs

The hardest part of making anything meringue-related is in separating your eggs properly. This is really important because if you accidentally put even the slightest bit of egg yolk into the egg whites, the meringue won't form whatsoever.

A great trick for separating your eggs to preserve the integrity of your meringue is to crack the eggs one at a time into a small bowl. This way, if you accidentally break the yolks of any of them, you only ruin one egg, and you can safely dispose of it, rather than having to chuck the entire batch.

The best way to actually divide the yolks and whites, though, is to crack them into your cupped hands. Opening a little gap between your fingers, the white will trickle out into a waiting bowl, whereas the yolk will remain wholly intact and not able to contaminate the rest of the whites.

How to Layer Your Meringue Properly

After making your meringue to perfect stiff peaks, you then have to figure out how to put it on top of the pie.

The issue is that your meringue is really delicate and easily destroyed if you don't place it properly on the pie.

The best thing to do is to gently coax it into a piping bag and then pipe it onto the pie filling itself. This keeps the meringue intact and also lets you pipe it into decorative patterns for Instagram!

If you don't have a piping bag or don't want to make a simple one with a sandwich bag, you can just spoon the whole meringue mixture onto the pie and gently flatten it out using an offset spatula. This won't make any pretty patterns, but it is certainly a whole lot easier. The spatula will pull up the meringue in little peaks when you lift it up, leave those peaks and move on to the next area.

Looking for more tasty Pie recipes? Try these out:

• Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie
• Flapper Pie
• Retro Coconut Impossible Pie 

Enjoy! This is an old recipe that I have updated with new pics, and it is still a family favorite!

Love,

Karlynn

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