Recipe of the Week: Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie: A Classic Dessert

We’ve been reminiscing about the old days and one thing we remembered was just how much we adored the traditional British puddings! So when it came to choosing the recipe of the week what better than a tradition dessert packed with flavour.

Lemon meringue pie is an ideal choice for a dinner party as it’s easy to make, light and tastes amazing. Why did we forget about this classic dish?

Take a look at the recipe below & get cooking!

Dish facts

Serves: 8
Costs:  approx £3.50
Prep time: 30 mins
Cooking time:  20 mins (approx)
Healthy switch:  change the butter for low fat butter and the sugar for a low calorie one
How fattening is this? (1 low, 3 high): **
Difficulty (1 low, 3 high): ***
WOW factor (1 low, 3 high): ***
You’ll need:  a loose bottomed flan tin

Ingredients

300g rich shortcrust pastry (we’re using shop bought pastry here)

For the Filling:
150ml water
110g caster sugar
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp soft butter
3 tbsp corn flour
Juice and grated rind of 4 un-waxed lemons

For the Meringue:
4 egg whites
200g caster sugar
2 heaped tsp corn flour

Optional

• Make your own pastry, for an extra homemade feel.
• Half the ingredients to make a smaller portion.
• For an extra tangy taste, add more lemon juice.
• Precook your pastry the night before to be extra organized!
• Put some welly in and do all the whisking by hand, its great exercise for the arms!
• Serve with cream or ice cream, or simply eat it on its own!

Method

1. Make sure the oven is set to 180C (Gas Mark 4).
2. Line your tin with greaseproof paper, roll out your pastry (on a floured board) and place in tin. Trim the edges to make it neat.
3. Place in preheated oven to bake for 15mins or until golden brown.  Remove and let it cool.
4. Whilst the pastry is cooking, prepare the filling. Mix the water, lemon juice and rind in a saucepan and allow bringing to the boil until the mixture has thickened.
5. Once thick, add the sugar and stir thoroughly. Remove from heat to cool slightly.
6. Whilst cool, add the egg yolks and the butter and mix until consistent.
7. Pour the mixture in the pastry case.
8. Now it’s time to make a meringue; whisk the egg whites until they begin to rise.
9. Slowly add the sugar, whilst constantly whisking. Add the cornflour and whisk again.  You should have a thick glossy mixture in your bowl.
10. Place the meringue mixture onto the pastry and lemon base, already created. Start at the edges and work into the middle.
11. Add some soft peaks by gently flicking the surface.
12. Place in the oven for 20mins (or until meringue is crisp and brown).
13. Remove and leave to cool.

Once cool, get a spoon and enjoy!

What are your favourite retro recipes?