Classic Lemon Pie Food

CLASSIC LEMON PIE

Steps:

• Combine sugar, milk, butter, lemon juice, egg yolks, cornstarch, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let cool, about 30 minutes.
• Fold in sour cream; pour into the baked pie crust. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• Beat egg whites, sugar, and cornstarch together in a bowl using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue on top of filling, right up to the edge of the crust.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Broil in the preheated oven until meringue is lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately.

WORLD'S BEST LEMON PIE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually stir in water. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Gradually stir 1 cup of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to saucepan. Bring to boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter, lemon juice and zest until smooth. Pour into pastry shell. In a bowl, beat egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry peaks are formed. Gradually beat in sugar until soft peaks form. Spread over pie, sealing edges to pastry. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until meringue is golden. Cool. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

THE BEST LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• For the pie crust: Pulse the flour, shortening, sugar, salt and vinegar in a food processor until the mixture looks like damp sand, about 10 pulses. Add the butter and pulse until you can still see large pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Pinch the dough; if it doesn't hold together, add up to 3 more tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together when pinched. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and dump the dough onto the plastic. Using the edges of the plastic, press the dough into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and preferably overnight. (Freeze up to 2 months.)
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 13-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie dish, gently pressing the dough into the edges and letting the excess dough drape over the sides. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Trim any excess dough with a paring knife and crimp the edges decoratively or press them down with the tines of a fork. Prick the dough on the bottom all over with a fork. Place a sheet of parchment paper inside the dough and fill with pie weights or uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights and bake until the crust is deep golden brown on the edges and lightly golden in the center, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let the crust cool to room temperature.
• For the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups water and whisk to combine. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate medium bowl. Place the sugar mixture over medium heat and cook, continuing to gently whisk, until the mixture begins to bubble and is extremely thick. Temper the eggs yolks by slowly adding half of the hot sugar mixture to the yolks while constantly whisking. Add the tempered yolks to the saucepan and return to the heat. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon zest until completely melted and incorporated. Pour the filling directly into the pie crust and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the filling (see Cook's Note). Refrigerate while you make the meringue.
• For the meringue: Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment along with the sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk together to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture feels hot to the touch. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and add the vanilla. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the pie and gently mound the meringue on top of the filling. Use an offset spatula to make sure the meringue completely covers the filling and meets the crust all around the edges. (This will seal in the filling and help prevent weeping.) Use the offset spatula to create swirls and peaks in the meringue. Toast the meringue using a kitchen torch or broil in the oven until golden brown, keeping an eye on the meringue if broiling, 1 to 2 minutes. Refrigerate the pie until the filling is completely cool and set, about 4 hours.

CLASSIC LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add 3 tablespoons cold water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. , Roll out dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Transfer crust to pie plate. Trim to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned., Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually stir in water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. , Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in butter and lemon zest. Gradually stir in lemon juice just until combined. Pour into the crust., For meringue, in a saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in cold water. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is clear. Transfer to a bowl; cool., Beat egg whites and vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat in cornstarch mixture on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edge to crust., Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

OLD FASHIONED LEMON PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• To Make Lemon Filling: In a double boiler, combine cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Stir in water, mixing well. Cook until mixture is thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
• Place egg yolks in a medium bowl and beat well. Slowly pour 1/2 cup of cornstarch mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly.
• Pour egg yolk mixture back into cornstarch mixture in double boiler, continuing to whisk constantly. Return double boiler to heat and cook mixture 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
• Stir butter or margarine, lemon juice, and lemon rind into thickened mixture. Allow mixture to cool, then pour into pie shell.
• To Make Meringue: In a large metal or glass mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 6 tablespoons sugar a little at a time, continuing to beat until all sugar is incorporated and whites are stiff. Spread meringue into pie shell, making sure to completely cover lemon filling.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, just until meringue is golden brown. Chill before serving.

OLD-FASHIONED LEMON BUTTERMILK PIE

Steps:

• For the dough: Add the flour and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter forms pea-size pieces. Add the water and continue to pulse until a dough begins to come together. Press the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a disk about 11 to 12 inches wide. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate with the dough, then crimp the edges. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
• For the filling: Whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, eggs, egg yolk, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and salt until well blended. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk just until incorporated. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet, then pour the filling over the dough. Bake until the top is golden brown and set around the edges with a slight jiggle in the center, about 1 hour. If the crust begins to get too brown, but the filling isn't ready, cover the edges loosely with foil. Let the pie completely cool to room temperature before slicing. Serve with whipped cream.

LEMON PIE

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt together.
• In a saucepan over high heat, boil 2 cups water; add the sugar mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture just begins to thicken.
• Reduce heat to low and cook until thickened; whisk in the beaten egg yolks and cook 2 minutes longer on low heat.
• Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice and rind and combine well; let cool for 5 minutes, then pour into previously-baked pie shell. If you like, you can cover with meringue (use "Weepless Meringue #20159" recipe).

CLASSIC LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Put the rack in the middle, preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F).
• Lemon Filling: In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon zest, and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens (the preparation must reach a boil to allow the starch to thickens). Reduce the heat and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside 75 ml (1/3 cup) of this mixture for the meringue.
• In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, butter and lemon juice with a whisk. Whisk in a ladle of the hot mixture, and then pour back into the saucepan and stir (if the yolks were added directly to the hot mixture, they could coagulate and form lumps). Return to the heat and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and cook for 1 minute to cook the yolks. Set aside. ?.
• French Meringue: In a bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the reserved curd mixture (adding a little starch to the meringue prevents it from forming water droplets on its surface as it cools).
• Reheat the filling and pour into the pie shell. Spoon the meringue over the filling (a hot filling cooks the underside of the meringue, which prevents seeping from the pie). Spread evenly, taking care to touch the edge of the crust. Form decorative peaks. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown.
• Let cool completely at room temperature, about 5 hours. Preferably enjoyed the same day.

ULTIMATE LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• For the pastry, put the plain flour, butter, icing sugar, egg yolk (save the white for the meringue) and 1 tbsp cold water into a food processor. Pulse until the mix starts to bind - make sure the mix is not overworked.
• Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface, gather together until smooth, then roll out and line a 23 x 2.5cm loose-bottom fluted flan tin. Trim and neaten the edges. Press pastry into the flutes. The pastry is quite rich, so don't worry if it cracks, just press it back together. Prick the base with a fork, line with foil, shiny side down, and chill for 30 mins-1 hr (or overnight).
• Put a baking sheet in the oven and heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake the pastry case 'blind' (filled with dry beans) for 15 mins, then remove the foil and bake a further 5-8 mins until the pastry is pale golden and cooked. Set aside. Can be done a day ahead. Lower the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• While the pastry bakes, prepare the filling. Mix the cornflour, golden caster sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Strain and stir in the lemon juice gradually. Make the orange juice up to 200ml with water and strain into the pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth.
• Once the mixture bubbles, remove from the heat and beat in the butter until melted. Beat the egg yolks (save white for meringue) and the whole egg together, stir into the pan and return to a medium heat. Keep stirring vigorously for a few minutes, until the mixture thickens and plops from the spoon. (It will bubble, but doesn't curdle.) Take off the heat and set aside while you make the meringue.
• Put the egg whites in a large bowl. Whisk to soft peaks, then add 100g of the golden caster sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition without overbeating. Whisk in the cornflour, then add the remaining 100g of sugar as before until smooth and thick.
• Quickly reheat the filling and pour it into the pastry case. Immediately put spoonfuls of meringue around the edge of the filling (if you start in the middle, the meringue may sink), then spread so it just touches the pastry (this will anchor it and help stop it sliding). Pile the rest into the centre, spreading so it touches the surface of the hot filling (and starts to cook), then give it all a swirl.
• Return to the oven for 18-20 mins until the meringue is crisp and slightly coloured. Let the pie sit in the tin for 30 mins, then remove and leave for at least another 30 mins-1 hr before slicing. Eat the same day.