Lemon Meringue Pie Aussie Style Food

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.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE - AUSSIE STYLE

Steps:

• Note: I like this pie tart, if you are not that way inclined the rind of 1 lemon is just as good.
• Pastry: Combine all cry ingredients into a food processor, whiz for a couple of seconds.
• Cube butter and add to the processor, process until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add water; I usually add 1/2 cup of water (the moister the pastry the better the result).
• Process until it is a ball of pastry.
• Wrap in Glad Wrap and put in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Grease a 20cm pie dish. I usually rub with butter then dust with flour.
• Roll out pastry. You may find that half the quantity will suffice depending on how thick you like it.
• The pastry will rise slightly.
• The remainder can be frozen.
• Line the greased pie dish bake for 15 minutes in oven set at 180°C.
• LEMON FILLING: into a saucepan put the sugar and cornflour, stir until combined.
• Add water, lemon juice and lemon rind.
• Cook until the liquid has thickened and is translucent.
• Remove from the heat.
• Stir in lightly beaten egg yolks until fully combined.
• Stir in butter until fully combined.
• {our the lemon filling into the already semi cook pastry.
• MERINGUE: Beat egg whites until stiff, so that when you pull the beaters out it stands up, so to speak.
• Start to beat in the sugar a bit at a time, making sure that all the sugar is dissolved before adding the next amount. The mixture should be nice and stiff and have a glossy look to it.
• Add the lemon juice/white vinegar, cornflour and cream of tartar.
• Beat in until combined.
• Take a really large serving spoon and place spoonfuls on top of the lemon filling.
• Go around the pie doing this and a scoop for the middle.
• The oven should be preheated to 150°C, which I think is about 300°F.
• Bake for about 40 minutes.
• The secret is to turn the oven off, open the door slightly and let the pie cool in the oven.
• Hope that all makes sense.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Pie Crust: Preheat oven to 425°; in a food processor pulse the flour, sugar and salt just to mix; add the butter and shortening and pulse just until coarse crumbs form; add the lemon juice and water and pulse just until moist crumbs form.
• Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form a disk; wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough out to a 12"-13" diameter circle; fold dough in half and gently lift it, transferring it to a 9" pie plate; gently fit the dough into the plate and trim the edge with a 1/4" overhang.
• Gently fold the overhang under and crimp the new edge all way'round; prick the dough, including the sides and corner, with a fork to prevent the crust from bubbling while baking; refrigerate 15 minutes or until crust is rechilled.
• Bake 10-13 minutes or until bottom of crust is lightly browned; cool on wire rack; when cool, sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs.
• Filling: Combine cornstarch, cake flour, salt and sugar in a saucepan; over medium heat, gradually add water, stirring; continue to cook and stir until mixture boils, about 4 minutes.
• Remove from heat and temper egg yolks by gradually adding small amounts of cooked mixture; when eggs are thoroughly warmed, add back to cooked mixture; cook, stirring, another 5 minutes over low heat.
• Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, lemon rind and butter; stir until well combined and smooth; lay plastic wrap on surface and set aside while making meringue.
• Meringue: Preheat oven to 325°; in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring water and cornstarch to a boil, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and turns clear; set aside and let cool.
• With an electric mixer, break up egg whites on low speed; when bubbly increase speed and beat until they begin to turn white; beat in cream of tartar and vanilla; add sugar gradually and beat to soft peaks; add reserved cornstarch mixture a bit at a time; beat just to stiff peaks.
• Finish: Pour warm filling into cooled crust (sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs), and top with room temperature meringue; completely seal filling with meringue, making sure meringue touches the crust all the way'round; pile meringue to a high mound in center of pie; bake for 20 minutes, until meringue is evenly golden brown; cool completely on wire rack before cutting.

THE ULTIMATE LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Make pie shell: Mix flour, sugar and salt in a food processor, by pulsing a few times.
• Scatter the frozen butter pieces over flour mixture.
• Pulse in 1-second pulses about 5 times to mix in butter.
• Add frozen shortening; pulsing in 1-second pulses until mixture resembles cornmeal with pieces about the size of peas.
• Slowly add ice water through the processor feed tube, with motor running, one tbsp at a time.
• When dough forms a ball, stop processing.
• It should take about 2 or 3 tbsp of ice water to reach this stage.
• Shape dough into a ball in your flour coated hands, and then flatten into a 4 inch wide disk.
• Flour disk and wrap in plastic.
• Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Generously coat your work surface or pastry sheet with a little flour and about 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs.
• Place dough on floured surface, coat with some flour and graham cracker crumbs, and roll into a 9-inch disk.
• Lift, coat surface with more graham and flour, turn dough, add more graham and flour on top, and roll out to a 13 inch disk.
• Place into a 9 inch pie pan, and finish edges.
• Refrigerate crust until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Prick dough with a fork to prevent bubbling up in the oven.
• While the oven is pre-heating to 375, put pie crust in freezer.
• Bake at 375 for 20- 25 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure it's browning evenly and not bubbling up.
• Lemon Filling: Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large, nonreactive saucepan.
• Add egg yolks, then immediately but gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups water.
• Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking regularly, 8- 10 minutes, until thickened.
• Remove from heat, whisk in zest, then juice, and finally butter.
• Keep warm until meringue is made.
• Meringue topping: Mix cornstarch and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan.
• Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally until thickened.
• Remove from heat when translucent and thickened.
• Preheat oven to 325.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix cream of tartar and sugar together.
• Beat egg whites with whip attachment of mixer until frothy. Add vanilla.
• Beat in sugar mixture, 1 tbsp at a time.
• Then drop in cornstarch mixture, 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form.
• Pour warm lemon filling into pie crust.
• Distribute meringue evenly over the top, starting with the edges, and then the middle.
• Make sure it attaches to the crust.
• Lifting with the back of the spoon, create peaks in the meringue.
• Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Cool completely before serving.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• sift flour, salt and icing sugar into basin; chop butter roughly, add to dry ingredients, rub in until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
• add lemon juice and enough water to mix to firm dough. refridgerate 30 minutes.
• roll pastry on lightly floured surface to fit a 23cm (9inch) pie plate. use rolling pin to lift pastry on to pie plate.
• trim and decorate edges.
• prick base and sides of pastry with fork, bake in moderately hot oven 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. allow to cool.
• combine sifted flours, lemon rind, lemon juice and sugar in saucepan. add water, belnd until smooth, stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens; this is important the mixture must boil.
• reduce heat, stir in butter and lightly beaten egg yolks, stir until butter has melted; cool.
• spread lemon filling evenly into pastry case.
• combine egg whites, water and salt in a small bowl of electric mixer, beat on high speed until soft peaks form, gradually add sugar, beat well until sugar has disolved.
• spoon on top of lemon filling, spreading meringue to edges of pie to seal; peak meringue decoratively with knife.
• bake in moderate oven 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
• cool, then refridgerate.
• book recomends to use a knife dipped in warm water to cut the pie, this ensures the merinuge cuts cleanly.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Line refrigerated pie crust with wax paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights; bake shell in middle of oven 10 minutes; remove paper and weights and bake shell until golden, about 12 minutes longer; cool.
• Lower oven temperature to 350°F.
• For filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt and gradually whisk in water and milk, whisking until cornstarch is dissolved; in a bowl whisk together egg yolks; cook milk mixture over medium heat, whisking, until it comes to a boil; gradually whisk about 1 cup milk mixture into yolks and whisk yolk mixture back into milk mixture remaining in saucepan; simmer, whisking, 3 minutes; remove pan from heat and whisk in butter, lemon juice and zest until butter is melted; press plastic wrap directly onto surface of custard.
• For meringue: Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks; beat in sugar in a slow stream, beating, until meringue just holds stiff peaks.
• Pour lemon custard into shell and spread meringue on top, covering filling completely and sealing it to pastry; draw meringue up into peaks and bake pie in middle of oven until meringue is golden, about 15 minutes; cool completely before serving.