When I joined the Daring Bakers in September I was slightly worried that the challenges put forward might be too tasking to fit into my crazy schedule, but so far, the hosts have been very benign. The good thing also is that so far, I haven't had to make anything I didn't enjoy, so of course I approached it with a bit more enthusiasm than I would, say, beetroot tartlets.
This month's challenge was lemon meringue pie - I have actually made one before, albeit with a completely different recipe. I also had the problem of the meringue sweating not even an hour into its short life, which didn't matter taste wise, but wasn't a pretty sight. Not this time. The pie held its shape for hours (well, until we couldn't hold back any more and had to polish it off) and I was thoroughly impressed as my daughter declared her love for it - anything involving lemon and peel is not necessarily something that ranks high up the list of children's favourite food, but maybe that's just a sign of her growing up.
Jen's (Canadian Baker) recipe was very different from what I used the first time round and I have to say I enjoyed it much more. My original version used tons of eggs and cream for the filling, whereas this pie here works entirely with water, cornstarch and lemon juice and, well, some sugar and some yolks. But it's such a lean version it's almost too healthy to eat... tastes much lighter and before you know it you've had three slices and you don't even worry about it ending up on your hips. Definitely a keeper!
PS: The below recipe is almost a straight copy from the challenge, with the cup measures converted into metric weights. Also, my meringue was brown after just 6 or 7 minutes, so I have adjusted the time accordingly.
Lemon Meringue Pie
Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie
For the Crust:
180 g (¾ cup) cold butter; cut into ½-inch
(1.2 cm) pieces
340 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
60 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
80 ml (⅓ cup) ice water
For the Filling:
475 ml (2 cups) water
220 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
70 g (½ cup) cornstarch
5 egg yolks, beaten
60 g (¼ cup) butter
150 ml (¾ cup) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
½ tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
For the Crust:
Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the
butter, flour, sugar and salt. Process or cut in until the
mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very
briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the
dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a
disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.
Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of ⅛ inch (3 mm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about ½ inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.
For the Filling:
Bring the water to a boil in a
large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the
mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated.
Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.
For the Meringue: Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.
Pie recipe courtesy of Wanda’s Pie in the Sky by Wanda Beaver, 2002
Tartlet recipe courtesy of Ripe for Dessert by David Lebovitz, 2003
I wouldnt say say it didnt go to my hips. :-) Its amazing all the varities of this pie.Well done.
Posted by: Courtney | Jan 28, 2008 at 01:59 PM
My biggest mistake in making the pie was my timing. I had to eat the entire pie myself!
Posted by: Bellini Valli | Jan 28, 2008 at 02:20 PM
This looks delicious. I love everything with lemon!
If I hadn´t too much cake last weekend I´d try it immediately. But now it´ll have to wait a couple of weeks.
Posted by: Audrey | Jan 28, 2008 at 02:41 PM
Great looking pie!
Posted by: Ann | Jan 28, 2008 at 02:44 PM
Your pie looks very nice. This recipe was different from the one I use also, but I liked the taste a lot too.
Posted by: Katia | Jan 28, 2008 at 02:47 PM
This one looks so elegant Johanna! Love the way it browned! Well done!
Posted by: Meeta | Jan 28, 2008 at 03:06 PM
Healthy, you say? Well, I need better foods in my diet so I might as well have another slice....:-)
I love the circular pattern on your tart, it's lovely!
Posted by: Butta Buns | Jan 28, 2008 at 03:38 PM
Wow! Just wow!
For me the biggest challenge to to convert the recipe to metric units. I hate cup measuring...
Posted by: Ulrike aka ostwestwind | Jan 28, 2008 at 04:13 PM
Your pie looks wonderful! Great job!
Posted by: Deborah | Jan 28, 2008 at 05:16 PM
beautiful pie, makes me crave for it even if I had one just a few days ago !
Posted by: foodie froggy | Jan 28, 2008 at 06:04 PM
Looks great!
Posted by: Dianne | Jan 28, 2008 at 06:23 PM
Your meringue topping turned out lovely and evenly brown.
Posted by: Katie | Jan 28, 2008 at 06:25 PM
Hoe great that you have enjoyed all of the challenges so much, including this one. Your photo looks lovely!
Posted by: Gretchen Noelle | Jan 28, 2008 at 06:57 PM
The meringue is beautifully done!
Posted by: Big Boys Oven | Jan 28, 2008 at 07:07 PM
you did a great job on it..
Posted by: marye | Jan 28, 2008 at 07:08 PM
It looks great. I laughed when I read "beetroot tartlets" as I made a beetroot cake the other day :-)
Posted by: Dagmar | Jan 28, 2008 at 07:22 PM
Completely reminds me of my grandmother's lemon meringue. I have been meaning to join Daring Bakers for a while. Great post!
Posted by: Pieds Des Anges (Kyla) | Jan 28, 2008 at 07:27 PM
Looks beautiful! I don't know about the crust getting soggy ... did yours last that long? ;)
Posted by: DaviMack | Jan 28, 2008 at 07:51 PM
looks great. i am glad you enjoyed this version.
Posted by: desie the maybahay | Jan 28, 2008 at 08:39 PM
You had me laughing over the "beetroot tartlets." Your meringue looks so elegant the way you swirled it. Very pretty!
Posted by: Andrea | Jan 28, 2008 at 09:40 PM
Your pie looks lovely.
Posted by: Simona Carini | Jan 28, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Great-looking pie! Now I know why I didn't need any water for the crust, I'm so bad at converting that I only used 250g of flour. I also used more cornstarch and more lemon juice - did I already mention that I hate converting? But I'm really happy that despite all this it turned out so well..;-) Do you have a good online resource for converting?
Posted by: Eva | Jan 29, 2008 at 12:17 AM
But who wouldn't love a pie like this! Beautiful!
Posted by: Ivonne | Jan 29, 2008 at 02:00 AM
Mmm looks great! And I have to say, beetroot tartlets actually sound quite good!
Posted by: Ashley | Jan 29, 2008 at 07:04 AM
So glad you liked the pie....looks great.
Posted by: peabody | Jan 29, 2008 at 07:30 AM
Beautiful pie! The meringue looks dreamy.
Posted by: Stickygooeycreamychewy | Jan 29, 2008 at 01:21 PM
Your pie looks wonderful!
Cheers,
Rosa
Posted by: Rosa | Jan 29, 2008 at 04:09 PM
Your pie is beautiful! Well done!
Posted by: Mary | Jan 29, 2008 at 05:45 PM
Your pie looks like a delicious pillow, Johanna! Not that I'd like to rest my head on it.. face first or anything.. *cough*
Well Done!
xoxo
Posted by: Lisa | Jan 29, 2008 at 05:52 PM
Turned out great! Happy happy LMP :)
Posted by: Kaykat | Jan 29, 2008 at 06:13 PM
Hi!
Your pie is wonderful. I must say that I visit your site often and the photos are very appealing and also the recipes. Well done!
Andreia
Posted by: Andreia Sousa | Jan 29, 2008 at 07:27 PM
What a great looking pie! The meringue looks just perfect, like a delicious cloud.
Love your blog!
Posted by: Miri | Jan 29, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Looks great! I'm glad everyone enjoyed.
Posted by: Sathya | Jan 30, 2008 at 12:51 AM
Beautiful meringue photo above the black tart pan! Nice job- I enjoyed your post!
xs
Posted by: Gabi | Jan 30, 2008 at 01:16 AM
oooooh! Ahhhhhh! mmmmm! all smiles here...
Posted by: Chris | Jan 30, 2008 at 03:12 AM
But I hear beetroot tarlettes are lovely. ;) I also liked the lack of cream in the curd without compromising taste - made it ok to go back for seconds/thirds.
Posted by: Annemarie | Jan 30, 2008 at 10:22 PM
Awesome pie...it's great that your daughter enjoyed it, too...not all children like tangy lemon. Had not thought of it as healthy, but, by comparison, guess it is. I'll have another piece!
Posted by: Elle | Jan 31, 2008 at 02:55 AM
What a beautiful pie! I'm impressed :)
Posted by: Kristen | Jan 31, 2008 at 04:23 AM
i love the pillowy look of your meringue, like floating on clouds. the epitome of meringue.
i just joined the daring bakers and can't wait to get started in march!
Posted by: michelle | Jan 31, 2008 at 06:10 PM
Mmm, what a lovely pie you have there! I'm not surprised you didn't have any trouble with the recipe since you are such an amazing baker - a Daring Baker, I might add :)
Posted by: Jen Yu | Jan 31, 2008 at 08:52 PM
Haaa.... never thought about thinking of it as "low fat," maybe I can use that to justify it to myself next time....
Posted by: Jenny | Feb 01, 2008 at 02:02 AM
Beautiful job! We really enjoyed it too. That meringue looks as good as clouds! Bravo!
Posted by: Tartelette | Feb 02, 2008 at 04:30 AM
You did a lovely job on the lemon meringue pie. I'm so glad your children enjoyed it. Mine only liked the crust.
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
Posted by: Sheltie Girl | Feb 03, 2008 at 03:34 PM
Your meringue looks beautiful. :0)
Posted by: Mer | Feb 03, 2008 at 10:59 PM
Great job with this month's challenge. How neat that your daughter decided she liked it!
Posted by: Dolores | Feb 04, 2008 at 12:49 AM
So funny to call a pie with a cup of butter and 5 eggs light! But I guess compared to the other option it is! Your pie is beautiful. Lovely!
Posted by: Claire | Feb 12, 2008 at 03:24 AM