With the long summer evenings and warmer weather finally arrived here on Skye my hens are laying well. So what to make when you have a glut of freshly laid eggs. Having never made it before Lemon Meringue Pie was high on my list. I love baking with citrus fruits so Lemon Meringue Pie ticks all the boxes.
My recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie uses the pastry recipe I have used in previous tarts which is fairly foolproof. Which only leaves two more stages to make. So here goes…my recipe is below!
Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients
For the pastry:
225g plain flour
112g butter, cut into cubes
25g caster sugar
50ml cold water
For the filling:
zest and juice of 4 lemons
90g cornflour
600ml water
4 large egg yolks
175g caster sugar
For the meringue:
5 large egg whites
250g caster sugar
Method
To make this tart you’ll need a 10 inch loose bottomed tart tin.
Pre-heat the oven to 180c fan
To make the pastry put the flour, butter and sugar in a food processor and mix on full power until crumbly. Leave turned on and slowly add the water until the pastry forms a ball. You might not need all the water so go carefully.
Once a ball has formed, remove from the food processor and with your hands roll it into a tight ball. Wrap in cling film and pop 
it into the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
When it has chilled remove the cling film and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness just less than a £1 coin. Line the tin and prick the base with a fork.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
To make the filling, mix the lemon zest, juice and cornflour together in a 
medium sized bowl until smooth.
In a small saucepan bring the 600ml of water to the boil then pour the water over the lemon mixture. Stir it all together and then return to the pan. The mixture may stiffen without further heat. If the mixture isn’t very thick return to the heat and stir until it has thickened up. Once it is thick, remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
Once the lemon mixture has cooled down a bit stir in the egg yolks and sugar. 
Mix together thoroughly until everything has combined. Put it back onto a low heat and cool until it simmers. Now pour it into the pastry case.
If you have turned your oven off, you need to put it on at 150c fan or if it’s still on since your pastry turn it down to 150c.
To make the meringue I used a balloon whisk on an electric stand mixer. Put 
the 5 egg whites into the bowl and whisk until you have soft peaks. I initially whisk on a high speed and then turn it down to just below medium whilst I add the sugar. Add the sugar a few tablespoons at a time so everything combines evenly. Once all the sugar has been added stop whisking and spoon the meringue onto the top of the lemon filling.
Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. The meringue should turn a 
slight golden brown colour. Remove from the oven and serve warm or cold. Personally I like my Lemon Meringue Pie chilled but enjoy a slice however you prefer.
Serves 10-12
