Zesty, silky and beautifully balanced, this Lemon Meringue Pie layers a crisp buttery pastry shell with a luscious lemon filling and a cloud of toasted Swiss meringue. Combining bright citrus flavour with delicate sweetness, it’s a timeless dessert that’s guaranteed to impress for any occasion.
Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 1 hour 35 minutes + chill time
Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients
Pastry
225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
50g pure icing sugar
125g unsalted butter, chilled and chopped into cubes
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp iced water
Lemon filling
Rind of 3 lemons
200ml lemon juice
180g caster sugar
150ml pure cream
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
Swiss meringue
4 egg whites
280g caster sugar
¼ tsp cream of tartar
Method for Lemon Meringue Pie
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced). Place flour and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and iced water and process until dough just comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Roll pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick. Using the pastry ring as a guide, cut a 24cm round for the base. Place a 24cm x 2cm-high pastry ring on a large oven tray lined with baking paper and place the pastry round inside.
3. Cut remaining pastry into 2.5cm-wide strips, long enough to line the inside of the pastry ring. Line sides with pastry strips, gently pressing ends together to join and pressing the bottom edge firmly against the pastry base to seal. Trim pastry level with the top of the ring. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.
4. Line pastry shell with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or uncooked rice. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove paper and weights and bake for a further 10-12 minutes or until pastry is dry and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 140°C (120°C fan-forced).
5. Meanwhile, to make the lemon filling, place lemon rind and juice, caster sugar, cream, eggs and egg yolks in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the water. Stir constantly for 6-8 minutes or until mixture reaches 70°C and lightly coats the back of a spoon.
6. Pass lemon mixture through a fine sieve into a jug and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
7. Place the tart shell on the oven rack and carefully pour in the lemon filling until just below the top of the pastry. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just set around the edges with a slight wobble in the centre. Cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set. Carefully remove the pastry ring.
8. To make Swiss meringue, place egg whites, caster sugar and cream of tartar in a clean heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk constantly for 5-7 minutes or until sugar has completely dissolved and mixture reaches 70°C.
9. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high for 6-8 minutes or until the meringue is thick and glossy and the bowl has cooled to room temperature.
10. Transfer meringue to a piping bag fitted with a 7.5mm-1cm plain round nozzle. Pipe meringue over chilled tart to form small peaks, covering lemon filling completely. Using a kitchen blowtorch, lightly torch the meringue peaks until golden. Serve immediately or refrigerate until required.
More Summer Entertaining Inspiration
Be sure to check out all of the recipes in the Summer Entertaining series for more fresh and enticing options perfect for entertaining friends and family under the summer sun!