Funfetti Lemon meringue pie
I want you to know: you can make pie in more than just your standard pie dish.
Beat the egg whites gradually, over a low heat. Beating too fast makes them unstable. Creating large air bubbles that’ll collapse
So, my granny never went small on her lemon meringue so i sure as hell amn’t either. No this is no ordinary pie, of course it’s not, it’s a creation of mine.
Gotta go EXTRA on your birthday
I’m upgrading the lemon meringue, not that it needs upgrading but, you know, more is more. Right?
I also worked as a pastry chef, so you can trust me ok. I love the crunchiness of this meringue pie, cutting the pie crust pastry + layering them creates this.
Crust stuff:
2tbsp caster sugar
300g plain flour
200g butter
50g sprinkles
For the lemon:
125g caster sugar
2tbsp cornflour
4 egg yolks
Zest and juice 3 large lemons
250ml water
25g butter, diced
For the meringue
4 egg whites
300g caster sugar
1/2tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp cornflour
2 tsp white wine vinegar
The crust is first up. Rub the butter into the flour, do this by flattening the chunks of butter and pressing it into the flour, sugar and salt. Add 2 tablespoons of water to bring it together and then press through the sprinkles.
Wrap and refrigerate.
Cut the dough in four, and press one on top of the other. Press it down and roll it out until it’s ½ inch thick.
Heat your oven to 160, grease a 8” pie dish really, super well with butter and set aside, on a tray if you like.
Roll it out, big enough to fit the dish, what I do here is put the dish on top of my rolled out piece of dough and then you can see by eye that there’s enough to come up the sides, if there’s not, get rolling again.
Nuzzle it into the pie dish. And up the sides, use your rolling pie to make the edges even with the top of the pie dish by just rolling it across. It won’t shrink. Prick with a fork.
Pop it into the oven + bake for 15-20 minutes, it’ll be gorgeous and golden. If you’ve time, let this cool before you top with the filling, this stops any fears of the filling being soaked up by the base.
To make the filling, whisk all the lush lemony ingredients together over a medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook for a minute until it has thickened. Pour into the pie dish. Leave to set a little while you make the final step.
Whisk your egg whites on a lower speed until super fluffy, slowly stream in the sugar while still whisking and continue to whisk until the sugar has dissolved, if you rub some of the mix in between your fingers and it feels smooth, you’re onto a winner. Whisk through the cream of tartar, cornflour and white wine vinegar.
Topple this on top of the lemon mix and swirl. Return to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Let this cool completely before digging in, I only say to do this so it’ll hold it’s shape, but you can dig in, you just will 100% need bowls then instead of plates.
