Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

A slice of Lemon Pie topped with meringue sits on white plate with lemons in the background
Lemon Meringue Pie

If you are a lemon lover and have never had a true homemade, made-from-scratch, Lemon Meringue Pie, you’re in for a real treat. There are some steps involving in making a Lemon Meringue Pie (i.e., the pastry, filling, and meringue) but the reward of a fabulously tasty and silky smooth Lemon Meringue Pie that cuts out while holding its shape and plates well, will justify it.

Pie Pastry and Pie Plate

This is a substantially-sized pie so requires a large, deep 9”/23cm pie plate.  One thing I have discovered over the years is that not all pie plates labelled as 9”/23cm have the same capacity. Some have shallow, slanted sides while others have deeper, more straight sides. What I can say is that the filling for this pie amounts to approximately 2¼ cups, give or take a bit. Add to that the mile-high meringue and, of course, the pie crust which typically is 1/16” – 1/8” (2-3mm) thick. So, make sure you use a pie plate that can accommodate the amount of pie ingredients.

This pie requires a fully baked and completely cooled pie crust which can be made, if desired, a day ahead of the filling. While the pie, when filled, will return to the oven for a short period to bake and tan the meringue, that baking period will not be long enough, or at a sufficiently high temperature, to bake the pie crust. This is why the pie crust is blind baked and cooled before the filling is added. Blind baking is a process where the pastry is partially baked with pie weights or dry beans in it to keep the pastry from shrinking and forming air pockets. The pie weights (or dry beans) are then removed partway through the baking and the pie returned to the oven to allow the crust to fully bake.

For greater assurance that the pie crust will not become soggy when the filling is added, an egg wash (½ large egg beaten with ½ tablespoon of either milk or water) is lightly brushed over the partially baked crust after the pie weights have been removed and before the pastry goes back into the oven to finish baking. This egg wash creates a barrier that will help prevent moisture from the filling seeping into the crust causing it to become soggy.  Use a silicone pastry brush to apply a light coating of the egg wash to the pastry.

Ensure the crust is completely cooled before adding the hot filling. If hot filling was to be put into a hot or warm crust that is not completely set, it could break down the fat in the pie crust, causing a soggy crust.

I have a pie pastry tutorial post on my website and, rather than repeat the entire post here, I will direct readers who desire more information on making pie pastry to that post – click here.

Lemon Filling

This recipe calls for freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice. It is always difficult to say exactly how many lemons will be needed to produce 6 tbsp of strained juice as so much depends on the size, quality, and age of the lemons. I typically have at least three medium-sized lemons on hand for this pie as I don’t want to find myself in the middle of making a lemon pie and not have enough juice. However, if the lemons are quite large and juicy, you might get away with two. Bottled lemon juice is not recommended for this pie. Make sure to strain the lemon juice as the goal is to have a completely smooth and luxuriously creamy filling. Biting into a piece of bitter lemon zest in an otherwise silky smooth pie is not the most pleasant experience!

The yolks of 3 large eggs will be required for the filling and their whites will be used for the meringue. The whites and yolks separate better when the eggs are cold but the egg whites for the meringue will whip better if they are at room temperature. If I could give one piece of advice here, this would be it: Use separate small prep bowls for each egg white as opposed to breaking them all into one bowl. This is because even so much as a smidgeon of egg yolk will prevent the whites from whipping properly for the meringue. So, if you break the whites all into one bowl, you might be down to separating the third egg and, whoops, some of the yolk falls into the bowl of whites. If you have all the eggs in one bowl, you have just wasted three egg whites as you have to start all over again with three new egg whites. If you separate the egg whites into separate bowls, you will only have lost the one egg white with the stray bit of yolk in it.

Use a microplane, if you have one, or a super fine side of a box grater, for grating the lemon zest and ensure you use only the outer skin of the lemon(s) and no pith.

The filling is not difficult to make. Granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt are mixed together with water in a saucepan over heat and stirred continuously until the mixture starts to thicken. A portion of the mixture is then gradually mixed into the egg yolks to prevent curdling and the egg mixture then, along with the lemon zest, is incorporated into the hot sugar-cornstarch mixture and cooked until thickened. The strained lemon juice and butter are then stirred into the hot mixture.

Strain the cooked filling through a fine mesh sieve to remove the lemon zest and any bits of coagulated egg that may exist. In order for the underside of the meringue to bake properly and to prevent the moisture from the meringue seeping into the pie and creating a watery layer, the meringue must be applied to hot, not lukewarm or cold, filling. Because the straining process will have cooled the filling, I recommend reheating the filling either in the microwave or over low to medium-low heat in a clean saucepan. The reasoning behind why the filling must be hot (versus lukewarm or cold) is explained in the section on French Meringue below.

French Meringue

A French Meringue is a meringue made with raw egg whites which must be baked to make the meringue safe for human consumption. Considered the less stable of the different types of meringues, a French Meringue is, nonetheless, a commonly used meringue and is not particularly difficult or overly complicated to make.

A Lemon Pie topped with French Meringue sits on a white and green tea towel with serving plates, cutlery, and a white bowl of lemons in the background
Lemon Meringue Pie

Essentially, the French Meringue starts with beating egg whites at slow speed just until they are frothy then increasing the mixer speed to medium while beating the eggs with cream of tartar and salt and slowly and gradually adding the sugar until soft peaks form.  Then, when all the sugar has been added, the mixer speed is increased to medium-high and the mixture beaten until stiff and glossy peaks form and hold their shape, being careful not to overbeat the mixture and dry out the meringue. Now, while it sounds simple enough, there are some pitfalls that can occur that can destroy the meringue.

First, meringue and high humidity are not friends. If possible, avoid making meringue topped pies on humid days as the meringue absorbs the moisture in the air and tends to be chewy or gummy and the humidity can also be a contributor to a weeping meringue (no one wants a sad pie!)

We know that cold eggs separate best but the whites whip up better if they are at room temperature. So, break and separate the eggs while they are cold but use room temperature egg whites to make the meringue as they will yield a more voluminous meringue. Once you have separated the yolks from the whites, leave the whites at room temperature while you use the yolks to make the pie filling.

The second issue that could cause problems for a meringue is using a bowl or mixer whisk attachment that still has some fat residue on it from a previous baking adventure. To ensure there is no fat residue in the mixer bowl or on the whisk attachment, take a small bit of paper towel with some vinegar on it and give the bowl and whisk a good wipe to ensure there is no fat residue that could interfere with the egg whites whipping into mile-high meringue.

Adding a small amount of cream of tartar to the frothy egg whites will help to stabilize them and reduce the potential for the meringue collapsing.

For meringue, I recommend using caster sugar which goes by several other names including berry sugar, instant dissolving sugar, and superfine sugar.  While regular granulated sugar can be used, it will yield a slightly grainier meringue than will that made with the superfine caster sugar.

The lemon pie filling must be hot when the meringue is applied to it. Why must the filling be hot you might ask? Have you ever had a lemon pie that had a watery layer in between the meringue and the filling and probably started oozing down and puddling into the pie plate as pie slices were cut? Or, ever had the meringue slide off a pie slice altogether as it was plated? These are issues that were likely caused, at least in part, by an undercooked meringue and/or one that was placed on a cooled or lukewarm filling that failed to seal and adhere to the filling which was simply not hot enough.

As mentioned earlier, the meringue, with its raw egg whites, must be baked in order for it to be safe to eat. Once the pie with its filling goes into the oven, the top of the meringue can start to brown fairly quickly. The pie, however, won’t be in the oven long enough, or at high enough temperature, for the bottom of the meringue to thoroughly bake unless it is adhered to a hot filling and gets a head start on baking. Placing the meringue onto a hot filling allows the bottom of the meringue to start cooking immediately which reduces the potential for the moisture in the meringue to start weeping into the filling thus creating that dreaded watery layer or for the meringue to start shrinking into the center of the pie from the edges. So, in short, the marriage of a hot filling and a properly made and applied meringue helps to keep the meringue in place and avoids a watery layer forming in the pie.

When topping the hot lemon filling with the meringue, make sure the meringue is touching and sealed to the inside edge of the pastry shell. This does not mean you cover the whole pie edge but sealing it to the inside edge will create a cocoon of sorts and will help to prevent the meringue from shrinking and weeping. Start applying the meringue around the pie’s inside edge first then to the center of the pie.

Transfer the pie to a preheated 325°F oven and bake until the meringue is golden tanned, approximately 20+ minutes. The length of time will, of course, depend on how hot your oven runs.

Cooling and Serving Pie

Let the pie rest on a wire cooling rack for about 1½ hours. I find then refrigerating the pie for at least 4 hours before cutting and serving helps to set the pie.  To cut razor-shape pie slices, dip a knife in hot water and wipe dry before cutting pie.

Lemon Meringue Pie is best served the day it is made. Leftover pie can, however, be stored in the refrigerator. Stick toothpicks here and there in pie and very loosely tent cling wrap over the toothpicks before storing leftover pie.

A slice of Lemon Pie topped with meringue on white plate sits atop of white and green tea towel with lemons in background
Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

One baked and cooled single pie crust to fit 9”/23cm pie plate (recipe follows)

Ingredients:

Pie Pastry:

1¾ cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour, if required)
1¼ tsp granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ cup cold butter
¼ cup cold lard
½ of a large beaten egg (reserve remaining half of egg for pastry egg wash)
¾ tsp white vinegar
Enough ice-cold water to equal 2/3 cup when combined with the beaten half egg and the vinegar

Pastry Egg Wash:  ½ large egg beaten (reserved from pastry ingredients) with ½ tbsp milk or water

 For Lemon Filling:

1¼ cups granulated sugar
6½ tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
1¼ cups water
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten (reserve the whites for the French Meringue – recipe follows)
1 tbsp lemon zest, finely grated
6 tbsp freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice (apx. 2-3 lemons, depending on size and quality)
2½ tbsp butter, room temperature

For French Meringue:

3 room-temperature egg whites (reserved from the lemon filling ingredients)
¼ tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
6 tbsp caster sugar (aka berry sugar, superfine sugar, or instant dissolving sugar) {See Note below]
½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

 Pre-Prep:  Set out all equipment necessary for making pie. Prepare parchment paper for holding pie weights during pastry baking.  Measure dry ingredients for pastry. Mix egg wash. Measure ingredients for filling:  Separate cold eggs. Grate the lemon rind. Squeeze and strain lemon juice. Bring butter to room temperature for filling.  Measure ingredients for meringue. Wipe mixer bowl and whisk attachment with a paper towel dampened with vinegar to remove any fat residue that may still be on the equipment and which would prevent the egg whites from whipping properly.

For Pastry:

In medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together. Cut the butter and lard into small chunks and add to the flour. Toss to coat the fats with the flour mixture. With a wire pastry cutter, cut the butter and lard into the flour until the fats resemble the size of large peas.

 In a one-cup glass measuring cup, lightly beat a large egg with a whisk. Remove and reserve one-half of the beaten egg for the pastry egg wash. To the remaining half of the egg, add the ¾ tsp white vinegar and enough ice-cold water to measure 2/3 cup. Whisk mixture well to combine. Add the egg-vinegar-water mixture to the flour, small amounts at a time, and mix with a fork. Add only enough liquid mixture that the dough clings together and can be formed into a ball. Note that not all of the entire 2/3 cup of liquid will be needed. Using too much liquid will result in a hard, tough crust. Do not overwork dough as  it will become tough.

Form dough into a small disk shape and place in sealed plastic bag, or an airtight container, and transfer pastry to refrigerator for about 25-30 minutes to chill. Remove pastry from the refrigerator and, on lightly floured surface, roll pastry to desired thickness, generally between 1/16”and 1/8” (2-3mm) thick and large enough in diameter to line pie plate. Transfer pastry into a deep 9”/23cm diameter pie plate that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray or very lightly greased and has the capacity to hold approximately 2¼ cups of filling plus the meringue. Trim off excess dough and finish pastry edges as desired. Dock pastry bottom in several places with fork tines to prevent air pockets from forming while the crust bakes. Refrigerate pie shell for a minimum of 30 minutes (or place in freezer for 20 minutes or so) to chill in order to reduce pastry shrinkage during baking.

While pastry shell is chilling, position oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 400°F.

Crumple and distress a piece of parchment paper large enough to mold around the inside of the pie plate, being careful not to tear the paper and allowing enough overhang by which to grasp it to remove the ceramic pie weights or dried beans that will be placed in it for blind baking and which will be removed part way through the crust baking process.  This crumpling/distressing procedure will weaken the parchment paper, allowing it to be more pliable for fitting into the pie plate.  Depending on the quality of parchment paper, repeat with a second piece of distressed parchment paper, if necessary.  The paper lining needs to be strong enough to hold the pie weights/dry beans when they are being lifted from the pie shell part way through the baking.

Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator (or freezer) and place on a rimmed cookie sheet or pizza pan for ease of transfer to and from oven.  Carefully fit the distressed parchment paper inside the pie shell.  Repeat with the second layer of parchment paper, if necessary.  Add ceramic pie weights or dry uncooked beans, filling the pie plate about 2/3 to ¾ full, and ensuring the pie weights/dried beans are evenly distributed.

Transfer pie shell to the oven. Bake pie shell for 18-20 minutes.  Remove shell from oven and carefully remove the pie weights/dried beans and parchment paper and transfer them to a heatproof bowl.  Be very careful as the pie weights/dried beans will be very hot! As some of the earlier pierced holes in the pie shell may have filled in during the blind baking process, further pierce the pie shell in several places with the tines of a fork, if necessary, to prevent it from forming air pockets as it continues to bake.

Beat the reserved half beaten egg with ½ tablespoon of milk or water. Using a silicone pastry brush, very lightly brush egg wash over the pastry.

Return pie shell to oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until pastry appears dry and crisp and is a light-medium golden color. Cool shell in pan on wire rack until completely cooled before adding filling. Pie shell may be made a day in advance, if desired.

For Lemon Filling:

Position oven rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 325°F.

Whisk egg yolks lightly in bowl.

In medium-sized heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Mix well. Over medium heat, gradually add the water to the mixture. Stir mixture continuously until it comes just to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to medium-low and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly until mixture starts to thicken.

Remove mixture from heat and gradually stir about 2/3 cup of the hot mixture into the lightly beaten eggs to temper them so they do not curdle. Slowly stir the tempered egg mixture, along with the lemon zest, into the egg-cornstarch-water mixture and place saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low, gently boiling mixture for 1 minute, or until mixture is thickened, stirring continuously, and reducing heat slightly if necessary to prevent mixture from scorching.

Remove saucepan from heat and slowly stir in the lemon juice and butter. Stir until well blended. Strain mixture through fine mesh sieve to remove any coagulated solids and bits of lemon zest.  Use the back of a large spoon to press mixture through sieve and to hasten the straining.

For French Meringue:

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites at low speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and salt and increase speed to medium. Add the sugar gradually and slowly, about one tablespoon at a time, and beat until soft peaks form. When all the sugar has been added, increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat mixture until stiff and glossy peaks form. Do not overbeat and dry out the meringue. Lastly, beat in vanilla. 

Because the lemon filling will have cooled during the straining process and while the meringue is being made, it is necessary to reheat the filling so it is hot when the meringue is added to it. The strained filling can be reheated either in the microwave until hot or transferred it to a clean saucepan and reheated over low to medium-low heat until hot.

Transfer hot lemon filling to the baked and cooled pie shell. Immediately spread meringue over hot filling, starting at the outside edge, spreading meringue right to the pastry’s inside edge to completely seal in the filling. It is important that the meringue adheres to the inside edge of the pastry to prevent the meringue from shrinking and weeping. Use the back of a spoon or a knife to swirl meringue into peaks.

Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet or a large pizza pan and transfer pie to preheated oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until meringue is golden tanned.

Cool pie on wire rack for approximately 1½ hours then transfer to refrigerator to cool completely  and set for at least 4 hours before cutting and serving. To cut pie, dip knife in hot water and quickly wipe dry before slicing pie wedges and serving.

Yield:  One 9”/23cm pie

NOTE 1:  Granulated sugar can be used instead of the caster sugar in the French Meringue but will yield a slightly grainier meringue.

NOTE 2:  Baking times given in this recipe are a guideline as every oven heats differently.

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Lemon Meringue Pie

A true made-from-scratch Lemon Meringue Pie that features a creamy smooth lemon filling topped with French Meringue.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword Blind Baking Pastry, French Meringue, Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Pie
Servings 8
My Island Bistro Kitchen Barbara – My Island Bistro Kitchen

Ingredients

Pie Pastry:

  • cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour, if required)
  • tsp granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup cold butter
  • ¼ cup cold lard
  • ½ of a large beaten egg (reserve remaining half of egg for pastry egg wash)
  • ¾ tsp white vinegar
  • Enough ice-cold water to equal 2/3 cup when combined with the beaten half egg and the vinegar
  • Pastry Egg Wash: ½ large egg beaten (reserved from pastry ingredients) with ½ tbsp milk or water

For Lemon Filling:

  • cups granulated sugar
  • tbsp cornstarch
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • cups water
  • 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten (reserve the whites for the French Meringue – recipe follows)
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest, finely grated
  • 6 tbsp freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice (apx. 2-3 lemons, depending on size and quality)
  • tbsp butter, room temperature

For French Meringue:

  • 3 room-temperature egg whites (reserved from the lemon filling ingredients)
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 6 tbsp caster sugar (aka berry sugar, superfine sugar, or instant dissolving sugar) {See Note below]
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Pre-Prep: Set out all equipment necessary for making pie. Prepare parchment paper for holding pie weights during pastry baking. Measure dry ingredients for pastry. Mix egg wash. Measure ingredients for filling: Separate cold eggs. Grate the lemon rind. Squeeze and strain lemon juice. Bring butter to room temperature for filling. Measure ingredients for meringue. Wipe mixer bowl and whisk attachment with a paper towel dampened with vinegar to remove any fat residue that may still be on the equipment and which would prevent the egg whites from whipping properly.

Method For Pastry:

  1. In medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together. Cut the butter and lard into small chunks and add to the flour. Toss to coat the fats with the flour mixture. With a wire pastry cutter, cut the butter and lard into the flour until the fats resemble the size of large peas.
  2. In a one-cup glass measuring cup, lightly beat a large egg with a whisk. Remove and reserve one-half of the beaten egg for the pastry egg wash. To the remaining half of the egg, add the ¾ tsp white vinegar and enough ice-cold water to measure 2/3 cup. Whisk mixture well to combine. Add the egg-vinegar-water mixture to the flour, small amounts at a time, and mix with a fork. Add only enough liquid mixture that the dough clings together and can be formed into a ball. Note that not all of the entire 2/3 cup of liquid will be needed. Using too much liquid will result in a hard, tough crust. Do not overwork dough as it will become tough.
  3. Form dough into a small disk shape and place in sealed plastic bag, or an airtight container, and transfer pastry to refrigerator for about 25-30 minutes to chill. Remove pastry from the refrigerator and, on lightly floured surface, roll pastry to desired thickness, generally between 1/16”and 1/8” (2-3mm) thick and large enough in diameter to line pie plate. Transfer pastry into a deep 9”/23cm diameter pie plate that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray or very lightly greased and has the capacity to hold approximately 2¼ cups of filling plus the meringue. Trim off excess dough and finish pastry edges as desired. Dock pastry bottom in several places with fork tines to prevent air pockets from forming while the crust bakes. Refrigerate pie shell for a minimum of 30 minutes (or place in freezer for 20 minutes or so) to chill in order to reduce pastry shrinkage during baking.
  4. While pastry shell is chilling, position oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 400°F.
  5. Crumple and distress a piece of parchment paper large enough to mold around the inside of the pie plate, being careful not to tear the paper and allowing enough overhang by which to grasp it to remove the ceramic pie weights or dried beans that will be placed in it for blind baking and which will be removed part way through the crust baking process. This crumpling/distressing procedure will weaken the parchment paper, allowing it to be more pliable for fitting into the pie plate. Depending on the quality of parchment paper, repeat with a second piece of distressed parchment paper, if necessary. The paper lining needs to be strong enough to hold the pie weights/dry beans when they are being lifted from the pie shell part way through the baking.
  6. Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator (or freezer) and place on a rimmed cookie sheet or pizza pan for ease of transfer to and from oven. Carefully fit the distressed parchment paper inside the pie shell. Repeat with the second layer of parchment paper, if necessary. Add ceramic pie weights or dry uncooked beans, filling the pie plate about 2/3 to ¾ full, and ensuring the pie weights/dried beans are evenly distributed.
  7. Transfer pie shell to the oven. Bake pie shell for 18-20 minutes. Remove shell from oven and carefully remove the pie weights/dried beans and parchment paper and transfer them to a heatproof bowl. Be very careful as the pie weights/dried beans will be very hot! As some of the earlier pierced holes in the pie shell may have filled in during the blind baking process, further pierce the pie shell in several places with the tines of a fork, if necessary, to prevent it from forming air pockets as it continues to bake.
  8. Beat the reserved half beaten egg with ½ tablespoon of milk or water. Using a silicone pastry brush, very lightly brush egg wash over the pastry.
  9. Return pie shell to oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until pastry appears dry and crisp and is a light-medium golden color. Cool shell in pan on wire rack until completely cooled before adding filling. Pie shell may be made a day in advance, if desired.

Method For Lemon Filling:

  1. Position oven rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. Whisk egg yolks lightly in bowl.
  3. In medium-sized heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Mix well. Over medium heat, gradually add the water to the mixture. Stir mixture continuously until it comes just to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to medium-low and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly until mixture starts to thicken.
  4. Remove mixture from heat and gradually stir about 2/3 cup of the hot mixture into the lightly beaten eggs to temper them so they do not curdle. Slowly stir the tempered egg mixture, along with the lemon zest, into the egg-cornstarch-water mixture and place saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low, gently boiling mixture for 1 minute, or until mixture is thickened, stirring continuously, and reducing heat slightly if necessary to prevent mixture from scorching.
  5. Remove saucepan from heat and slowly stir in the lemon juice and butter. Stir until well blended. Strain mixture through fine mesh sieve to remove any coagulated solids and bits of lemon zest. Use the back of a large spoon to press mixture through sieve and to hasten the straining.

Method For French Meringue:

  1. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites at low speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and salt and increase speed to medium. Add the sugar gradually and slowly, about one tablespoon at a time, and beat until soft peaks form. When all the sugar has been added, increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat mixture until stiff and glossy peaks form. Do not overbeat and dry out the meringue. Lastly, beat in vanilla.
  2. Because the lemon filling will have cooled during the straining process and while the meringue is being made, it is necessary to reheat the filling so it is hot when the meringue is added to it. The strained filling can be reheated either in the microwave until hot or transferred it to a clean saucepan and reheated over low to medium-low heat until hot.
  3. Transfer hot lemon filling to the baked and cooled pie shell. Immediately spread meringue over hot filling, starting at the outside edge, spreading meringue right to the pastry’s inside edge to completely seal in the filling. It is important that the meringue adheres to the inside edge of the pastry to prevent the meringue from shrinking and weeping. Use the back of a spoon or a knife to swirl meringue into peaks.
  4. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet or a large pizza pan and transfer pie to preheated oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until meringue is golden tanned.
  5. Cool pie on wire rack for approximately 1½ hours then transfer to refrigerator to cool completely and set for at least 4 hours before cutting and serving. To cut pie, dip knife in hot water and quickly wipe dry before slicing pie wedges and serving.

Recipe Notes

Yield: One 9”/23cm pie

[Copyright My Island Bistro Kitchen]

NOTE 1: Granulated sugar can be used instead of the caster sugar in the French Meringue but will yield a slightly grainier meringue.

NOTE 2: Baking times given in this recipe are a guideline as every oven heats differently.

Lemon Pie topped with mile-high French Meringue sits on white plate with lemons in the background