Lemon Meringue Pie
406kcal5.5g protein17g fat59.5g carbs~$0.62/ serving*Estimates computed from the ingredient list; cost uses average US supermarket prices. Not a substitute for packaging measurements or your receipt.
Contains gluten, dairy, egg
Restrictions
Containsgluten · dairy · eggIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.
Diets
VegetarianPescatarianNo porkNo alcohol
Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.
Ingredients
Servings:
| 1 ¼ cup |  flour |
| ½ cup |  butter (cold, cubed, divided use below) |
| 1 ½ cup | water (ice-cold, for the dough; more for the filling) |
| 1 tsp | salt (divided) |
| 1 ½ cup |  sugar (divided: filling and meringue) |
| ⅓ cup |  cornstarch |
| 4 unit |  lemon (zest of 2, juice to 2/3 cup — about 4) |
| 4 unit |  eggs (separated — yolks to the filling, whites to the meringue) |
| 2 tbsp | butter (for the filling, 2 tbsp of the above) |
| ¼ tsp |  cream of tartar |
Steps
- Bake45 minthe catalog's short crust, blind-baked FULLYdough (flour + 1/2 tsp salt + 6 tbsp cold butter + ice water), rested, rolled, crimped, and blind-baked until fully golden — fully, because this crust never returns to the oven long enough to finish; a pale blind bake is the soggy floor of every failed lemon meringue
- Whisk8 minfilling: cornstarch slurry cooked, then yolks tempered1 cup sugar + cornstarch + 1/4 tsp salt + 1.5 cups water whisked over medium heat until thick and translucent, then a ladle of it beaten into the yolks before the yolks join the pot — the tempering detour is the difference between lemon curd and lemon scrambled eggs, and there is no shortcut through it
- Simmer3 mina full boil for one minute — non-negotiablethe combined filling boiled a true minute, then off heat + lemon juice + zest + 2 tbsp butter — the minute matters twice: cornstarch needs it to set firm, and yolks carry an enzyme that liquefies starch over time unless this boil destroys it; pies that slice tonight and soup tomorrow skipped this step
- Whisk6 minmeringue: whites + cream of tartar, sugar rained inwhites beaten to foam, cream of tartar in, then the remaining 1/2 cup sugar a spoonful at a time until glossy stiff peaks — rushed sugar collapses the foam; rained-in sugar dissolves into the structure, and rubbing a dab between two fingers should find no grit
- Top4 minmeringue onto HOT filling, sealed to the crustthe filling poured into the shell and the meringue spread immediately while the filling steams — the heat below cooks the meringue's underside, which is the entire defense against weeping — and pushed to TOUCH the crust at every point of the circle, which is the entire defense against shrinking; swirls with the spatula's back for the peaks that brown
- Bake12 min350°F, until the peaks bronzejust to color the meringue, then cooled at room temperature away from drafts and chilled — cut with a wet knife, wiped between slices, and accept that the first slice of a lemon meringue is a sacrifice to the pie gods in every kitchen, including professional ones