It’s the stuff of dreams: a classic sweet and tart dessert with a foolproof meringue topping that won’t weep! We use mostly butter in our from-scratch pie dough, but also add a little vegetable shortening as well — we found that this combination creates a crust that is both tender and flaky.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 9 hr |
| Active: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (see Cook’s Note)
- 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3 to 6 tablespoons ice water
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice plus 2 teaspoons gently packed lemon zest
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 5 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Pinch fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the pie crust: Pulse the flour, shortening, sugar, salt and vinegar in a food processor until the mixture looks like damp sand, about 10 pulses. Add the butter and pulse until you can still see large pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Pinch the dough; if it doesn’t hold together, add up to 3 more tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together when pinched. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and dump the dough onto the plastic. Using the edges of the plastic, press the dough into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and preferably overnight. (Freeze up to 2 months.)
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 13-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie dish, gently pressing the dough into the edges and letting the excess dough drape over the sides. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Trim any excess dough with a paring knife and crimp the edges decoratively or press them down with the tines of a fork. Prick the dough on the bottom all over with a fork. Place a sheet of parchment paper inside the dough and fill with pie weights or uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights and bake until the crust is deep golden brown on the edges and lightly golden in the center, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let the crust cool to room temperature.
- For the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups water and whisk to combine. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate medium bowl. Place the sugar mixture over medium heat and cook, continuing to gently whisk, until the mixture begins to bubble and is extremely thick. Temper the eggs yolks by slowly adding half of the hot sugar mixture to the yolks while constantly whisking. Add the tempered yolks to the saucepan and return to the heat. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon zest until completely melted and incorporated. Pour the filling directly into the pie crust and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the filling (see Cook’s Note). Refrigerate while you make the meringue.
- For the meringue: Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment along with the sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk together to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture feels hot to the touch. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and add the vanilla. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the pie and gently mound the meringue on top of the filling. Use an offset spatula to make sure the meringue completely covers the filling and meets the crust all around the edges. (This will seal in the filling and help prevent weeping.) Use the offset spatula to create swirls and peaks in the meringue. Toast the meringue using a kitchen torch or broil in the oven until golden brown, keeping an eye on the meringue if broiling, 1 to 2 minutes. Refrigerate the pie until the filling is completely cool and set, about 4 hours.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 357 |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 52 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 36 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 101 mg |
| Sodium | 246 mg |
Reviews
I took the advice of other reviewers and added more juice vs water (1 cup of each) and more zest as our family like a more tangy lemon flavor.
This recipe makes a LOT of meringue- about twice the height of the pie – but it is delicious. Careful when broiling to get the golden brown. Keep an eye on it!
Definitely will make this recipe again.
It was good but too sweet. It needed more lemon juice
This is a fantastic recipe with detailed instructions! Due to lack of time I chilled my pie dough in the freezer for about 20 minutes instead of overnight in the fridge and it worked out beautifully. Again placed pie plate with dough back in the freezer for 20 minutes before blind baking. Allowed to cool while making the lemon filling. Also based on some of the reviews, I used 3/4 cup of lemon juice (bottled, because I didn’t have any lemons on hand) and 1 1/4 cups of water and it had the perfect amount of tartness to offset the sweetness of the meringue. Done in less than 5 hours (including the 4 hour chill at the end) A keeper recipe for sure!
Have been making this for the church’s booth at the Deerfield Fair, in Deerfield NH (last weekend in September). It’s a huge hit and sells out within the first couple of hours!
Need I say, I’m going for this! Mike Stice!
Two questions.
1. Why does the meringue get weepy after putting it in the refrigerator?
2. Why does the meringue get tough after putting it in the refrigerator?
1. Why does the meringue get weepy after putting it in the refrigerator?
2. Why does the meringue get tough after putting it in the refrigerator?
I learned that you shouldn’t use carton egg whites and had to make the meringue twice. I also used a different recipe for the meringue which said to beat the egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar, salt and vanilla, and then add the sugar a few tablespoons at a time until you get stiff peaks. It worked much better.
yes
So easy and just like my Nana used to make! I do use a full cup of lemon juice or 8 lemons + the zest from all( we like a tart lemon filling).
The meringue is amazing! I’ve never had that much volume before. This is truly a keeper!
This is the best meringue recipe I have ever made. I had never tried this method whereby you heat the sugar and egg whites over simmering water to melt the sugar…the meringue turned out stable and has a wonderful shine….it browned beautifully under the broiler…..would highly recommend this recipe.