Description
This classic lemon meringue pie is easy to make but tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen. Be sure to use fresh lemon juice, not bottled, to avoid a metallic taste.
Scale
Ingredients
Shell
- 1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
Filling
- 1 300-mL can sweetened condensed milk (low fat is fine)
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (do not used bottled, it will taste metallic)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 large egg yolks
Meringue
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Shell
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with your favourite pastry dough. Prick the bottom of the pie dough all over with a fork, being careful not to pierce all the way through. Line the pie with foil or parchment and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges of the pie are just golden. Remove the beans or weights and bake until the pie is golden all over, about 10 minutes.
- Cool the shell on a rack and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F while you make the filling and meringue topping.
- Filling
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, lemon juice, zest and yolks until smooth. Pour filling into the baked pie shell.
- Meringue
- In a squeaky clean medium bowl, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar at a time and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Gently, spoon the meringue on top of the pie, pressing it to the sides so that all the filling is covered.
- Bake the pie for 15 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. Allow to cool completly before serving — if you can wait that long.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Notes
Variations: For a Key Lime Pie, use lime juice and lime zest instead of lemon. Use a graham crust instead of pastry.