Developed to rival Thanksgiving turkey as Star for the Day, our greatest lemon meringue pie recipe is a showstopper any time of yr. The towering concoction is spectacular however not austere. Acquainted but refreshing—and also you get to set the entire thing on fireplace (virtually).
It begins with an exceptionally flaky pie crust, which comes from the strategy of quartering your assembled pie dough and stacking the quadrants earlier than rolling them out (a form of low-key lamination). Word: This recipe makes sufficient pie dough for 2 single-crust pies. You’ll be able to scale back the quantities by half, however why not make the second disk and pop it into the freezer? It’s going to maintain for as much as 3 months; use it to make one other dessert (say, chocolate pudding pie) down the road.
For daring taste, the pie filling will get the zest of 4 complete lemons. If you happen to don’t have a rasp-style grater (or yours is boring), this can be a good time to purchase one. In any other case, peel the yellow pores and skin of the lemon, avoiding the bitter white pith, with a vegetable peeler, then place the strips of lemon zest in a blender or meals processor with the water listed within the instructions, and blitz till puréed earlier than whisking it into the egg and cornstarch combination.
You’ll be able to simply break up the work over a couple of days in case you’d like. The lemon curd filling might want to chill within the prebaked pie shell for at the least 2 hours earlier than serving, however it’ll maintain for as much as 3 days. The egg whites may also be advantageous within the fridge for a couple of days; wait till you’re able to serve to make the meringue topping. When medium-stiff peaks kind, switch the fluffy garnish to a piping bag for the dotted look pictured, or simply pile and swirl it on high of the pie and singe it to complete. Whereas a broiler will work, this recipe is a superb excuse to purchase a kitchen torch.
