Monday, January 28, 2008

Daring Bakers Challenge #3

Lemon Meringue Pie
Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:
3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:
2 cups (475 mL) water
1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch
5 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 mL) granulated sugar


To Make the Crust:
Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.


Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.



To Make the Filling:
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.



To Make the Meringue:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks.


Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

24 comments:

Deborah said...

Your pie is gorgeous!

Carrie said...

gorgeous!! awesome looking crust! great job! It's okay... my pie threw up too! And I have the pictures to prove it! LOL

Anonymous said...

Nice work!

Proud Italian Cook said...

Beautiful pie, it looks delicious!!

Big Boys Oven said...

such a detail story of well baked LMP, salute!

Tarah at Genesis of a Cook said...

Your pie looks beautiful! Lovely job!

Faery said...

Sooo beautiful and I love the shell

Karen said...

The meringue looks beautiful!

Dagmar said...

The pie looks great!

Lis said...

Great pie, Mandie! I love the 'swoops' :)

xoxo

Anonymous said...

Nice meringue there!

Beth G. @SweetLifeKitchen said...

Beautiful!! What a great LMP!!

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Your pie looks real nice. Alls well that ends well!

Mary said...

Your pie looks great!

Mary said...

Your pie looks great!

Gabi said...

Beautiful pie! Did you have fun with the challenge?
xoxo

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Mandie, beautiful edge on your crust and fantastic meringue!! You got a beautiful pie!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Mandie, beautiful edge on your crust and fantastic meringue!! You got a beautiful pie!

Jenny said...

Your pie looks great - how did you like it?

Unknown said...

You have my favorite crust so far for this challenge. Great divets on the fluting. Lovely.

Sheltie Girl said...

Your pie turned out simply beautifully. I love your swirled pie crust edge.

Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go

Mer said...

I love that crust! I wish I had made my edges bigger like that, maybe then they would have been recognizable when it came out of the oven.

Dolores said...

Nice job with January's challenge.

Unknown said...

Beautiful pie! I hope you enjoyed it.

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