Lemon Meringue Pie

Oh Lemon Meringue Pie...

What can I say? It's one of my favorite pies. 

I think it's tied at the top with pumpkin.

Apple comes in second.

Blackberry, a close third. 

But hey, that's just me. 

For a long time I wasn't a huge fan of lemon meringue pie. I never really had one that blew me away. But now that I know the joy of a good lemon meringue...I could eat it day and night. 

(often I do...dessert one night, breakfast the next...don't judge me.)

It involves a lot of dishes, but it's definitely worthwhile. The buttery flaky crust filled with sweet tangy lemon curd and topped with a light marshmallow-y meringue...it's perfection. The one pictured above wasn't quite lemony enough for me, I have since doubled the curd, and it is fantastic.

Seriously, if you've never been thrilled with lemon meringue pie, try this one on for size. I'll bet you can't resist it.

Lemon Meringue Pie
a Gemma Louise original recipe

1 baked pie crust

For the lemon curd:
2 cups sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
12 large egg yolks
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed

For the meringue:
6 egg whites
1 cup sugar

For the curd, whisk together the sugar, lemon juice, zest and egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a bowl of simmering water to create a bain-marie. Heat, whisking occasionally until the mixture thickens considerably. It should coat the back of a spoon and a trail should stick when you run your finger through the coating. (about 172 degrees F)

Remove curd from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes. Add the cubed butter and whisk until completely incorporated. Pour filling into the pre-baked pie crust.

For the meringue, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks start to form. Add sugar gradually and beat until glossy peaks form. Spread meringue over lemon curd, making sure to "attach" meringue to the pie crust so it doesn't separate after baking.

Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, until the meringue is golden. Serve chilled.