Sweet and citrusy lemon meringue pie

This mouthwatering lemon meringue pie is a dessert you’ll fall in love with – the perfect balance between sweet and citrus.

Image credit: Pexels

TOTAL TIME: 1 Hour 30 Minutes (+ Refrigeration) | Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

The pastry

185 g flour
40 g icing sugar
30 g ground almonds
125 g cold butter, diced
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp icing sugar, extra

Lemon filling

1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
½ cup fresh lemon juice
5 eggs
¾ cup caster sugar
1 cup whipping cream

Meringue topping

4 egg whites
1 cup caster sugar

METHOD

The pastry

PROCESS flour, icing sugar, ground almonds and butter together in a food processor until combined. Add the egg yolk and pulse until the pastry just comes together – do not overwork. Bring the dough together on a lightly floured surface to form a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

ROLL the pastry out between two sheets of baking paper until large enough to line a greased 25 cm round, loose-based fluted tart tin. Ease the pastry into the tart base and gently push up against the sides. Trim off any excess pastry. Cover tart and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

PREHEAT the oven to 200°C.

PLACE the tart tin on an oven tray. Scrunch a piece of baking paper large enough to fit inside the pastry case into a ball and then flatten it out again – this makes the baking paper mould better. Line a pastry case with scrunched baking paper and fill it with dried beans or rice. Bake the tart for 15 minutes. Remove paper and beans; bake for a further 15 minutes or until browned lightly. Set aside to cool.

Lemon filling

REDUCE oven temperature to 180°C.

WHISK all the ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.

POUR the filling into a cooled pastry case. Bake the tart for 30 minutes or until the filling has just set. Allow the tart to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until cold.

DUST with extra icing sugar to serve.

Meringue topping

PREHEAT oven to 200ºC.

PLACE whites and caster sugar together in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water (make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water); whisk for 8 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Top the lemon tart with the meringue mixture, swirling it into peaks.

BAKE for 4 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned

PRO TIP: This tart tastes even better if made the day before serving; keep covered in the fridge. Make the meringue just before serving.