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no-fail lemon meringue pie

★★★★★ 1
Kitchen Crew
By Kitchen Crew

With a lemony tart filling and a lightly toasted topping, lemon meringue pie is a delicious and beautiful dessert. There are a few steps to making a homemade lemon meringue pie, but it's easier to prepare than one may think with these two tips. First, take the eggs out of the fridge the night before to be completely at room temperature. Room temp eggs are key for the filling and meringue. Second, pre-measure the ingredients before starting the recipe. Once you've started, things move quickly. Having measured ingredients handy means you won't overheat the filling or over-beat the egg whites.

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★★★★★ 1
serves 8
prep time 30 Min
cook time 15 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For no-fail lemon meringue pie

  • FILLING
  • 1
    deep dish pie crust, baked and cooled
  • 4 lg
    egg yolks, room temp
  • 1 1/4 c
    granulated sugar
  • 1/3 c
    corn starch
  • 1/4 tsp
    salt
  • 1 1/2 c
    water
  • 1/3 c
    lemon juice, such as Nellie and Joe's Key West Lemon Juice
  • 1
    lemon, zested (1 Tbsp)
  • 2 Tbsp
    cold butter, cut into pats
  • MERINGUE
  • 4 lg
    egg whites, room temp
  • 1/4 tsp
    cream of tartar
  • 1/3 c
    granulated sugar

How To Make no-fail lemon meringue pie

  • Whisking egg yolks in a bowl.
    1
    Preheat the oven to 350. For the pie filling, whisk the room temperature egg yolks and set aside.
  • Whisking sugar, corn starch, and salt in a saucepan.
    2
    In a saucepan on the stove (without heat), whisk together the sugar, corn starch, and salt.
  • Adding water, lemon juice, and zest.
    3
    Whisk in the water, lemon juice, and zest.
  • Whisking ingredients over heat until thickened.
    4
    Turn on the heat to medium. Continue to whisk slowly until it has small bubbles around the edges or it’s lightly thickened (whichever comes first). Then turn off the heat.
  • Whisking 1/4 cup of the sauce into the egg yolks.
    5
    Add a 1/4 cup of the hot mixture to the whisked egg yolks and whisk briskly. Add another 1/4 cup of the hot mixture and whisk well again. 
  • Adding warm egg mixture to the saucepan.
    6
    Add the warm egg yolk mixture to the saucepan with the rest of the hot filling. Whisk briskly until it’s combined.
  • Whisking over heat until mixture thickens.
    7
    Turn the heat back onto medium. Continue to cook for 2 - 4 min, stirring lightly, until the mixture thickens.
  • Butter added to the saucepan.
    8
    Turn off the heat and add the butter. Stir until butter is completely melted and well combined.
  • Pouring filling into baked pie crust.
    9
    Pour filling into the baked pie shell and smooth it out.
  • Adding cream of tartar to frothy egg whites.
    10
    To make the meringue, with a mixer, whisk together the egg whites on medium speed for a minute until they look foamy. Then, add a 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. Turn the mixer to medium-high and continue to mix. 
  • Slowly adding sugar to the egg whites.
    11
    After 2 to 3 minutes of mixing at medium-high, soft peaks should begin to form. When soft peaks form, gradually add the sugar and continue to mix on medium-high. 
  • Checking the thickness of the meringue.
    12
    After all of the sugar is combined, continue to mix on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes or until stiff peaks appear to form. At this point check your meringue. You’ll know it's ready because the meringue will have a sheen to it and will hold its shape (such as a stiff curl). 
  • Spreading meringue over the lemon filling.
    13
    Add meringue to the top of the hot filling in the pie shell. Spread it to the edges until it is well sealed with the crust.
  • Cooling baked pie on a cooling rack.
    14
    Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. The meringue should be nice and toasty when it comes out of the oven. Let it cool completely on a wire rack. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. 
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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