Daring Baker's Challenge - Lemon Meringue Pie

I completed my first Daring Bakers Challenge this weekend. (Yes, I did procrastinate until the very end.) January's Challenge was a Lemon Meringue Pie. Many thanks to Jen at The Canadian Baker for hosting this challenge. I really enjoyed my "LMP" experience. I have never made a lemon meringue pie so this was indeed a challenge.

I must admit that I was a little nervous after reading some of the troubles that other DB's had with this recipe. However, there were also plenty who reported baking a perfect LMP. I was really worried about getting a runny filling. If I weren't making this for the DB Challenge, I might have modified the recipe a little. However, I wanted to stick to the DB rules. I followed the recipe exactly as written.

The crust did not turn out quite as well as I would have liked. I don't believe that it was due to any fault with the recipe. I made my crust in my new food processor. I have never used the food processor for a pie crust before. I may have over-processed a bit. I used all the water as directed. The recipe called for you to sprinkle the water over the dough and let it rest. With my usual crust recipe, I add water as needed. My crust also shrank a bit as you will see in the picture below. I always roll my crust out between two sheets of waxed paper, put it back into the refrigerator to chill again. Then I lay my crust over the pie pan and let it rest for 10 minutes before I crimp the edges. I think with that minor change, I would have avoided the shrinkage. The crust was not pretty, but it was tasty.

The filling seemed to come together beautifully. It thickened up quite nicely. It stayed thick even after adding the lemon juice and butter. The recipe instructed to let the mixture come to a boil after adding the tempered egg yolks then remove from the heat. I do believe if I had cooked the mixture for a few minutes extra this might have helped the filling to stay thick and firm up while baking. The taste of the filling was very, very good. It was very tart (which is a good thing for LMP).

I really had no problems with the meringue. It had the perfect flavor to compliment the tart lemon. The meringue did not weep on me either.

Overall, this is a very good recipe. I will probably try it again and try to get a better result with crust and the filling. I saw too many Daring Bakers show a perfect LMP to give up on this recipe. I had a great time trying this recipe. I look forward to trying new recipe each month and baking things I might never try otherwise.

Thanks again Jen. This was a great challenge!

Lemon Meringue Pie from "Wanda's Pie in the Sky" by Wanda Beaver

(Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie)

For the Crust:
¾ cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces

2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (60 mL) granulated sugar

¼ tsp (1.2 mL) salt ⅓ cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:

2 cups (475 mL) water

1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar

½ cup (120 mL) cornstarch

5 egg yolks, beaten

¼ cup (60 mL) butter

¾ 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

½ tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar

¼ tsp (1.2 mL) salt

½ tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract

¾ cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

For 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 counter top) roll the disk to a thickness of ⅛ 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 ½ 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.

For 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.

For 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.