Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie

By Spookie

Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup ice water
• Pie:
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 2/3 cup sifted cake flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 5 egg yolks
• 2 tbs lemon zest
• 4 tbs unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• Meringue:
• 7 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Crust:
1. In a bowl of a food processor combine all purpose flour, salt, and sugar. Add 1 cup of cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

2. With machine running, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; don't process more than 30 sec.

3. Divide dough into 2 equal balls, wrap each in plastic wrap and flatten. Refrigerate 1 hour before using or freeze up to one month.

4. Makes one 9" double crust or 2 single crusts.

5. Heat oven to 400F

6. On a lightly floured surface, roll one single crust into a circle that is 1/2" thick and transfer to a 9" pie tin. Trim and crimp edges decoratively, then chill until firm.

7. Prick bottom of the shell with a fork, line with parchment paper and add pie weights. Bake until edges begin to brown, 10 to 15 min.

8. Remove paper and weights; continue baking until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes more. Let cool.

Pie Filling:
1. Combine cornstarch, cake flour, sugar, lemon juice, amd 2 cups water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, then cook until it becomes very thick and almost translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time. Return pan to low heat and cook for 5 min, stirring.

3. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the lemon zest and butter. Transfer to a bowl set over ice water and let mixture cool, stirring occasionally. Pour into cooled crust; cover and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Meringue:
1. Combine 7 egg whites, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simming water. Beat until warm and sugar is dissolved. Remove bowl from heat and whip mixture to stiff peaks.

2. Pile meringue on top of pie and spread evenly so that it touches crust all around. Broil until brown, about 2 min, watching constantly to avoid burning.

3. Serve at room temperature.