A lemon meringue pie is the perfect warm weather treat. Full of tangy lemon, bright coloring and loaded with flavor, lemon meringue pie is almost like having sunshine on a plate.
Cutting into a lemon meringue pie can sometimes become a messy ordeal, so these “Mini Lemon Meringue Pies” let each person have an individual taste that’s much more manageable. Enjoy this recipe, courtesy of “Jane’s Patisserie Celebrate!” (Sourcebooks) by Jane Dunn. (Note: The original metric measurements have been converted to imperial measurements (in parentheses) as closely as possible for U.S. bakers. The final recipe results may differ when measuring ingredients according to these two systems.)
Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
Makes 8
Pastry
350 g (21⁄2 to 3 cups) flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tablespoons icing sugar
200 g (1 cup) chilled unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cold water
Filling
Zest of 4 lemons
150 ml (2⁄3 cups) lemon juice
100 g (1⁄2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
200 g (1 cup) caster sugar
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
Topping
185 g (3⁄4 cup) white granulated sugar
65 ml (1⁄4 cup) water
95 g (3 large) egg whites
Grease and dust flour over the insides of eight individual 10-cm (4-inch) loose-bottomed tart tins.
In a large bowl, sift the flour and icing sugar and add the butter, egg yolks and cold water. Rub the mixture together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, bring together with your hands and knead in the bowl until smooth.
Turn the pastry out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out until 3 mm (1⁄8 inch) thick. Cut out eight circles of pastry a little larger than the tart tins and press each pastry circle into the bottom and sides of each tin, trimming the edges. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 C (375 F). Cover each pastry case with a circle of parchment paper and fill each one with baking beans/rice. Bake “blind” for 15 minutes.
Remove the parchment paper and the beans from each tin and bake for an extra 10 minutes until the pastry is cooked through and turning golden in color. Leave to cool in tins.
For the filling, in a large pan, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, butter and sugar and heat, stirring until the mixture has dissolved and is smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks together and then add to the pan. Heat the mixture for 7 to 8 minutes until thickened. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mixture to each pastry case.
For the topping, in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. When the mixture starts to boil, monitor the temperature until it reaches 120 C (240 F), a firm ball stage, with a sugar thermometer. If any sugar splashes up the sides of the pan while boiling, brush the sides with a pastry brush and cold water to stop the mixture crystalizing.
Meanwhile, using a clean bowl and whisk, add the egg whites to the bowl and whisk until they start to form stiff peaks. When the sugar syrup has reached temperature, start to slowly trickle it onto the egg whites at the edge of the bowl while continuously whisking. Make sure you do this carefully so that the egg whites stay smooth.
Once all the sugar syrup has been added, continue to whisk the mixture fast and at high speed for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture is smooth and has cooled down. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and with a piping nozzle of your choice fitted, pipe the eight individual lemon meringue pies.
If you have a cook’s blowtorch, carefully toast the edges of each meringue. Otherwise, place the meringues under the grill in the oven to brown slightly. Chill the lemon meringue pies for 1 hour. Remove them from the tins and enjoy.
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