But good news, folks! The memory card has been found, and I'm all set to do some on-time posting for the February challenge. In the meantime, here's my lemon meringue pie story....
This month's challenge was brought to us by Jen of The Canadian Baker. The holidays brought loads and loads of rich and wonderful sweets. A yule log, a variety of my sister's concoctions, my grandparents' fudge, cakes, pies, cakes, cookies, cookies, pies, and cookies. I'm never one to shy away from a baked good, but I was excited to see that this baked good would be of the lighter and fruitier variety.
Things started off very well. I had all the ingredients, I was lookin' good in my new apron (thanks other sister!), and I had a whole day to devote to the challenge. And then, of course, the actual cooking began. I had a really hard time with this crust, which I tried making twice. Both times it was incredibly dry, and I wound up adding much more water than the recipe called for. I ended up going with the product of try #2, even though I was afraid it would be on the tough side from the extra mixing.
The flavor of the filling was lovely. I prefer my citrus desserts a little on the tart side, and this fit the bill quite nicely. Now, if you prefer your filling on the lumpy chunky side, this would have been right up your alley. I may or may not have forgotten to stir constantly.
But you know what? Lumpy chunky filling couldn't get me down. You know why? There was meringue! I love meringue and all its whimsy. I didn't really do much to it once i got it on the pie. I just let it be itself, which in this case was a silky mountain of airy goodness. For the record, meringue provides an excellent disguise for lump chunks.
Honestly, the finished product wasn't something I would serve to other people (because of errors on my part, not the recipe). However, I was entirely comfortable grabbing a fork, the pie, and going to town. The perfectly tart filling contrasted nicely with the hint of vanilla in the meringue and the buttery sweetness of the crust. I'd like to try this pie again sometime when I'm feeling more focused, but the great thing about pseudo-screwups is that there's more for the chef :)
Lemon Meringue Pie
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 countertop) 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.
