Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups boiling water
3 large eggs, separated
4 egg yolks, beaten
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons butter
1 baked 9 inch pie shell, cooled

Pre heat oven to 150°C, 300F/Gas 2

In a heavy medium sized saucepan mix the cornstarch, sugar and salt. Gradually add the boiling water and stir until smooth. Keep on stirring while you return the mixture to a boil. Most people find that a whisk is the best thing to use to stir the lemon meringue mixture.

Turn the temperature down and simmer for 7 minutes. Keep on stirring the mixture.

Beat the egg yokes together in a bowl and stir into the mixture in the saucepan. Keep on a low heat for 4 minutes stirring all the time to keep the mixture smooth while it thickens.

Remove from the heat. Slowly add the lemon juice, rind and butter.

Cool the lemon filling at room temperature. If you use it while it is still warm the pie shell will go soggy.

Do not refrigerate - keep at room temperature.

Pour the mixture into the pastry case and spread evenly.

Then prepare the meringue.

You will need:

4 Egg Whites
1/2 cup (125g) superfine caster sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until very stiff peaks form. Whisk in the sugar gradually to make a very stiff glossy meringue. Then whisk in the vanilla extract.

Spoon onto the lemon mixture and spread with a knife making sure that you seal the edges. Use the knife to add some decorative swirls to the meringue!

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Serve warm or cold.

The secret to great meringues is in the bowl that you use. Yes it really does make a difference.

Whatever type of bowl you use it must be very clean as any trace of oil or grease will make it impossible to get the most volume from the egg white.

But the material of the bowl is also important. Never use a plastic bowl.

You can use a glass bowl but the best way is to use a copper or stainless steel bowl. Copper reacts with the egg whites to produce great results.

Meringues do not like moisture - either in the bowl or in the air! So don't boil a kettle in the kitchen and avoid making meringues on a humid day if you can.

Adding cream of tartar or lemon juice can also help with better results. The addition of this acidic base to the egg white will produce more voluminous meringue with stiffer peaks.

I have found that the quickest and easiest way to make meringue for any recipe is to use a Kitchen Aid mixer. This has the stainless steel bowl and of course whisks much faster than any human can!

You could of course just buy a pre made pastry case. But don't be afraid of making your own pastry - it it easy once you know how!

The Ingredients:

3/4 cup (170 g)unsalted cold butter
2 cups (475 ml) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup (80 ml) ice water

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5, 375°F (190°C).

You can use a food processor, a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer or make this pastry recipe by hand. Either method gives good results.

1. First sieve the flour into the bowl, and add the salt and sugar.

2. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the mixture with your finger tips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

If using a food processor use the pulse button until you see the breadcrumb ike texture. Or run on the lowest setting of your Kitchen Aid. Be careful not to over process at this stage - just 1 to 2 minutes is enough to combine the ingredients.

3. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the water and mix with the blade of a knife until the mixture just starts to come together. Slowly add more water just until the mixture starts to resemble the texture of a dough and has begun to come away from the sides of the bowl.

If using a food processor add the water very gradually and use the pulse button. In a Kitchen Aid add water a tablespoon at a time. Be patient!

4. All pastry must rest before you roll it out. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This allows the gluten in the flour time to react with the water and make it bind together properly. If you skip this stage ( I know we have all done this, but we really shouldn't) your pastry will be difficult to roll out and may crack.

Uncooked pastry will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or can freeze for up to 3 months. So take the chance to make large batches of pastry all at once for your baking for the week.

5. Remove from the refrigerator and roll out the pastry onto a floured surface. Roll out to fit your pastry tin. Put this in the refrigerator to rest for 10 minutes.

6. Line the pastry shell with a crumpled piece of greaseproof paper and baking beads. If you don't have baking beads then you can use dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Then remove the paper and beads and bake for a further 3-5 minutes or until the pastry is just cooked but still very pale in color.

7. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 150°C, 300F/Gas 2 to bake the lemon meringue.

Always separate eggs as soon as you remove them from the refrigerator. This makes them easier to separate.

Have 2 bowls ready. Crack the egg over the side of the larger bowl, trying to break it roughly in half. Hold the larger half of the broken egg over the bowl and very carefully pour the white into the bowl. Be careful not to break the yolk. Any yolk in the white will ruin the meringue!

When you have transfered as much of the white as possible into the bowl, put the egg yolk in the other bowl.

Another technique is to break the egg and pour it whole into your hand. Then carefully allow the egg white to strain through your fingers whilst keeping the egg yolk intact.

Take it slowly and carefully at first. My children love helping me with this - you need to be patient!

For a meringue it is best to leave the egg whites at room temperature for around 20 minutes as this produces the best results.