Lemon & White Chocolate Meringue Pie
This recipe started as something completely different—a macaron cake with a lemon and white chocolate curd filling. While I loved the filling, the cake didn’t work. I went back to the drawing board and landed on Lemon Meringue Pie. To elevate the pie, I created an Almond Sweet Shortcrust Pastry for the base, adding a third texture and flavour to complement the soft meringue and zingy lemon curd. The result is a pie with a firm yet crumbly base, a smooth curd, and a marshmallowy meringue topping.
Serves 8
Hands-on Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 portion Almond Sweet Shortcrust Pastry (chilled for at least 30 minutes)
2 medium eggs
3 medium egg yolks (reserve whites for Swiss meringue)
5 lemons
50g caster sugar
1 tsp powdered gelatine
150g white chocolate
50ml water
Equipment
Baking parchment
Rolling pin
20cm loose-bottomed flan tin
Serrated knife
Baking beads
Fork
Saucepan
Micro-grater
Measuring jug
Spatula
Whisk
Microwaveable bowl
Microwave
Method
1. Prepare the pastry case
Roll out the chilled pastry between baking parchment into a circle slightly larger than the flan tin.
Flip the pastry into the tin, press into the corners, and trim any excess. Chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C (fan)/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
Line the pastry case with parchment, fill with baking beads, and blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and beads, prick the base with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes until golden. Let cool.
2. Make the lemon filling
Grate the zest of 4 lemons into a saucepan. Juice all 5 lemons to yield 200ml (top up with water if needed). Add the juice to the zest.
Add the sugar and gelatine to the saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until dissolved (do not boil). Remove from heat.
Whisk the egg yolks and whole eggs in a mixing bowl.
Melt the white chocolate in a microwaveable bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring between each.
Gradually whisk the lemon mixture into the eggs, then stir in the melted chocolate.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Pour the filling into the cooled pastry case and let it cool to room temperature. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour to set.
3. Finish with meringue
Prepare the Swiss meringue as instructed.
Pipe or spread the meringue over the pie. Use a palette knife for a smooth finish or create peaks with a piping bag.
Toast the meringue lightly under a grill or with a blowtorch for a golden finish.
Enjoy!
