MADSY’S FAMOUS LEMON MERINGUE PIE
WORDS AND RECIPE BY MADDY MORWOOD
My famous lemon meringue pie is my go-to recipe for a dinner party, despite the fact you need 400 ingredients, 27 steps and a spare 7 hours and 10 minutes to complete it.
As a general rule, I hate wining-and-dining other people. Invite me to a dinner party and I’ll give you a twelve minute stand-up routine on my dating life before I even sit down, but don’t you dare ask me to make anything for dinner. However, throughout the years, I have cracked the code. This works for both being a guest and for when you’re forced by your housemates to throw your own dinner party: distract people with one elaborate dessert that you can make all about yourself, and you won’t have to lift a finger for the rest of the evening.
A vital step in this recipe is making your pie crust from scratch. It adds both a humorous and unnecessarily difficult step to the already long process. I once heard someone say that an efficient cook never bothers making their pie crust from scratch. Not only am I the least efficient person I know, but I am also far too narcissistic to skip out on the opportunity to make everything about me. ‘He proposed? Congratulations. Did I mention that I actually made my pie crust from scratch?’ I have left out the steps to make the crust, but please, you have the internet.
Ingredients
Makes 1 x 9 inch pie
Filling
5 large egg yolks
1 and ⅓ cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
Meringue
5 large egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
SOME PREREQUISITES BEFORE YOU START:
Must be wearing an ungodly elaborate outfit. And no apron. Nothing in life should ever be done in halves, and that includes making a lemon meringue pie.
Must have an audience. I would advise not even starting the recipe until your guests arrive so that they can see you are trying really hard to be a good host. At least one of those people must be someone you’re trying to impress.
Must be missing a few ingredients. A good meringue pie ‘half-time’ activity is trotting over to the next door neighbour’s to ask for eggs, lemons, etc.
Method
Preheat your oven to 190°C
Partially blind bake your pie crust (that you just made from scratch) in a 9-inch pie dish. If you don’t know how to blind bake, Google it. It’s easier than it sounds.
You have 15 minutes to measure out your pie filling ingredients while your crust is blind baking.
Reduce oven temperature to 177°C
Separate the whites from the yolks. This step requires quite a bit of focus so make sure all your guests are watching you put on a bit of a show.
Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Whisk the water, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. The mixture will be thin and cloudy, then eventually begin to thicken and bubble after about 6 minutes. This step can be excruciatingly boring, so make sure there is a good looking man nearby that can take over the stirring while you talk about the six weeks you spent in Europe four years ago. Once thickened, give it a whisk and reduce heat to low.
Temper the egg yolks. This is a step that will likely impress your guests. Make sure you let everyone know that you are ABOUT TO TEMPER THE EGG YOLKS. Very slowly stream a few large spoonfuls of warm lemon mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Then, also in a very slow stream, whisk the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan. Turn heat back up to medium. Cook until the mixture is thick and big bubbles begin bursting at the surface. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter.
Spread filling into the warm, partially-baked crust. Set aside as you prepare the meringue. Don’t get too cocky and think the performance is over yet. The filling helps to seal the two layers together, so take a bow and quickly move onto the meringue.
With a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium speed for 1 minute, then increase to high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 more minutes. Add the sugar and salt, then continue beating on high speed until glossy stiff peaks form, about 2 more minutes.
Spread meringue on top of pie filling. Make sure you spread the meringue all the way to the edges so that it touches the crust. You can really make a show of this.
Bake pie on the lowest oven rack for 20–25 minutes.
When pie is done, remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Make sure you queue some music for the pie’s grand reveal from the oven—something that will divert everyone’s attention back to the kitchen.
Place pie in the fridge to chill. Most recipes say to chill for 4 hours before serving, but I usually let it sit for 45 minutes max. By this point, your guests probably hate you.
Serve pie. This is where the theatrics really begin. Everything in the lead up to this has just been the dress rehearsal. Gather your guests around the table before proclaiming, ‘I have never done this before.’ Then, cut the most perfect piece of pie. Get ready for a photoshoot. Your flatmate’s girlfriend’s brother will stare lovingly into your eyes (and your pie). Your work here is done.
Don’t clean up for 3–5 business days. You’ve worked hard all night, you deserve a break.
