Tuesday 29 January 2008

January Daring Bakers Challenge - Lemon Meringue Pie

Jen the Canadian Baker is the hostess with the mostess whom set January's Daring Baker's challenge. This is my sixth challenge with the wonderful group of supportive and inspiring bakers from all around the world.

Jen set us a Lemon Meringue Pie as something lighter after all the holiday treats. It was great. I didn't struggle with this challenge, which means this scary dare I set myself to join this awesome group has taught me something. I think the main reason I am having more success in the baking department, is to do with confidence and following the instructions to the letter. I'm one of those eh, I'll throw a bit f this or that in, so baking was never my forte.

We had people over the night I made this and I managed to make each part at different stages through my day in the kitchen and then assembled it as we sat down for dinner, set the timer jumped up 15 minutes later, allowed it to cool and served it about 2 hours later and it was a hit! Everyone loved it. So, thank you Jen for the gorgeous recipe and challenge and thank you fellow Daring Bakers for all your help and support in the last 6 challenges.

For the Crust:
180 grams cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups plain flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
⅓ cup iced water

For the Filling:
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
½ cup cornflour
5 egg yolks, beaten
¼ cup butter
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
½ tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extrac
t¾ cup sugar

For the Crust: Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt. Process until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with the iced water, let rest 30 seconds and then process very briefly just until the dough begins to stick together and comes 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 roll the disk to a thickness of ⅛ inch. Cut a circle about 2 inches 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. Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 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 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 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 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.

S

42 comments:

Gretchen Noelle said...

Looks terrific. The curd seemed to work really well for you! You used a springform instead of a pie plate? Creative! Great job!

Dolores said...

Your pie is gorgeous, and I think it's neat that your confidence has grown during your tenure with te DBer's. Way to go!

Deborah said...

Your pie looks perfect!! I'm so glad it all worked out for you!

slush said...

Its beautiful! I love how dark your meringue is, I love the dark crunchy bits. Fab job!

surya barelds said...

well done sathya, no more jokes about your baking. it looks great. but who ate it all if it has to be eaten within 6 hours? haha.

surya barelds said...

it looks great sathya, you are a por baker these days. one question though, who ate it all if it needs to be eaten within 6 hours? u and tony? haha.

KJ said...

Great job. It looks delicious. It wasn't my cup of tea but it was a fun pie to make. On to the next challenge!!!

Laura Rebecca said...

Wow! Your meringue and curd set up beautifully -- wonderfully done!

glamah16 said...

I'm amazed at all the ways this lmp is turning out! Great job.

Beth G. @SweetLifeKitchen said...

WOW- your meringue looks fabulous!!

The Baker & The Curry Maker said...

Jamie, Merryn, Stacy, Will, Tony & I. We had a dinnerparty. I sent the leftovers home with Stacy & Will. Looks good?

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

That's a real good looking pie. I am so glad to see a well set filling after my slightly wobbly one!

Karen Baking Soda said...

That's what belonging to this great group of people does for me, confidence growing and tackling things (pie crust...shudder) you never thought you'd master.
Great job on your pie!

Pixie said...

Looks wonderful, so glad that to hear it was a success for your guests!

Anonymous said...

your pie looks really lovely, I was rubbish at getting spikes so I gave up and made it have swirls instead.

Dharm said...

Now that is a gorgeous looking pie if I ever saw one! Well Done!

Anonymous said...

That's one handsome pie!

Thistlemoon said...

That looks great! I love how you made it at various stages so it was perfect when it was time to eat it!

Meeta K. Wolff said...

I love the thick layer of curd. Simply gorgeous!

desie said...

lovely-looking pie!

Barbara said...

Wow, I love that picture of the slice. The dark beautiful meringue against the white with the bright lemon filling, yum!

Lis said...

Sathya, that's one of the sweetest posts.. thank you so much :)

I just couldn't be more happy to read that kind of reaction to the group.. it's what Ivonne and I hope for the most!

Your pie is beautiful.. so nice and poofy and goldeny delicious! :)

Glad everyone enjoyed it!

xoxo

Renee said...

Look how tall your pie is! Good job ;)

Anonymous said...

That just looks like the perfect slice of lemon meringue pie!

monica said...

looks glorious! the meringue is perfectly peaked and absolutely delicious looking. great job!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Wow you really got wonderful peaks and a lovely looking slice!!

Tempered Woman said...

Wow~ your pie looks absolutely perfect! That slice picture belongs in a magazine, I can't believe how perfectly you got thru the meringue. Me? Not.so.much.
Congrats on your 6th challenge- you're a real pro by now!

Anonymous said...

It's nice that you didn't have any troubles. Looks wonderful!

Peabody said...

Your pie turned out great. Your curd set up beautifully!

Gabi said...

Looks great- your meringue is scrumptious looking!
xoxo

Elle said...

What a beautiful slice of pie! The photo of the full pie with meringue is stunning,too.

thepassionatecook said...

aw! this looks amazing! well done you. i am looking forward to the next challenge already!

Wendy said...

Your pie looks perfect! I totally agree about the confidence building of DBrs. I follow the recipe exactly, too, and often wish for weight measures to be even more exact. Wonderful LMP. Wendy

Jen Yu said...

Oooh, look at that perfectly browned top of meringue! Gorgeous :) I like the high sides from the springform too!!

Jennifer said...

holy cow! what a beautiful meringue top your pie had! I'm jealous! ;) Great job!

Unknown said...

Glad it went over so well, it looks lovely!

steph- whisk/spoon said...

it's beautiful and wonderfully browned! looks like your mulit-stage prep turned out great, and i'm sure your guests were very impressed!

Jenny said...

Nice peaks on the meringue! I could pull one off and eat it right now.

Sheltie Girl said...

Your pie is lovely and what a nice idea to put it in a springform pan. Nice and deep levels of lemon filling....yummmm!

Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go

David T. Macknet said...

Glad it worked out so well for you! Good job!

Unknown said...

Yay for success! Looks wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Wow! That lemon meringue pie looks AMAZING. Perfect really! :)