Lemon Meringue Pie That Does Not Weep

Before you start

Lemon meringue pie has three parts with very different needs: a crisp blind-baked shell, a lemon filling thickened with cornstarch and yolks, and a meringue that must cook through without shrinking or leaking. Most of the trouble lives in the meringue. Syrupy puddles under it come from undercooked meringue sitting on cooler filling, and amber beads on top come from overcooking or undissolved sugar.

This recipe uses a Swiss meringue, in which the whites and sugar are heated together to 71°C (160°F) before whipping. The sugar dissolves completely, the whites are cooked, and the foam is dense and stable. Spread it onto the filling while the filling is still hot, anchor it to the crust all the way around, and brown it quickly in a hot oven. The pie is at its best the day it is made.

Ingredients

• Crust165 g (1⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 115 g (½ cup) unsalted butter — cold, cubed
• 60–75 ml (4–5 tbsp) ice water
• Lemon filling250 g (1¼ cups) granulated sugar
• 40 g (⅓ cup) cornstarch
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 360 ml (1½ cups) water
• 5 large egg yolks
• 120 ml (½ cup) fresh lemon juice — 3 to 4 lemons
• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
• Swiss meringue5 large (about 150 g) egg whites
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Make the crust: cut the butter into the flour, sugar and salt, toss with ice water, form a disk and chill for 1 hour. Roll to 30 cm (12 in), fit into the plate, crimp, and freeze for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line the shell with parchment and weights and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and bake 10 to 12 minutes more, until the crust is golden all over. Cool on a rack and lower the oven to 190°C (375°F).
3. In the saucepan, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt, then whisk in the water. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until the mixture boils and turns thick and translucent, about 5 minutes. Boil for 1 minute.
4. Whisk the yolks in a bowl. Slowly whisk in about 240 ml of the hot mixture to warm them, then pour everything back into the pan. Whisk over medium-low heat until it bubbles again and boil gently for 1 minute more; this fully cooks the yolks and the starch.
5. Off the heat, whisk in the lemon juice, zest and butter. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to keep the filling hot while you make the meringue.
6. Whisk the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl over barely simmering water until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 71°C (160°F), about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the mixer and whip on high until stiff, glossy and cool to the touch, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
7. Pour the hot filling into the crust. Immediately drop meringue around the edge first, spreading it so it touches the crust all the way around, then pile the rest in the center. Swirl peaks with the back of a spoon.
8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the peaks are golden brown. Cool on a rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate, uncovered, for 3 hours before slicing with a wet knife.

Tips for success

• Separate the eggs while cold, and keep every trace of yolk out of the whites; fat prevents a tall foam.
• Avoid making meringue on a very humid day if you can. Sugar draws moisture from the air and the surface becomes sticky.
• Measure the lemon juice after you finish cooking the filling; acid added earlier breaks down cornstarch and thins the set.

Substitutions

Swiss meringue

A French meringue (whites whipped raw with sugar) is quicker but more prone to weeping and does not cook the whites to a safe temperature in a short bake.

Water in the filling

Replace 120 ml of the water with whole milk for a softer, more custardy filling; it will be slightly less tart.

Cornstarch

Arrowroot gives a very clear filling but thins if reheated or stirred after setting. Use 30 g and stop stirring once thick.

Variations

Lime meringue

Replace the lemon juice and zest with the same amount of lime.

Torched meringue

Skip the final bake and brown the peaks with a kitchen torch; the Swiss meringue is already cooked.

Troubleshooting

Liquid pooled between the filling and meringue

The meringue went onto cooled filling or was undercooked underneath. Keep the filling hot and covered, and heat the whites to 71°C before whipping.

Meringue shrank away from the edge

It was not anchored to the crust. Spread the first spoonfuls so they touch the pastry all the way around.

Lemon filling is thin

The starch did not boil long enough or was stirred hard after the lemon went in. Boil 1 minute at each stage and stir the lemon in gently.

Storage

Serve the same day for the best meringue. Leftovers keep, loosely covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; the crust softens and the meringue may bead. Do not freeze. Do not leave the pie at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Safety notes

Heating the meringue whites to 71°C (160°F) cooks them; the yolk filling is boiled. Refrigerate after cooling. Contains wheat, egg and milk.