Lemon-zest filling with berry powder flavored fluffy meringue, a beautiful marriage of flavors, all served up in a buttery flaky crust.
Author: Portlandia Pie Lady
Ingredients
Lemon Filling
1-1/2cupsgranulated sugar
7tablespoonstapioca starch or Clearjel *see note below
1/2cup lemon juice
1-1/2cupswater
zest ofone lemon
dashsalt
4 egg yolks, beaten
2tablespoonsbutter
Berry Meringue
4egg whitesroom temperature
1cupgranulated sugar
2tablespoonsblack raspberry, red raspberry or blueberry powder
2teaspoonscornstarch
dashofsalt
Grandmas' single 9-inch crust (pre-baked/blind bake)
1cupflour(see notes for making crust gluten free)
1/2cupbutter (equals 1 cube or 4 ounces), cold and cut into pieces. Note: If using soft butter or shortening, see note below.
1tablespoonsugar
1/8teaspoonbaking powder
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/4cupcold water
Instructions
Pie Crust (make first)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all dry ingredients together. With a fork cut in butter until just starting to be crumbly. Pour in cold water and give it 3 to 4 stirs to form a dough ball.
Roll out dough, place in 9-inch pie plate, trim and crimp edges, and prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork.
Place foil, shiny side down, fill with beans, and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Remove foil with beans and place crust back in oven for another 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven. It's ready for the filling.
Berry Meringue
In a large mixing bowl add the egg whites, sugar, cornstarch, and berry powder.
Beat at lowest setting for 5 to 6 minutes to dissolve sugar.
Increase speed to high and beat meringue until glossy and stiff peaks form, about another 7 minutes. Set aside and make lemon pie filling.
Lemon Filling
In separate bowl beat the egg yolks, set aside (these will be tempered into the filling).
In a large sauce pan stir sugar and cornstarch together. Add water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt.
At medium to medium high heat on stove, cook while whisking constantly until mixture starts to get very steamy; at the beginning of a simmer.
Using a measuring cup, scoop out about 1/2 cup of lemon mixture, beat into egg yolks and return back to sauce pan. Cook and whisk another 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly.
Remove pan from burner and stir in butter until melted and thoroughly incorporated. Pour immediately into pre-baked pie shell.
Spread on prepared meringue. If desired, brown the meringue in the oven at 350 for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on how brown you want the meringue. Remove from oven, let cool at room temperature for a few minutes or longer before storing in refrigerator.
Notes
*Note: regular cornstarch can break down in high heat. I highly suggest using tapioca or Clearjel; this will help from having a runny filling. With cornstarch it may seem "set" at first, but sometimes the next day it will be runny as the cornstarch just couldn't "keep up appearances."Gluten Free Crust Instructions:Use my gluten free flour mix, made with Bob's Red Mill products, at a one to one substitution. Follow the ling for making the flour mix: https://portlandiapielady.com/gluten-free-pie-crust/Use butter instead of shortening for gluten free, it does make a difference in taste. Make the pie dough the same as above, but roll it out onto a gluten-free floured parchment or wax paper, invert onto pie plate and peel off paper. If it tears, it will simply push back together.