Old-Fashioned Lemon Meringue Pie

A crisp pastry case filled with sharp lemon curd and topped with a billowing soft meringue.

Ingredients

For the pastry: 175g (6 oz) plain flour

• 75g (3 oz) cold butter

Cold water to mix

• For the filling: grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
• 40g (1.5 oz) cornflour
• 275ml (10 fl oz) water
• 110g (4 oz) caster sugar
• 3 large egg yolks

For the meringue: 3 large egg whites

• 175g (6 oz) caster sugar

Directions

1. Make the pastry: rub the butter into the flour, add cold water to bind, then chill, roll out and line a 20cm (8 inch) flan tin. Bake blind at 190C (gas mark 5) for 20 minutes until crisp.
2. Make the filling: blend the cornflour with a little of the water, then add the rest with the lemon zest and juice. Bring to the boil, stirring, until thick and clear.
3. Off the heat, stir in the sugar and egg yolks, then return briefly to the heat to cook the yolks. Pour into the pastry case.
4. Make the meringue: whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, then whisk in the sugar a little at a time until thick and glossy.
5. Pile the meringue over the lemon filling, spreading it to the edges so it seals onto the pastry, and swirl into peaks.
6. Bake at 150C (gas mark 2) for about 20 minutes until the meringue is set and pale gold. Cool before serving.

Notes

Based on Delia Smith’s lemon meringue pie; sealing the meringue to the pastry edge stops it shrinking.