I had a very close-knit group of girlfriends at school. On birthdays we'd make a cake for the person celebrating. It was a special tradition and one that celebrated how we'd been brought up - that a homemade gift is so much more special than a bought one.
On my fifteenth birthday my best friend made me a lemon meringue pie. I hadn't seen a lemon meringue pie let alone eaten one. (I talk about what we ate as kids here). Needless to say I loved it but I have never attempted to make one so for our daughter's second birthday I did. It takes a while (lots of waiting for elements to cool) but very worth it. In retrospect it really is an adult dessert as the citrus is tangy but that's the way I like it (and it meant we adults had more than our fair share!)
Margaret Fulton has a lime meringue pie recipe in her book, Baking, but I substituted lime juice with this recipe instead.
Margaret Fulton's Lemon (and Lime) Meringue Pie
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
Pastry
90g butter, softened
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
3/4 cup (110g) SR Flour
3/4 cup (110g) plain flour
Filling
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
2 tablespoons plain flour
grated rind and juice of two lemons (or limes or a combination of both)
Meringue
3 egg whites
pinch cream of tartar (or hakuna matata as we call it here!)
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
METHOD
To make the pastry, cream the butter with the sugar and vanilla. Add the egg and beat welll. Stir in the sifted flours, turn out onto a floured board and knead lightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200ºc. Grease a 20-23cm pie dish.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and use to line the prepared pie dish. Pinch the edges decoratively and prick the base well with a fork. (I would say my edges looked 'rustic.)
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180ºc and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until the crust is golden. Cool.
To make the filling, mix he egg yolks, sugar, flour and lemon rind in the top of a double saucepan and gradually stir in the lemon juice and water. Cook, stirring constantly, over boiling water until the mixture is smooth and thick. Cool, then pour into the cooked pie shell.
To make the meringue, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until thick. Gradually add the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until the mixture is thick and glossy and the sugar is dissolved. Spread over the filling in the pie shell, sealing it completely with the meringue. Bake in a 180ºc oven for 8-10 minutes or until the meringue is golden. Serve cold.
Next year she'll request a cake that looks like something so I'd better be prepared!
On my fifteenth birthday my best friend made me a lemon meringue pie. I hadn't seen a lemon meringue pie let alone eaten one. (I talk about what we ate as kids here). Needless to say I loved it but I have never attempted to make one so for our daughter's second birthday I did. It takes a while (lots of waiting for elements to cool) but very worth it. In retrospect it really is an adult dessert as the citrus is tangy but that's the way I like it (and it meant we adults had more than our fair share!)
Margaret Fulton has a lime meringue pie recipe in her book, Baking, but I substituted lime juice with this recipe instead.
Margaret Fulton's Lemon (and Lime) Meringue Pie
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
Pastry
90g butter, softened
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
3/4 cup (110g) SR Flour
3/4 cup (110g) plain flour
Filling
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
2 tablespoons plain flour
grated rind and juice of two lemons (or limes or a combination of both)
Meringue
3 egg whites
pinch cream of tartar (or hakuna matata as we call it here!)
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
METHOD
To make the pastry, cream the butter with the sugar and vanilla. Add the egg and beat welll. Stir in the sifted flours, turn out onto a floured board and knead lightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200ºc. Grease a 20-23cm pie dish.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and use to line the prepared pie dish. Pinch the edges decoratively and prick the base well with a fork. (I would say my edges looked 'rustic.)
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180ºc and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until the crust is golden. Cool.
To make the filling, mix he egg yolks, sugar, flour and lemon rind in the top of a double saucepan and gradually stir in the lemon juice and water. Cook, stirring constantly, over boiling water until the mixture is smooth and thick. Cool, then pour into the cooked pie shell.
To make the meringue, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until thick. Gradually add the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until the mixture is thick and glossy and the sugar is dissolved. Spread over the filling in the pie shell, sealing it completely with the meringue. Bake in a 180ºc oven for 8-10 minutes or until the meringue is golden. Serve cold.
Next year she'll request a cake that looks like something so I'd better be prepared!
