also known to me as the tiny little lemony wonders that took up most of my day and now have a permanent place in my heart as some of the most adorable little tartlets ever. seriously.
so i've been itching to whip up some lemon meringue pie lately, after seeing the one sitting in the display case of simply life at festival walk. but i wanted it to be more portable, and less intimidating/majestic than the one in the display case with (around) 7in high towers of meringue. so i decided to go mini. (a good idea too, since i'd bought these tiny little 1.5in pie tins a few years ago for custard fruit tarts).
at any rate, i pulled out my tiny pie tins, and put to good use a sorted recipe i've been wanting to try for some time now- their eyecandy lemon meringue pie. in my experience, sorted recipes are mostly very foolproof, and i've never had anything flop on me before.
so i've been itching to whip up some lemon meringue pie lately, after seeing the one sitting in the display case of simply life at festival walk. but i wanted it to be more portable, and less intimidating/majestic than the one in the display case with (around) 7in high towers of meringue. so i decided to go mini. (a good idea too, since i'd bought these tiny little 1.5in pie tins a few years ago for custard fruit tarts).
at any rate, i pulled out my tiny pie tins, and put to good use a sorted recipe i've been wanting to try for some time now- their eyecandy lemon meringue pie. in my experience, sorted recipes are mostly very foolproof, and i've never had anything flop on me before.
moving on. there's not a lot of change i made to the recipe other than take out most of the sugar content; i prefer the lemon filling to be less sweet and much richer in it's tartness. the crust honestly did not need the sugar called for in the original recipe; i put in enough to just to add a hint of sweetness. however, (on the topic of the crust,) the lemon zest worked into the dough was what made the crust special- the small hint of citrus in the buttery crust worked very well to enhance the tartness and citrusy hit from the lemon filling. i did not take sugar away from the meringue, however, as egg whites can be unstable if the ratio is different in my experience.
there's not much to say about technique, as everything is pretty straightforward.
the crust needs no special attention when mixing. a small tip for wrapping your dough before chilling- roll the dough into a ball and slightly flatten it before wrapping, then completely flatten into a disk after it's wrapped. when chilling, don't open the door multiple times, and when you're about to use the dough, remove it from the fridge 3 minutes before using. the most important thing about the dough is to pa attention to the amount of flour you add to your rolling pin and the surface you're rolling the dough out on, as well as the thickness you roll it out to. the amount of flour you incorporate into the dough while in the process of working it can affect the texture of the crust when it's been baked. too much flour can result in a tough crust.
attention to the thickness of your dough when rolled out is very important as well; when your dough is much thicker/thinner in places, those places will under/over cook. uneven dough can cause your pie (however good the filling is) to flop.
also, many pies are blind baked, meaning the crust is baked by itself first, without the filling, either partially or fully, as the filling is a cooked custard or cream, etc. when blind baking, there are two methods to do this- you can either prick holes into the bottom of the pie crust to let air out and prevent air bubbles, or (the safer, more ideal one) is to line the crust with parchment paper and fill the tin with dried beans/rice/pie crust weights to prevent the crust from rising and the sides from sliding downward.
the crust needs no special attention when mixing. a small tip for wrapping your dough before chilling- roll the dough into a ball and slightly flatten it before wrapping, then completely flatten into a disk after it's wrapped. when chilling, don't open the door multiple times, and when you're about to use the dough, remove it from the fridge 3 minutes before using. the most important thing about the dough is to pa attention to the amount of flour you add to your rolling pin and the surface you're rolling the dough out on, as well as the thickness you roll it out to. the amount of flour you incorporate into the dough while in the process of working it can affect the texture of the crust when it's been baked. too much flour can result in a tough crust.
attention to the thickness of your dough when rolled out is very important as well; when your dough is much thicker/thinner in places, those places will under/over cook. uneven dough can cause your pie (however good the filling is) to flop.
also, many pies are blind baked, meaning the crust is baked by itself first, without the filling, either partially or fully, as the filling is a cooked custard or cream, etc. when blind baking, there are two methods to do this- you can either prick holes into the bottom of the pie crust to let air out and prevent air bubbles, or (the safer, more ideal one) is to line the crust with parchment paper and fill the tin with dried beans/rice/pie crust weights to prevent the crust from rising and the sides from sliding downward.
the lemon curd filling needs no real notes, except that the egg white cook much faster than the egg yolks. if you nd up with lumps, or simply want to get a really smooth filling, pour your curd after it's been cooked through a sieve into another container to cool.
the meringue in this recipe is made the italian way, with a simple sugar syrup. i myself prefer the french meringue, in which you simply add sugar to the whipped egg whites. although i used the italian method for this recipe, as called for, feel free to try out the french way as well.
i piped out the meringue onto my tarts with a wilton tip 1M, and for some, without a tip. i then torched them lightly with a blow torch.
the meringue in this recipe is made the italian way, with a simple sugar syrup. i myself prefer the french meringue, in which you simply add sugar to the whipped egg whites. although i used the italian method for this recipe, as called for, feel free to try out the french way as well.
i piped out the meringue onto my tarts with a wilton tip 1M, and for some, without a tip. i then torched them lightly with a blow torch.
i used tiny little tart tins to make mine, which turned out to be incredibly elegant and adorable. however, you can most definitely use the same recipe with a full sized, 9in pie tin and turn out with a stunningly citrusy summer treat as well.
the work is definitely worth it, as the end result satisfied every citrusy craving i had for the next week or so. i think it should satisfy your cravings nicely too.
recipe after the jump :)
the work is definitely worth it, as the end result satisfied every citrusy craving i had for the next week or so. i think it should satisfy your cravings nicely too.
recipe after the jump :)
IngredientsMakes 52 1.5in tarts Crust: 250g plain flour 125g cold butter, diced 35g sugar zest of one lemon 1 large egg, beaten Lemon Curd Filling: 4 large lemons, zested and juiced 4 large eggs 150g sugar 200g butter, cubed 2 heaped tsp of cornstarch Meringue: 4 egg whites 200g sugar 200ml water | Ready to bake?
|
Original recipe from Sorted Food. Click here to check it out.