Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie. A tart lemon custard in a baked pastry shell, capped with glossy toasted meringue and chilled before slicing. The formula and timing below are working estimates for a future kitchen trial, not a claim that a batch has been made.

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A tart filling and cloud-like top

A cooked lemon-yolk filling sits in a blind-baked crust beneath a glossy meringue. Chill the finished pie before slicing so the yellow and white layers can hold a clean wedge.

This is a working recipe, not a kitchen-tested guarantee against weeping or shrinking. The full three-hour chill belongs in its total time.

Start with a dry crust

Fit the shell in a 9-inch plate and use parchment with weights for the blind bake. A soggy base can make a good filling seem poorly set.

The shell is a measured ingredient but its purchased or homemade formula and allergens must be checked before a native card is finalized.

Ingredients for 8 slices

Step-by-step method

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Fit one unbaked 9-inch pie shell into its plate, line with parchment and pie weights, and blind bake approximately 15 minutes until the base is dry and lightly golden. Remove weights carefully and cool briefly. Reduce oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk 1 cup sugar with 1/3 cup cornstarch in a saucepan, then gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1 tbsp zest. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thick and bubbling. Temper four yolks with some hot lemon mixture, return to pan and cook, stirring, until thick and an instant-read thermometer in the custard reaches 160°F. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp butter; pour hot filling into shell.
3. Beat 1/2 cup pasteurized liquid egg whites suitable for whipping with 1/4 tsp cream of tartar to soft peaks. Add 1/2 cup sugar gradually, beating to glossy firm peaks. Spread over the still-hot filling, sealing to the crust edge, and bake about 12–15 minutes until the meringue is lightly golden and set.
4. Cool about thirty minutes, then refrigerate at least three hours before cutting eight slices. Record meringue height, custard set, condensation and true times in a kitchen trial.

Cook the lemon layer

Mix sugar and cornstarch before adding water and juice to limit lumps. Stir until thick and bubbling, then temper yolks with hot filling before returning them to the pan.

Measure 160°F in the custard, then stir in butter off heat. Do not rely on a pale-yellow color alone to establish the egg-dish endpoint.

Seal meringue over warm filling

Use pasteurized liquid egg whites that the carton says can be whipped. Beat with cream of tartar and add sugar gradually until glossy firm peaks form. Spread all the way to the crust edge over hot filling.

Sally's Baking provides a lemon meringue pie reference for layered technique. This measured formula is independent and may require adjustment after observing its set and meringue stability.

Cool, chill and slice

Bake only until meringue is lightly golden and set. Cool briefly before refrigeration, then cut eight portions after a long chill.

Record any moisture beads, filling separation or crust softening rather than claiming a precise storage window. This pie contains wheat, egg and milk.

Lemon pie questions

Why bake the shell first?

The filling is cooked separately, so the pastry needs its own dry bake.

Can I skip chilling?

No. The proposed three-hour chill is part of the set before slicing.

Will any liquid egg whites whip?

Check the pasteurized carton’s instructions; some products are not suitable for a firm meringue.

Further reading and related Chefly recipes: Sally's Baking lemon meringue pie; FDA safe food handling. These are relevant references and other dishes, not evidence that this proposed formula was tested.

Recipe-card handoff — preview, not a native plugin card

Lemon Meringue Pie. Category: Pies. 8 slices. Prep approximately 30 minutes; cooking approximately 40 minutes; additional cooling/chilling approximately 210 minutes; total approximately 280 minutes excluding preheat. Not kitchen-tested; nutrition not calculated.

Ingredients: 1 shell Unbaked 9-inch pie shell; 1 cup Granulated sugar, for filling; 1/3 cup Cornstarch; 1 1/2 cups Water; 1/2 cup Fresh lemon juice; 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon zest; 4 yolks Large egg yolks; 2 tablespoons Unsalted butter; 1/2 cup Pasteurized liquid egg whites; 1/2 cup Granulated sugar, for meringue; 1/4 teaspoon Cream of tartar.

Instructions: Heat oven to 375°F. Fit one unbaked 9-inch pie shell into its plate, line with parchment and pie weights, and blind bake approximately 15 minutes until the base is dry and lightly golden. Remove weights carefully and cool briefly. Reduce oven to 350°F. Whisk 1 cup sugar with 1/3 cup cornstarch in a saucepan, then gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1 tbsp zest. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thick and bubbling. Temper four yolks with some hot lemon mixture, return to pan and cook, stirring, until thick and an instant-read thermometer in the custard reaches 160°F. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp butter; pour hot filling into shell. Beat 1/2 cup pasteurized liquid egg whites suitable for whipping with 1/4 tsp cream of tartar to soft peaks. Add 1/2 cup sugar gradually, beating to glossy firm peaks. Spread over the still-hot filling, sealing to the crust edge, and bake about 12–15 minutes until the meringue is lightly golden and set. Cool about thirty minutes, then refrigerate at least three hours before cutting eight slices. Record meringue height, custard set, condensation and true times in a kitchen trial.

Allergens: Wheat; Egg; Milk; Check pastry shell and pasteurized egg-white carton for allergens. Review packaged ingredients and cross-contact before serving.

Lemon Meringue Pie

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• Author: Maya Singh
• Total Time: 280 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Description

One 9-inch lemon meringue pie cut into eight slices.

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Ingredients

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• 1 shell Unbaked 9-inch pie shell
• 1 cup Granulated sugar, for filling
• 1/3 cup Cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups Water
• 1/2 cup Fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon zest
• 4 yolks Large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons Unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup Pasteurized liquid egg whites
• 1/2 cup Granulated sugar, for meringue
• 1/4 teaspoon Cream of tartar

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Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Fit one unbaked 9-inch pie shell into its plate, line with parchment and pie weights, and blind bake approximately 15 minutes until the base is dry and lightly golden. Remove weights carefully and cool briefly. Reduce oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk 1 cup sugar with 1/3 cup cornstarch in a saucepan, then gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1 tbsp zest. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thick and bubbling. Temper four yolks with some hot lemon mixture, return to pan and cook, stirring, until thick and an instant-read thermometer in the custard reaches 160°F. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp butter; pour hot filling into shell.
3. Beat 1/2 cup pasteurized liquid egg whites suitable for whipping with 1/4 tsp cream of tartar to soft peaks. Add 1/2 cup sugar gradually, beating to glossy firm peaks. Spread over the still-hot filling, sealing to the crust edge, and bake about 12–15 minutes until the meringue is lightly golden and set.
4. Cool about thirty minutes, then refrigerate at least three hours before cutting eight slices. Record meringue height, custard set, condensation and true times in a kitchen trial.

Notes

Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.

Additional chilling, resting or cooling time: 210 minutes, included in the total.

Untested estimate: 15-minute blind bake, 10-minute filling cook, 15-minute meringue bake, 30-minute cooling and at least three-hour chill; preheat excluded.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Chilling, resting or cooling: 210 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Pies

Nutrition

• Serving Size: One eighth of the pie