Lemon Meringue Pie

Pastry
100g unsalted cold butter, cubed
70g icing sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
225g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder

Place butter and icing sugar in a food processor, pulse it a few times until it comes together. Add egg and vanilla essence and pulse it a few more times. Finally add in the flour and baking powder. Pulse until it comes together as a dough. Press onto the bottom of a pie dish, or alternatively pop it in the freezer for 5 minutes, then roll it out with a rolling pin and line the base of a pie plate. Refrigerate pastry for 15 minutes, and dot the pastry with a fork before baking in the oven at 180 degrees Celcius for 12-15 minutes until nice and golden.

Lemon Curd
Zest and Juice of 4 lemons
100g castor sugar
6 egg yolks
2 tbsp corn flour



Place all ingredients in a heat proof bowl and whisk it all together over a pot of simmering water until the curd becomes thick. While it is still warm, spoon it straight into the pastry base.

Meringue
6 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
200g castor sugar

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar on high speed until stiff peaks. Add castor sugar, a tablespoon at a time. What you're looking for is a thick, glossy and perfectly smooth meringue. Spoon meringue over the tart, as crazy as you possibly can! Bake in a moderately slow oven, 150 degrees Celcius for 45 minutes.

There! You have yourself a classic Lemon Meringue Pie!



(Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, spring issue, Episode 28, Fast Ed's segment - slightly revised)