Lemon meringue pie is a British classic, and rightly so. Apart from looking stunning with all that swirling cloud on top, it combines contrasting flavours and textures. The crunch of the meringue, the softness of the cream and the sharp tang of the lemon more than makes up for the lack of pastry.
Ingredients:
I Jar Pinkham’s Lemon Curd
125ml/4floz whipping cream
For the meringue:
2 free-range egg whites
100g/4oz caster sugar
1. Heat oven to 120C/fan 100C
Make meringue by whipping the egg whites until quite stiff, then gradually whisking in the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time. Once you have a glossy-looking mixture, dollop 6 blobs onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking parchment and pop in the oven for 2 hrs.
2. To assemble, roughly crunch up the meringue so that you have a mixture of different-sized chunks and textures. Reserve a little of the lemon curd, then fold most of it, followed by all the cream, into the meringue before dividing the mess up into bowls (this is important to create the ripple effect). Finish off by running the remaining curd over the mixture in the bowls. You could garnish the pud with some lemon zest or mint. It is best to put this together at the last minute or the meringue could lose some of its crunch and become rather soft.
Know-How: Meringues keep really well for a few days in an airtight container or tine, if you want to make them ahead. Or to save yourself the hassle buy your meringue from our producers at the HFML markets – there are several outlets from which to choose.
HFM Recipe 16 – Lemon Meringue Mess
Cook Yourself Thin
