Chef Lasheeda Perry’s Lemon Meringue Pie
Chef Lasheeda is one of our favorite visiting chefs, and her lemon meringue pie is the stuff of legends with our staff. This recipe can feel a little lengthy, but once the pie dough is double-blind baked, the rest of it is all assembly!
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Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 4 cups all purpose flour 495 g
- 1½ tsps kosher salt
- 1½ cups unsalted butter 340 g
- ¼ cup water 60 g
- 1½ tsps vodka
Lemon Curd
- 5 egg yolks 100 g
- 5 whole eggs 100 g
- 2 lemons zested
- 4 oz lemon juice 100 g
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 g
- 4 oz unsalted butter 112 g
- 1 tsp powdered gelatin
Swiss Meringue
- ½ cup egg whites 112 g
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 175 g
- 1½ tsps vanilla extract
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Please make sure your butter, water, and vodka is really cold! Cut the butter into small cubes.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the flour and salt. Add the cubed butter and mix on low speed until it resembles coarse crumbles. Pea-size chunks of butter should be visible.
- While the mixer is running add the water and vodka until the dough comes together, but do not over-mix. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This dough can be made 3-4 days in advance.
- On a lightly floured surface roll the dough into an 11-inch disc. Place the dough into your 9-inch pie pan and crimp the edges. Place the pie in the freezer while you preheat your oven to 375F.
- Crumple up a large piece of parchment paper and place in your chilled pie shell. Fill with pie weights all the way to the top (we love using dry rice and beans). Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden. Remove the pie from the oven and wait 10 minutes. Remove the pie weights and prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. Return the pie to the oven until the bottom is golden.
- Any leftover dough can be used to make fruit hand pies!
Lemon Curd
- Cut your butter into cubes and keep chilled.
- Place the yolks, eggs, zest, juice and sugar in a bowl at least 3” wider than your small sauce pot. Fill the pot 1/3 of the way with water and place the bowl on top to create a double boiler. Cook over the double boiler until it thickens, whisking often.
- Meanwhile, bloom the gelatin in some cold water Remove the thickened curd from heat and immediately stir in the bloomed gelatin. Gradually stir in the cubed butter and mix until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into the baked and cooled pie crust.
- Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap; making sure to press the plastic directly onto the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Swiss Meringue
- Place the egg whites and sugar into a heatproof bowl (a metal stand mixer bowl works great). Whisk over a double boiler until you reach 160F.
- Remove from the double boiler and beat with a whisk attachment or hand beater on high speed until medium peaks form.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the pie. Decorate the top of the pie with the meringue; making sure to cover the entire surface of the curd. Caramelize the meringue with a blow torch.
