Lemon Meringue Pie (Using Kitchen Garden Preserves Lemon Curd)

Last week, my father in law had to stay in hospital to have an operation, and so we invited my mother in law over for the night.  Knowing how much she loves lemon curd, I decided to make a lemon meringue pie, using the lemon curd I bought from Kitchen Garden Preserves at the Real Food Festival.  The lemon curd from Kitchen Garden tasted absolutely delicious – so rich and lemony.  In the past I have found lemon curd very sweet and sugary, but this lemon curd had just the right amount of sweetness and tangy lemon. 

I have never made a lemon meringue pie from scratch before, but after doing so, I am of the opinion that fresh home-made lemon meringue pie tastes so much better than the shop-bought equivalent. 

Ingredients

Pastry

175g plain flour

100g cold butter, in pieces

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 egg yolk

Filling:

1 Jar Kitchen Garden Preserves Lemon Curd

Meringue:

4 egg whites

200g golden caster sugar

2 tsp cornflour

Method:

1)    To make the pastry, place the flour, butter, icing sugar and egg yolk into a food processor.  Add 1 tbsp of cold water.  Process the mixture on pulse mode until the mix starts to bind. 

2)    Place to pastry onto a lightly floured surface.  Bring together until smooth and then roll out to line a flan tin.  Trim and neaten the edges and press the pastry into the flan flutes.  Prick the base with a fork, line with foil, shiny side down, and chill for 30 minutes to an hour (or overnight)

3)    Once chilled, bake the flan tin in the oven blind for 15 mins at 200C/fan 180C/ gas mark 6.  Remove the foil and beans. Bake for a further 5-8 minutes until golden brown and cooked. Lower the fan to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4

4)    Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl, until they form soft peaks.  Add half the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking in between.  Whisk in the corn flour, then add the rest of the sugar as before, until the mixture is thick and forms stiff peaks.

5)    Once the meringue is made, pour the jar of lemon curd over the pastry and smooth over.  Don’t overfill the tin.

6)    Place spoonfuls of meringue around the edges of the filling.  Spread the mixture so it just touches the side to prevent sliding.  Place the rest of the meringue in the centre and spread outwards until the filling is completely covered.  Make the meringue into swirls/peaks

7)    Put back in the oven for 18-20 mins until the meringue is crisp and slightly coloured

8)    Let the pie sit in the tin for 30 mins once cooked, then remove and leave if poss for another 30 mins before serving.