Lemon Meringue Pie Help, Please

[Andy M.]

Man, I love lemon meringue pie! I also love lemon bars and lemon curd! Do you detect a trend here?

I have made the lemon meringue pie recipe from Cookwise, by Shirley Corriher. I don't care or it. The filling is just not tart enough. I've boosted the lemon juice and zest but still not tart.

When I make Alix's lemon bars or lemon curd, the tartness is there and it's delightful.

I've compared recipes for all three products and have questions.

Lemon curd recipes are commonly made with equal amounts of lemon juice and sugar along with zest, eggs and butter. The proportions differ a little from recipe to recipe but the ingredients are always the same.

The lemon bar filling changes the curd ingredient ratios and adds flour and baking powder.

Here is the ingredient list for the pie filling:

4 Tb Butter
1/2 C Cornstarch
6 Egg Yolks
2 Eggs
1/3 C Lemon Juice
Zest of 2 Lemons
1/4 tsp Salt
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 3/4 C Water

All the pie filling recipes call for cornstarch, salt and water. They act as a thickener, flavor enhancer and solvent (I guess). The lemon bar filling and curd recipes do not.

I have questions!

1. If I left the water out of the pie filling recipes, could I eliminate the cornstarch?

2. What would happen if I used lemon curd or lemon bar filling in the pie? They are both cooked and are thick when done.

3. Even after increasing the juice and zest amounts from the above ingredients list, I don't get the tartness I crave. Could the vanilla be dulling the lemon?

HELP ME. I want my pie!

Thanks for wading through all this I appreciate your help.

 

[Alix]

Yes the vanilla is dulling the flavour. And let me go look at my recipe. (Did I post mine on here?)

 

[Andy M.]

Yes the vanilla is dulling the flavour. And let me go look at my recipe. (Did I post mine on here?)

That recipe is the only one I've seen with vanilla in it.

Your recipe:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f102/lemon-bars-33857.html

 

[Alix]

Looking for my lemon pie recipe. BUT when I make my pie, I generally use nearly the same lemon stuff from that recipe and pour it into a blind baked shell and bake til it sets. Crap I wish I could find it. Its nearly the same as the bars only you just use the yolks in the the curd part and reserve the whites for meringue. I'll keep looking. In the meantime I'd alter the recipe you have. Up the lemon juice to one cup and ditch most of the water...maybe use 1/2 cup?

 

[Alix]

Andy, found my pie filling recipe and it is essentially 1.5 times my lemon bar recipe with the difference being there is only egg yolk in the mixture and 1 cup lemon juice, no water but 3 tbsps of cornstarch. Do you need me to post the whole thing?

 

[les]

Man, I love lemon meringue pie! I also love lemon bars and lemon curd! Do you detect a trend here?

I have made the lemon meringue pie recipe from Cookwise, by Shirley Corriher. I don't care or it. The filling is just not tart enough. I've boosted the lemon juice and zest but still not tart.

When I make Alix's lemon bars or lemon curd, the tartness is there and it's delightful.

I've compared recipes for all three products and have questions.

Lemon curd recipes are commonly made with equal amounts of lemon juice and sugar along with zest, eggs and butter. The proportions differ a little from recipe to recipe but the ingredients are always the same.

The lemon bar filling changes the curd ingredient ratios and adds flour and baking powder.

Here is the ingredient list for the pie filling:

4 Tb Butter
1/2 C Cornstarch
6 Egg Yolks
2 Eggs
1/3 C Lemon Juice
Zest of 2 Lemons
1/4 tsp Salt
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 3/4 C Water

All the pie filling recipes call for cornstarch, salt and water. They act as a thickener, flavor enhancer and solvent (I guess). The lemon bar filling and curd recipes do not.

I have questions!

1. If I left the water out of the pie filling recipes, could I eliminate the cornstarch?

2. What would happen if I used lemon curd or lemon bar filling in the pie? They are both cooked and are thick when done.

3. Even after increasing the juice and zest amounts from the above ingredients list, I don't get the tartness I crave. Could the vanilla be dulling the lemon?

HELP ME. I want my pie!

Thanks for wading through all this I appreciate your help.

I have a "tart" lemon meringue I used to make for my Father in law...it's not on here, but i can look it up if you like...got family coming over from Oz tomorrow so I'll be in the kitchen all day with the cook books lol

 

[Andy M.]

Alix and les please post your recipes at your convenience. Thanks so much.

 

[Alix]

I will Andy, I'm just running my butt off today. I'll get it up asap.

 

[les]

Lemon Meringue Pie

6oz short crust pastry
for the filling
3 level dsp custard powder
1/2 pint water
2oz margarine
3oz sugar
2 egg yolks
2 lemons, large, unwaxed if poss
for the meringue
2 egg whites 2 oz sugar

Line a pie dish with the pastry & bake blind for 20-25 mins in a hot oven gas 6/450F
Mix the custard powder with the water, put in a saucepan & cook gently until thickened.
Add the marg. sugar. egg yolks.
and the grated zest of the 2 lemons.
pour into the pastry case.
Whisk the eggs whites stiffly, fold in nearly all the sugar.
Pile on top of the lemon filing & sprinkle the remaining sugar on top.
Bake for 45mins in a very slow oven gas 1/ 275F
when meringue is firm to the touch, you're done!
Don't bake any quicker, otherwise it won't stay crisp when cold

this serves 4....normally I double the recipe, father in law likes to take some home