Lemon Meringue with Shortbread Crust

This is by far the best lemon meringue pie I've ever made or tasted for that matter. I found the original recipe here but substituted my own crust and made a few minor tweaks with the rest of the ingredients. I think the secret to this one is the use of Caster sugar (see below). The recipe below yields one large pie, however I've doubled the recipe each time I've made it because who can eat only one pie.

HELPFUL HINTS
1. In terms of consistency, Caster Sugar is somewhere between granulated and confection sugar. You can make your own by adding granulated sugar to a food processor and pulsing, however I found C&H sells it at any local grocery store, not even a specialized one. And, a large box like the one pictured below (which would make about 4 pies) is under $5.



2. Be careful when heating the curd mixture. It becomes thick very quickly around the 14 min mark.
3. It is impossible to over-beat the meringue so feel free to keep it going for upwards of 5 minutes to ensure that it doesn't lost it's firmness once you start the blow torch.
4. Feel free to make the crust and fill it with the curd then refrigerate up to a day before, however don't make the meringue until at most a few hours before serving, then refrigerate until serving.

INGREDIENTS
Shortbread Crust
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour

Lemon Curd
6 Egg Yolks
1 1/2 Cups Caster Sugar
9 Tbs Lemon Juice
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/3 cup butter

Meringue
6 Egg Whites
1 1/3 Cups Caster Sugar

DIRECTIONS
Shortbread Crust
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Blend cream cheese and butter.



3. Stir in flour just until blended.



4. Chill about 1 hour.



5. Spread into tart pan and bake for 12-15 minutes until edges are lightly browned.







6. Let cool completely before removing from tart pan.

Lemon Curd
1. On low heat, add sugar and egg yolks to a saucepan and continuously whisk.







2. Once warm, very slowly add the lemon juice, whisking continuously.



3. Leave on low heat for 15 minutes until thick, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the butter and rind and mix until combined.
5. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Meringue
1. Beat egg whites in a stand mixer on high.
2. Slowly add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.



3. Beat the mixture until you get stiff peaks.

Assembly
1. Place the lemon curd into the pastry shell.



2. Dollop the meringue on top of the curd using a fork to either swirl the mixture or to create tall peaks.





3. Using a butane torch on the highest setting, use a circular motion to brown the meringue.

 

Atlantic Beach Pie

Crunchy, buttery, smooth, sweet, salty, citrusy. I have no idea how else to explain this amazing pie. While visiting my friends Jason and Kelly Wescott in Seattle recently, Jason made this dessert that he had heard about on NPR called Atlantic Beach Pie which comes from Bill Smith's Crook's Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It starts with a saltine cracker crust topped with a sweetened condensed milk, egg yolk and lemon juice mixture and then crowned with slightly sweetened whipped cream and sprinkled coarse sea salt. I promised myself I would make it when I returned home and I have now done so, twice. Somehow all these combinations of textures and tastes makes this a dessert you will crave, again and again. The recipe below yields one pie, about 6-8 servings.

HELPFUL HINTS

1. You may think that you've made too much crust. Abandon the thought. You'll want all that crunchy saltiness at the end. Just pack it in.

2. The dessert can rest in the refrigerator overnight and it tastes delicious the next day. I wouldn't keep it longer than that.

INGREDIENTS

Crust

1 1/2 sleeves of saltine crackers

1/3 to 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

3 Tbs sugar

Filling

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup lemon or lime juice or a combination of the two

Fresh whipped cream and coarse sea salt for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Crush the crackers finely, but not to dust with a food processor or your hands.

3. Add the sugar.

4. Knead in the butter until the crumbs hold together like dough.

5. Press into an 8 inch pie pan.

6. Chill for 15 minutes, then bake for 18 minutes or until the crust colors a little.

7. While the crust is cooling, beat the egg yolks into the milk, then beat in the citrus juice until completely combined.

8. Pour into the shell and bake for 16 minutes until the filling has set.

9. Cool out of the oven for 15 minutes then place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

10. Serve with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Lemon Ice Cream with Lemon Curd Ribbons and Meringue Pieces

This may just be the best ice cream I've ever eaten. Though I'm a sucker for lemon ice cream anyway, this recipe I found here goes over the top by adding fresh lemon curd and tiny meringue pieces into the mix. I made only a few modifications and made this a few nights ago and it did not last long. The taste and texture combined to make this a craveable dessert that I want to make again already. It is almost custard like in consistency and had just the right blend of sweet and tartness. The recipe below yields about 6-8 servings. Enjoy!

HELPFUL HINTS
1. Read through the recipe completely before you start. That way you won't waste the 5 egg whites like I did. You'll need them for the meringue.
2. I left my meringue in the oven a bit too long and so it browned more than I would have liked it too, though the taste was not affected.
3. The recipe for the lemon curd makes almost twice as much as you need but not to worry. Either add it into the ice cream for extra flavor or eat it plain out of the bowl. You won't be sorry either way.

INGREDIENTS
Ice Cream
1 3/4 cups half and half
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 Tbs lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
2 Tbs vanilla

Lemon Curd
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs cornstarch
3 Tbs water
1/4 cup corn oil

Meringue
5 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS
Ice Cream
1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk, 1/4 cup of sugar and lemon zest stirring occasionally until almost boiling.
2. Combine egg yolks with the remaining sugar in a large bowl. Beat until slightly thickened.
3. Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, stirring continually.



4. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat stirring occasionally with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until thickened and the mixture is almost boiling.



5. Prepare the cream in a large bowl set over an ice-bath.
6. Pour the hot milk through a fine mesh sieve into the cream.



7. Add the vanilla then cool to room temperature before refrigerating at least 3 hours.
8. Add the mixture to an ice-cream maker and process per those directions.
9. Scoop the ice cream into a bowl and place in the freezer until you are ready to stir in your additions. You should do this within an hour so you can easily stir them in, otherwise the ice cream will get too hard.

Lemon Curd
1. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water.
2. In a medium saucepan combine eggs, oil, lemon juice, zest and sugar and whisk continually over medium heat until thickened and almost boiling, about 10 minutes.



3. Add cornstarch mixture and continue to whisk until thickened.



4. Remove from heat and pour through a mesh sieve.



5. Let cool before transferring to a jar and refrigerating.



Meringue
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a non-stick bakeware liner.
3. Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites on high until frothy, about 2 minutes.
4. While still on high, slowly add the sugar and whip until stiff peaks form, about another 2 minutes.



5. Spread the meringue on the baking sheet in a thin layer and bake in the oven for one hour.



6. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before crumbling into pieces.



Assembly
1. Fold 1/2 cup lemon curd into ice cream.



2. Fold meringue pieces into ice cream.



3. Freeze to desired consistency.