Lucy Markewicz shares her recipe for a lemony custard pie with a fluffy meringue topping

Lemon Meringue Pie

Serves 8-10

Pastry:

• 240g (2 cups) flour
• 15ml (1 tbsp) caster sugar
• 150g butter
• 1 egg

Filling:

• 250ml (1 cup) white sugar
• 30ml (2 tbsp) flour
• 45ml (3 tbsp) cornflour
• Pinch of salt
• 375ml (1½ cups) water
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• 30ml (2 tbsp) butter
• 4 extra-large egg yolks, beaten

Meringue:

• 4 extra-large egg whites
• 85ml (1/3 cup) white sugar

Method:

Combine the flour and caster sugar and rub the butter into the dry ingredients (this can be done in a processor). It should look like rough breadcrumbs. Add the eggs one at a time until the dough comes together - be careful not to overwork it or the dough will be tough and chewy, not short and crumbly. Cling-wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

 Roll out the pastry no thicker than ½cm and line a 23cm pie dish or flan tin. Make sure that the pastry is of an even thickness all over and that there are no holes or cracks.

 Line with baking paper and fill with baking weights, beans or rice and bake at 180°C for approximately 20minutes. Take out the weights, remove the baking paper and bake until golden approximately 10 minutes.

For the filling, whisk together sugar, flour, cornflour and salt. Stir in water, lemon zest and juice. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in ½ cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

For the meringue, place the egg whites in a glass or metal bowl and whisk the whites till foamy. Add sugar gradually and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges around the crust. Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 10minutes or until golden brown.