Lemon Meringue Pie

Ingredients:

• 175 gm plain flour
• A pinch of salt
• 90 gm butter, diced
• 25 gm icing sugar
• 3 eggs
• Finely grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
• 30 ml cornstarch
• 150 gm caster sugar

Method:

1. In a bowl, sift the flour and salt.
2. Rub in 75 gm of the butter with the fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the icing sugar.
3. Beat one of the eggs and mix in to form soft but not sticky dough.
4. Lightly flour a surface and knead the dough gently.
5. Wrap in Clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
6. Roll out and use to line a flan tin (pie pan).
7. Fill with crumpled foil and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 5 minutes to dry out.
8. In a saucepan, mix the lemon rind and juice with 300 ml/0.5 pt of water. Blend a little corn flour with water and stir into the saucepan. Add 2 tbsp of the caster sugar into the mixture.
9. In a bowl, separate the 2 remaining eggs and whisk the egg yolks into the saucepan. Add the remaining butter. Bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time, until thickened. Turn into the cooked flan case (pie shell).
10. Whisk the 2 egg whites until stiff. Whisk in half the remaining sugar and whisk again until stiff and glossy.
11. Fold in the remaining sugar and pile the meringue on top of the lemon mixture, spreading right to the edges.
12. Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 and cook the pie for about 20 minutes until crisp on top and pale golden brown.
13. Serve warm or cold.