And it was all yellow - Lemon Meringue Tarts, or, How many times can she type meringe in one post?

"And I, I will always love youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, Iiiiiiiiii will always love-"

Oh, hi! Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. I was just making a mixed tape to send to Jen from The Canadian Baker. What? Why am I making her a mixed tape? Well, when I was in high school sixty years ago a few years back, if you liked someone, you made them a mixed tape. And I am crushing on Jen for introducing me to the best Lemon Meringue recipe I've ever had.


I have never, ever even thought about making Lemon Meringues Pie (LMP), I figured it would be way over my head. But Jen, bless her little Canuck soul, have gifted us with not only an easy LMP recipe, but one that is so delicious too.

You start with crust; never my favorite thing to make, quite frankly. The secrets to making a good crust have always eluded me. But for this recipe since I had elected to make tarts, I pretty much just needed 6 disks of pastry. Even I could manage that (almost)! After I made the dough (in the food processor which was nice) and baked them, I left them to cool and started on the filling. Who knew lemon curd was so simple to make? Once the curd is ready (water, sugar, cornstarch, butter, and egg yolks) you add lemon juice - I juiced my lemons with my juicer - and mix it in along with some lemon zest and vanilla. Give the curd some time to cool, and it's on to the meringue.

I have made meringue before, and had no qualms about leaving out the cream of tartar since I don't have any. It didn't seem to make a difference, which is exactly what I was hoping for. When the meringue was ready and the oven was preheated I put those bad boys together - a huuuuge dollop of curd on crust; then cover the curd with meringue. Into the oven until the meringue is golden brown, and then let them cool before ripping into them with your fork.


I was so excited with my accomplishment that the moment I finished taking these terrible photos, one of the tarts and I got into the car and drove over to my parents house for some early dessert. It was inCREDible. The meringue was great, the curd was totally divine, and even the crust, while not pretty, was delicious! This was by far my most successful and stress free Daring Baker challenge yet!

If you like LMP, try this recipe. If you don't love it, there is possibly something wrong with you.

Thanks Jen!

Lemon Meringue Pie
from "Wanda's Pie in the Sky" by Wanda Beaver
Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:
3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:
2 cups (475 mL) water
1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch
5 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

To Make the Crust:
Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling:
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

To Make the Meringue:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.