Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pie is a dessert that's really gone out of style these days but I want to revive it and give it a fresher twist. A lot of recipes for lemon meringue pie call for storebought pie crusts and those are very convienent but a homemade pastry crust is so much better. The lemon curd is slightly tart so it doesn't make the whole dessert super sweet. This lemon meringue pie is certainly a treat that takes time and patienence but it's all worth it!

Ingredients
Pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2-3 tbsp. cold water

Lemon Curd:
4 lemons, zested and juiced
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
2 tsp. cornstarch

Meringue:
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt

In a bowl, rub together the flour and butter together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs then add the sugar, egg, and cold water and form it together until it's a soft dough ball 

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for an hour then roll it on a floured surface until it's the thickness of a penny

Lay the dough over a tart case, trim the edges of the dough, and line the inside with parchment paper and fill it with dry beans then chill it for a further 15 minutes

Preheat your oven to 400ºF and cook the tart case for 15 minutes then take the beans out and cook for an additional 5 minutes before letting it cool

In a saucepan, whisk the lemon juice and zest, egg yolks, sugar, butter, and cornstarch together over low heat until the mixture has thicken

Pour the lemon curd into the cooled pastry case and refrigerate until the curd has set about 30 minutes

Heat the sugar and water into a pan until the sugar has dissolved and it resembles a syrup

Whisk the egg whites and salt (by hand or by a mixer) to soft peaks then slowly add the sugar syrup until a glossy, meringue has formed

Spoon the meringue onto the pie and uses a kitchen torch, toast the meringue until it's golden brown