Mile High Lemon Meringue Pie

A classic recipe for lemon meringue pie, with tart lemon filling and toasted meringue topping.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

5 from 3 votes

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 45

Chill Time 3 30

Total Time 5 15

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings8

Prepare the Pie Dough as instructed. Follow the instructions for this Eclair Pie to blind bake the crust in a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom.
If preferred, you can also make a press-in-the-pan Shortcrust Pastry, instead of pie dough. The shortcrust pastry will also need to be blind baked, per the instructions.
Cool the crust completely, before adding the filling.

Make the meringue first, before making the filling, so the meringue is ready to spread over the hot filling.
When you separate the eggs, you'll be using all the egg whites for the meringue, and all the egg yolks for the filling. It's important that no grease or fat (or broken egg yolk) touches the egg whites, or they may not whip properly.
Use a paper towel or cotton ball soaked in lemon juice or vinegar to wipe clean all the mixing bowls and utensils that you'll be using to make the meringue.
Start by setting up a double boiler. This is simply a saucepan filled with about an inch of simmering water, set on the stove over medium low heat, with a heat-proof bowl placed on top of the saucepan. The bottom of the bowl should not be touching the water.
In the bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. Heat the egg white mixture, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture reaches 160 F.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, pour the warmed egg white mixture. Whip the egg whites on medium high speed (#6/8 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) to stiff peaks, then beat in the vanilla extract. It may take about 10 minutes to whip the egg whites.
Set the meringue aside while you make the filling.

In a non-reactive saucepan, combine the sugar and the lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant. Whisk in the corn starch and salt, then whisk in the lemon juice, egg yolks and water.
Set the pan on the stove over medium/low heat. Cook the filling while stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon or spatula. This may take about 15 minutes.
Add the butter, stirring it in until melted, then press the filling through a fine mesh strainer to remove the lemon zest.

Spread the hot lemon filling into the cooled crust. Immediately, spread the meringue on top of the hot filling, spreading it all the way to the edge of the pie. Use a spatula to make the meringue as swirly as you like.
Toasting the meringue is optional, since the egg whites are already cooked. If you have a brulee torch, you can use it to lightly toast the meringue. Otherwise, you can bake the pie in a 375 F oven, for anywhere from 5-10 minutes, until the meringue is lightly browned.
Let the pie cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for several hours, before serving.
Lemon meringue pie is best served the day it's made. Refrigeration speeds up the process of the meringue "weeping" and causing pools of liquid to appear around the pie, so keeping leftovers isn't recommended.

Keyword High Altitude, Lemon, Meringue, Mile High, Pie