Lemon Lime Meringue Pie

We got a bag of limes from a friend so Aidan wanted to make a pie and this is what we made.

Start with the filling because it needs to fully cool before you put it in the pie.

Lemon-Lime Filling

1 stick of unsalted butter (8 Tbs) at room temperature

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. sugar

4 eggs

The zest of one lime

The zest of one lemon

1 c. lemon and lime juice (we used 3 lemons and the rest of the juice was from limes)

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Cream the butter, sugar, and honey until it is well combined. Add the eggs one at a time until they are mixed (the butter will break into small chunks at this point) while mixing on a low speed.  Add the zest, juice, and salt.  Mix until combined (it will look curdled).

Pour the mixture into a double boiler and heat on medium and stir constantly.  Have an instant read thermometer ready if possible to check the temperature.  It is done at 175 degrees Fahrenheit.  The butter will melt as this gets hotter and the filling will take on a glossy shine.  Keep an eye on it because it will get thick very quickly.  One it starts to thicken, take it off the hot water immediately so you don’t overcook the eggs.  Give it a whisk, put it in a different bowl, cover it, and put it in the fridge to cool.

Crust

1 c. white flour

1/4 c. coconut flour

6 Tbs. cold unsalted butter cut into small chunks

2 Tbs. cold Crisco

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

4 Tbs. ice water

Mix the flour and the salt together.  Add the butter and Crisco and pinch and rub with your fingers to mix the flour and fats or use a pastry blender.  Aidan likes to do the pinch and rub method.  Once the flour resembles corn meal, add the water 1 Tbs. at a time until the dough is combined.  Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool for 20 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of waxed paper for easier rolling or roll on a cool floured surface into a circle and it is bigger than the pie pan you are using.  Remove one of the waxed paper sheets and place the dough in the pie pan (we used a 9 inch pie pan, but had enough dough and filling for a 10 inch pie pan).  Cut the excess dough off leaving a 1 inch edge all the way around the pan.  Fold the edge under and crimp.  If you get a hole, patch with your excess dough.  If needed, use ice water to bind patch.  Note that this dough will shrink while baking, so leave a tall edge.  Butter a piece of aluminum foil and place the butter side down in the pie and then fill with beans or rice to weigh down the crust.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove the aluminum foil and weights and prick the bottom of the pie with a fork all over so that the steam can escape and the crust won’t get puffy.  Bake for another 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown.  Set on a cooling rack and allow it to fully cool.

Once everything is cooled, make your meringue.

Meringue

4 room temperature egg whites

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (you may be able to just turn up the temperature if you have an area where your crust will cool quickly).  Whip the egg whites on medium low speed until some air bubbles start to form.  Add the cream of tartar and salt.  Keep mixing on medium low for a while.  Move up to medium speed as the egg whites start to turn white.  Once the egg whites are frothy, add the sugar and continue whipping until the meringue is thick and shiny (about 2 more minutes of whipping). 

Assemble the Pie

Spread the lemon lime filling in the cooled pie crust.

Top with the meringue.  We used the back of a spoon to make the “volcano” design.  Put the pie in the 425 degree oven and bake for 3 to 5 minutes.  Keep an eye on it as the browning happens quickly.  Take it out when the meringue is lightly browned.

Enjoy.