Lemon meringue pie

Recipe by Smeg chef Elke Travers

Makes 24cm pie

With Smeg’s ingenious baker’s function – heat from the bottom element and the fan – creating a crisp base and evenly cooked filing, means that time-consuming blind baking isn’t required for this old fashioned favourite – crisp pastry, creamy lemon filling and golden pillowy Italian meringue.

Pastry

225g plain flour

75g caster sugar

150g butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

Pinch salt

Lemon filling

4 lemons

4 whole eggs

4 yolks [reserve whites for Italian meringue]

340g sugar

300ml cream

Italian meringue

90ml water

300g caster sugar

Pinch cream of tartar

4 egg whites

Set oven to baker’s function and pre-heat to 180⁰C. Grease a 24cm round deep loose-bottomed tart tin with butter.

For pastry, place flour, sugar, butter and a pinch of salt in a Smeg stand mixer bowl with the flex-edge beater attached and beat until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add egg and vanilla and combine until mixture forms a ball. Place dough on a sheet of baking paper and roll out to 3mm thickness. Line prepared tart tin with pastry, trim edge and refrigerate.

For lemon filing, zest lemons and juice with Smeg citrus juicer. Place zest and juice in Smeg hand blender jug with remaining ingredients and blend with flow blend attachment until smooth.  Strain mixture through a sieve over the chilled pastry in the tart tin.  Bake for 15 minutes at 180⁰C and reduce heat to 140⁰C and bake for a further 40 minutes until set.

For Italian meringue, set oven to grill and pre heat to 220⁰C.  Place water, sugar and cream of tartar in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until soft ball stage (118⁰C) is reached.  Meanwhile, place egg whites in a Smeg stand mixer bowl with the whisk attached and whisk to stiff peaks.  With the motor running, slowly and carefully pour over the sugar syrup, continuing to whisk until the mixture is cool and very glossy.

Spoon Italian meringue over lemon tart, creating peaks and swirls. Place tart in oven and cook for 3 minutes until golden.  Serve with whipped cream.

Elke’s tips

For best results use unwaxed lemons and neat serving slices, cut with a hot, wet knife.

Recipe created with the Smeg stand mixer and citrus juicer.