Authentic Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe France, Europe

Start with preparing and pre-baking the pie crust. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour and the salt. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter until the mixture becomes crumbly and coarse.

One tablespoon at a time, add the water. Mix the ingredients after each addition until a dough ball starts to form. The goal is to add enough water to keep the dough ball together, no more no less.

Shape the dough into a disc, cover with plastic wrap, and leave it to cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.

On a lightly floured kitchen surface, roll out the dough into a ¼-inch (0.6 cm) thick circle and place it in a 9-inch (23 cm) pie pan.

Line a piece of parchment paper over the dough and pour rice or dried beans over it to prevent the dough from buckling in the oven.

Bake the dough for 15 minutes until it turns golden brown.

Proceed with making the lemon filling. In a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest, and sugar. Mix in the lemon juice and cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring throughout. Remove the curd from the heat once it becomes very thick.

Pour the curd into a large bowl and whisk in the butter.

Pour the lemon filling into the pie crust.

To make the meringue, first the oven to 400°F/200°C. In a dry mixing bowl whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. One tablespoon at a time, add the sugar, whipping the meringue at high speed until stiff peaks start to form.

Using a spoon or a piping bag, spread the meringue over the lemon curd. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the meringue has browned.