Lemon Meringue Pie

A home-made lemon meringue pie can seem daunting to some people. All I can say is follow this set of instructions and it won't go wrong.

Ingredients

280g granulated sugar

30g cornflour

A pinch of salt

3 lemons zested and juiced –

you will need 125ml of juice

1 large egg, plus one egg yolk

1 teaspoon butter

23cm/9in pastry case

(shop-bought or make your own see 'Gorgeous home-made flaky pastry')

For the meringue

3 large egg whites

A pinch of salt

A dash of vanilla extract

115g caster sugar

Method

• In a large saucepan, mix together the sugar, cornflour and salt. Gradually whisk in 250ml boiling water to make a smooth sauce. Place the saucepan on a medium heat and continue whisking while bringing to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and cook for a further 2 minutes without whisking. Remove from the heat.

• In a small mixing bowl whisk the lemon juice, zest, egg and egg yolk together. Carefully whisk a little of the cooked hot sauce into the lemon/egg mix, then whisk this all back into the cooked hot sauce in the saucepan.

• Return the saucepan to a medium heat and, while stirring, bring to a simmer. Add the butter and continue stirring until it thickens (this can take a while but stick with it). Once thickened, remove from the heat and pour into the pastry case and allow to cool so it starts to set.

• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 170ºC and get to making the meringue. Put the egg whites in a large, clean mixing bowl. Whisk them until light and frothy, then add the salt and vanilla extract. Whisk this well until it forms soft peaks. Add the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time, while continually whisking until all the sugar is used and the meringue forms stiff peaks. Using a spatula put the meringue on top of the pie and using a pallet knife gently spread it evenly. Pat the meringue with the pallet knife all over to form peaks.

• Place the pie into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until the peaks have coloured. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully before serving – this normally takes about 2 hours.