Lemon Cream Pie with Strawberry Meringue

Indulge in the perfect balance of sweet and tangy with our lemon cream pie topped with a fluffy and gorgeously pink strawberry meringue!

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Resting Time 1

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings

Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a food processor, pulse 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, scant 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and a good pinch of salt until well combined.
Add 9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
With the machine running, add 3 tablespoons of cold water and process until the dough starts to come together in a ball. You may need to add a little more water if the dough is too dry or a little more flour if it is too sticky.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape it into a flat disk about 5" in diameter. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour or up to two days.
When you are ready to use the dough, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/8". Fit the dough into a 9-inch pie pan, trimming the excess dough leaving about 1/2" to fold under to allow for shaping the edges.
Prick the bottom and sides of the dough with a fork to prevent it from puffing up during baking. Cover the dough with foil. Fill foil with pie weights or dried beans.
Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until dough is set and starting to lightly brown. Remove from oven. Let it cool completely on a wire rack before filling it with filling.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk and 4 egg yolks until well combined. (Save the egg whites and put aside for the meringue.)
Add the lemon juice and whisk until the mixture thickens slightly. Pour the filling into the prepared pie dish and spread it evenly.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the filling is set around the edges but still slightly wobbly in the center. If edges of pie crust are browning too fast, cover them with foil.
Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Using a food processor or blender, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a powder. You should have around 1/2 cup. Place powder in a medium saucepan.
Add sugar and water to saucepan with strawberries.
Place pan over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring only until it comes to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, stop stirring. Cook until sugar syrup registers 240°F on an instant-read thermometer.
Meanwhile, combine reserved egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until soft peaks form. This will take around 2 minutes. Look for gentle peaks that slowly collapse into themselves when whisk attachment is lifted.
With mixer running on medium-low, very slowly and carefully drizzle the hot sugar syrup into the bowl. Hot sugar is like molten lava. Be very careful when working with it! Once all the syrup is added, increase the speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form. The meringue should hold its shape and not collapse on the whisk attachment.
Spoon the meringue atop of the chilled lemon cream pie creating a high dome. Use an offset spatula to shape the meringue giving it fluffy waves. Garnish with fresh strawberries. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Keyword lemon cream pie, lemon dessert, lemon pie, meringue pie, strawberry dessert

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