LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Good Morning to you,

I feel something "lemony" in the air.  How do you fancy making a Lemon Meringue Pie.  This pie I have adapted from Phyllis' cookery book.

Find your apron and put it on.  Mine is hanging on the back of the door.  Are you ready? Well let's get cracking.... oh, but first, find a piece of  music to listen to..... baking is always a lovelier experience when listening to music. The music I have playing at the moment is a Perry Como CD and the song I am listening to  is "Till the End of Time". This song really pulls at the heart strings, but I have to say my favourite Perry Como song is "Father of Girls".

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE PASTRY

200g (7oz) plain flour

 90 g (3 1/2 oz) butter cut into cubes

pinch of salt

10 ml (2 level teaspoons) sugar

1 beaten egg

2 tablespoons cold water

METHOD

1 x 9" fluted flan tin

baking parchment

pastry beans

Oven temperature: 200C (400F)

Sieve the flour and salt

into a large bowl

Add diced butter and rub into the flour 

until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Stir in the sugar

Whisk together egg and water

and stir into the breadcrumb mixture

knead very lightly to bring the
 ingredients together 

Wrap in cling film and leave the
pastry  to

rest in the fridge for 2 hours.

Butter the flan tin

Roll out the pastry to fit the flan tin

prick the pastry base with a fork 

Line with baking parchment

and pastry beans

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes

Remove the parchment and beans

and bake for another 5-10 minutes
until the base is thoroughly cooked.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE

LEMON FILLING

40g (1 1/2 oz) cornflour

225g (8 oz) sugar

pinch of salt

350ml (12 fl oz) tepid water

grated rind of a lemon

also

120 ml (4 fl oz) lemon juice

4 egg yolks

15g (1/2 oz butter)

Using a medium sized saucepan,

mix the cornflour with the sugar

and salt

Stir in the water, lemon juice

and lemon rind.
Place on the heat and

cook slowly, stirring continuously

until the mixture thickens.

Remove from the heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 

the 4 egg yolks and carefully

add a small amount of the 

heated lemon mixture

(I added three tablespoons, and continued

whisking)

Slowly pour the egg mixture into the lemon

mixture, stirring constantly.

Cook until the mixture is thickened,

but do not allow to  boil.

Add the butter and whisk until the

butter dissolves.

Spoon lemon mixture into the 

baked pastry case

THE MERINGUE

4 egg whites

100g  (4 oz) of caster sugar

Whisk the egg whites lightly

until soft peaks are formed.

Add half the sugar and whisk until

thick and  glossy.

Using a metal spoon

carefully fold in the rest of the sugar

Spoon the meringue on top of the

lemon filling until the pie is covered.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes

until golden brown

Slice and enjoy!

You might be wondering how I came to like Perry Como..... well I shall tell you. Like all good stories, it started a long time ago.

Do you remember the Perry Como Show which was shown on the television during the late 1950's, early 1960's? Well, Ivy absolutely loved the show.  She would always have everything organised, so that she could sit down and watch this programme on a Saturday evening.  Now this may seem hard to believe, but it was in the days when televisions were switched on, to watch the programme you enjoyed, and then switched off again. The television was never left on as a background sound. Ivy and Gramps would always decide what programme they wanted to watch.  The television was turned off until the programme was due to start, they would sit down and enjoy the programme and  when it  finished, the television was turned off. 
  
I remember being allowed to stay up and watch The Perry Como Show with Ivy and Gramps.  Gramps was busy in the kitchen making us cocoa. Do you remember how the milk was boiled before adding it to the cocoa and sugar. It was mixed in a jug, then put back into the pan and whisked to create the frothy topping.  Well this took a little time, so whilst Gramps was busy making us cocoa, Ivy told me about the show and what to expect. I asked Ivy, why she liked Perry Como so much.  She said, "Because he has a lovely voice...... and then whispered, "Also because he is very handsome, but shush do not tell Gramps!"  Which I thought was marvellous, to share a secret which I could not tell Gramps.... but as I was so young, I was bursting at the seams to tell him.... which of course eventually I did and he pretended to look horrified, just to tease me.

Who were your heart throbs?  Mine were Paul McCartney from The Beatles and Davy Jones from The Monkees. As a teenager, I had a large poster of Davy Jones on my bedroom wall and he really was my heart throb, in fact I thought I was going to marry him...... and then along came George!

Take care and I will see you later in the week.

This week I shall be joining,

Karen from Sew Many Ways
Kathryn at The Dedicated House

Sherry at No Minimalist Here
Kathrines Corner for Favourite Things Blog Hop