Monday, October 23, 2023

When life gives you delicious lemons…

a glut of home grown lemons Happy Ramblings blog
Plenty of lemons!
Lemon meringue pie was the first thing that came to mind when I saw how many lemons were ripening on our lemon tree. I have never seen a tree so full. 

Lemon meringue pie...delicious, fluffy, sweet meringue, with a tangy lemon filling, in a crisp sweet pastry crust. Yummy!

This was the first time that I have ever attempted to make lemon meringue pie, I just had to give it a go. 

I was doubtful about using our oven at first because the temperature markings on the oven dials have all rubbed off. (I don't know how the previous owner managed, maybe that was why they moved house lol). 

After about 15 minutes of fiddling with an oven thermometer and turning the dial this way and that, I managed to heat the oven to the correct temperature. 

using a Kenwood food processor
Using a Kenwood food processor to make pastry
I decided to make the pastry using our Kenwood food processor, which we have had for many years and had never used before. Luckily, we hadn't lost the manual for it during our house move. 

On my first attempt, the pastry didn't form into a ball, per the instructions. Then I realised my mistake, I was using the sharp chopping blade instead of the blunt blade! Within a few seconds of correcting this mistake, the pastry worked and formed a ball.

making a lemon meringue pie
Baked pastry case with lemon filling
I used Deliah Smith's sweet pastry recipe that she uses for her lemon tart. Then, for the lemon filling and meringue I used an old Good Housekeeping recipe that my sister uses all the time.

baked lemon meringue pie Happy Ramblings
Baked lemon meringue pie
The pie behaved as it should in the oven, and it looked and smelt delicious. Then I had to wait and wait for it to cool down before I could serve it.

My mouth was watering. I resisted all attempts to "taste test" the meringue and pie crust. 

After 3 hours I couldn't wait any longer to serve the lemon meringue pie. The sides of the pie dish were cold. The bottom of the dish was only slightly tepid.

slice of lemon meringue pie
Lemon meringue pie ready to eat?
I should have waited longer...the filling wasn't quite set. But at least I managed to slice the pie and serve it and it did taste delicious 😋

The next thing on my to-do-list is to try making lemon curd!

Have you ever tried making lemon meringue pie and/or lemon curd?

See you again soon.

Hugs, Rose x

12 comments:

  1. Bonjour Rose,

    Your lemon pie looks delicious. In the past i used to make some but I do not know why i do not make it anymore. Your lemons look ripe and will be fine to make lemon curd.
    have a good day
    Hélène

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    1. Hi Helene, thank you :) I have found a recipe for lemon curd to try this week. I hope that your week goes well. Hugs, Rose x

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  2. What a lovely crop of lemons. Your lemon meringue pie looks wonderful. I used to enjoy making - and eating - meringues but then developed an intolerance to eggs so couldn't eat meringues any longer. Lemon curd should be a doddle after making lemon meringue:-)

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    1. Thank you, there are still more ripe lemons on the tree, plus small green ones and loads of flowers! I hope that I will find it easy to make lemon curd like you say...fingers crossed. It's a shame that you can't eat eggs anymore, that must make things complicated for you. I hope you have a great week. Hugs, Rose x

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  3. You have a wonderful crop of lemons there. Lemon meringue pie is delicious and takes me back to my childhood when it was regularly served as a pudding. I have made it a few times but not in recent years.

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    1. Hi Beverley, thank you. I am happy that my post brought back some happy memories for you. My mother also used to make lemon meringue pie for us quite often when we lived in England. Mum told me that my sister, when she was very young, thought that the meringue was snow. Mum caught her as she was squishing the meringue with both hands, just before our dinner guests arrived lol. Hugs, Rose x

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  4. What a delicious looking lemon meringue pie! I could go for a slice right now. I've never made one before, but I have made lemon meringue bars and they were delicious.

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    1. Hi Julia, thanks, the pie was yummy. It was all eaten up by mum, dad and I within 2 days. Sorry, I should have saved a slice for you lol. I like the sound of the lemon meringue bars, I will have to see if I can find a recipe for them. Hugs, Rose x

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  5. First attempt? Oh dear, it is absolutely magazine worthy!!! Wow, I'm so impressed, that is a talent!

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    1. Dear Mary, thank you for your compliments, you have boosted my confidence, it was a steep learning curve :o) Hugs, Rose x

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  6. Your pie looks perfect! I have made lemon curd and lemon pies filled with pudding. I also love making lemon pudding cake. Meyer lemons grow really well where I live in California. Ours aren't ready to harvest yet...usually we pick them around Christmas.

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    1. Hi Stephenie, thank you :o) It's lovely that you have Meyer lemons too, and make a lot of things with them. It looks like ours fruit all year round. There are now large green lemons ripening, tiny green ones and lots of flowers on the tree. I looked in our local supermarket today and they are selling lemons for $6 a kilo! I feel so lucky. Hugs, Rose x

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