The Recipe
Serves: 6 slices
Preparation: 40 minutes
Baking Time: 30-40 minutes
Lemon meringue pie is a dessert that is believed to have originated in Europe in the late 18th century. However, the exact origins of the pie are unclear, as there are various stories and legends surrounding its creation.
Dessert. It is my favourite part of a meal and there is always room for it, even if you had the biggest meal of your life, there is always room for a little sweet.
When working in the kitchen, my focus was more on savoury dishes for the restaurant, my forever happy place was and always will be baking and making desserts. When I worked in London, there was a little Italian restaurant a few doors down and I regularly treated myself to a lemon tart and a rich shot of hot chocolate. The lemon filling was tart - more than usual but not too much which worked perfectly with the crumbly buttery pastry it sat upon. This pisco sour tart is based on a classic lemon meringue tart, which was an 18th-century invention in Europe.
This recipe combines all the essential elements to make a pisco sour - and thrown into a pie form which then led me down the rabbit hole of learning more about pisco, a clear grape brandy whose origins will forever be debated over and which country has the best; Chile or Peru.
Here is more of the history behind Pisco.
For now, it is most important we get down to it and start baking this delicious tart.
INGREDIENTS
PASTRY
200g plain flour
80g unsalted butter
80g icing sugar
A pinch of salt
1 egg
FILLING
2tbsp/30g cornflour
180g caster sugar
Zest of 2 lemons & 3 limes
240mls lime and lemon juice (strained)
130g unsalted butter
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
180mls Pisco (you can also use gin or tequila if pisco is not readily available
MERINGUE
4 egg whites
200g caster sugar
2tsp cornflour
METHOD
Add flour, salt, and icing sugar in a mixing bowl
With the paddle attachment on your electric mixer, combine the dry ingredients
Slowly add in the butter until a fine breadcrumb consistency
Add the egg until the pastry comes together
Remove and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes
In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, lemon zest, and cornflour together.
Add in lemon juice and heat on a low setting, whisking continuously.
Slowly add in the Pisco and when the mixture starts to bubble, turn off the heat.
Slowly add egg yolks and whole egg, continuously stirring. If the mixture has become too hot, allow it to cool slightly before adding the eggs as they will scramble!
Finally, add the butter and mix until everything is combined, allow to cool and thicken.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form
Add a little bit of sugar at a time and then the cornflour until stiff peaks form.
ASSEMBLY
Preheat oven to 180’C
Remove the now firm pastry from the fridge and roll out on a well-floured surface until it is just under 1cm thick.
Line the 20cm pie tin with pastry and trim off the edges
Line the inside of the pastry case with baking paper filled with rice to weigh down the paper and blind bake the pastry for 15-20minutes.
Take out the rice and paper and bake the pie base for a further 8-10minutes.
Spread the lemon filling into the slightly cooled pie case and top with the meringue – spreading it out to the edges.
Use a fork to create peaks on the meringue which will give it a lovely texture and uneven browning once cooked.
Bake the pie in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes until the meringue on top has browned.
Allow the pie to cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Drizzle with Angostura bitters to finish off your Pisco sour tart.