Meyer lemon meringue pie with olive oil crust bursting with lemon flavor

 

Lemon meringue pie is one of my favorite pies 🥧 Meyer lemons 🍋 from my potted Meyer lemon tree  and Eureka lemons from my backyard neighbor's huge lemon covered tree, work perfectly together to deliver both pucker power and brightness to my lemon meringue pies.  The olive oil crust was a new recipe for me, my go to pie 🥧  crust being all butter and we love it, but the olive oil crust is also a winner.  Olive oil pie crust is a good choice for this lemon meringue pie and while it's not a flaky butter type pie crust, it most definitely has a tender crumb with a rich flavor complementing the pie filling.  We go through bottles of olive oil, where does it all go?  Not just in salads, now I'm using olive oil in cakes and pastry, like, pie crusts-highly recommended.  I adapted this recipe from King Arthur Flour and I'm going to share it with you below 👇 with my instructions for a successful olive oil pie crust.

Ingredients and Recipe for Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie with Olive Oil Crust
Makes one delicious Lemon Meringue Pie, serves 8

Ingredients for the crust

1&1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons cold whole milk

Preheat the oven to 425F

Make the Crust:  Whisk together the flour and the salt in a medium bowl, set aside.  Whisk together the oil and milk, pour into the dry ingredients.  Stir with a rubber spatula until mixture is combined and  clumps together.  Turn crust mixture out onto a silicone rolling mat.  Using your hands press mixture together, dough is soft, and make into a disc shape.  Press and turn dough until about 6" in diameter.  Switch to a rolling pin.  Roll from the center of the dough out, forming a 9" diameter.  The crust will fit into the pie pan and with gentle pressing -the dough will cover the pie plate sides as well. I wouldn't roll this dough any thinner.  Place the rolled crust into a 9" pie plate by using a large pastry lifter.  A pastry lifter is a large thin flat spatula, like a silicone rolling mat- a must for pie making.  Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and gently press the edges with a fork, to prevent excessive puffing of the pie dough.

Bake the crust for 15 minutes or until just beginning to brown.  Remove pie to a metal rack, in close proximity to the stovetop.

Lower the oven to 400F.

While the crust is baking prepare the lemon filling

Ingredients for the filling

1&1/2 cups granulated sugar

6 tablespoons cornstarch 

1&1/2 cups cold water

3 large egg yolks, reserve egg whites for the meringue

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Zest of 2 Meyer lemons

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the Filling:  Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a medium heavy saucepan.  Stir in the water-put on a burner but prepare the following before heating the sugar mixture.

Place the egg yolks into a small bowl and stir with a small whisk or a fork until combined, set aside by the stovetop, with a ladle nearby.  Place the lemon juice, zest, butter, and vanilla into a medium size bowl and place next to the stovetop.  Cook the sugar mixture over a medium heat while stirring frequently.  As it gets hotter the mixture will thicken and come to a boil.  Continue to boil while stirring for 1 full minute.

Take the saucepan off the heat and gradually spoon the hot sugar mixture into the egg yolks while stirring the yolks.  Spoon in about a cup of the hot sugar mixture into the yolks then return the now warm egg yolk mixture to the saucepan.  Bring to a thick burping boil stirring constantly for 1 full minute.  The mixture will thicken, pull from the sides and look like a thick pudding.  Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice mixture, stirring until all the butter melts.  Pour the thick filling into the partially cooked pie crust, spreading the filling evenly over the crust.

Ingredients for the meringue

3 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

Make the Meringue:  Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat until foamy on medium high speed.

Gradually spoon in the sugar.  Beat the meringue mixture until thick, glossy and firm enough to spoon over the lemon pie filling.

Spoon the meringue over the lemon pie filling, making sure to bring it to the edge of the crust.

Bake the pie for 12-14 minutes or until the meringue is nicely browned.  Cool on a metal rack and wait several hours before cutting.  Cover and store any leftover pie in refrigerator.