Mini lemon meringue pies

Since the weather has been so nice lately I was inspired to make a summertime treat. I love anything lemon so thought mini lemon meringue pies would be really fun. These little buggers are so adorable and perfectly bite size.

I used the lemon meringue recipe from Americas Test Kitchen "Family Cookbook" and tweaked it a bit to make mini pies.


Here is a step by step (see full recipe below):


1. Using a 1/3 cup measuring scoop cut out rounds for crust (I used Pillsbury refrigerated pie dough)

2. Press rounds into mini muffin pan. Prick a hole in bottom of each crust using a fork. Precook crusts at 375 degrees for 6 minutes (or until light brown). Allow to cool prior to filling.

3. Fill crusts and top with a dollop of meringue. (I used an ice cream scoop and it worked perfectly)

4. Bake in 325 degree oven for 8-10 min or until meringue is starting to brown and filling is set.

5. Allow to cool and try not to eat them all in one sitting!

Makes approx 24 mini pies

Supplies:

Mini muffin pan

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 tsp salt

6 large egg yolks

1 tbs lemon zest

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 lemons)

2 tbs unsalted butter

Meringue:

1/3 cup water

1 tbs cornstarch

4 large egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie dough

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees

2. To prepare filling: Combine water, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer while whisking constantly. When mixture begins to turn translucent, slowly whisk in egg yolks. (Its important to "temper" the egg yolks first by adding a few tablespoons of the cooked cornstarch mixture to the yolks and whisking. This will prevent them from scrambling when added to the saucepan.)

Whisk in zest, lemon juice and the butter. Return to a low simmer then remove the pan from heat.

3. To prepare meringue: Bring water and cornstarch to a simmer over med-high heat, whisking frequently. When the mixture turns translucent and begins to bubble, remove from heat.

4. Whip the egg whites and vanilla with an electric or stand mixer on low speed until frothy. Mix the sugar and cream of tartar together, then add it to the egg whites, 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to medium and whip until soft peaks form. Add the cooked cornstarch mixture to the whipped egg whites, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to whip until they are glossy and form stiff peaks.

5. Now, reheat the lemon filling over low heat for about 1 minute. Pour the hot filling into mini pie shells and then place a dollop of meringue on top (follow step by step photos above). Bake in 325 oven for about 8 minutes or until filling looks set and meringue is browning.

{Review}

These pies turned out great and were really fun to eat! I imagine the shells could be pretty much filled with anything and used as a great appetizer too. Herbed goat cheese maybe? I'll have to experiment with some more ideas.

* Note: Be sure the filling is hot (as mentioned in step 5) when filling the shells. This is important because if it is not your meringue might leak into the filling below causing a mess.

{Time}

About 1 hour total