American Lemon Pie

Category: Bakery products

Kitchen: American

Ingredients
Cake base:
Zest of half a lemon
Butter	100 g
Wheat flour	150 g
Salt	pinch
Sour cream	100 g
Milk	5-10 ml
Lubricating egg
Meringue hat:
Protein	6 pcs.
Water	2 tbsp. l.
lemon acid	pinch
Sugar	150 g
Vanilla
Zest of half a lemon
Lemon filling:
Corn starch	25 g
Sugar	150 g
Water	250 ml
Egg	1 PC.
Yolks	3 pcs.
Salt	pinch
Butter	30 g
Lemon juice	40 ml
Zest of one lemon
Vanilla
Wheat croutons	20 g

Cooking method

Another famous American pie. Perhaps the most famous! Lemon pie with a white air cap is the perfect end to any dinner.
Dense crispy unleavened dough, soft refreshing filling with sourness, sweet airy meringue - a real flavor mix in just one dessert! And the presence of lemon is everywhere - a lemon aroma in the base, a bright lemon filler and a meringue with lemon zest! After all, lemon is the main character here!
These proportions are indicated for a mold with a diameter of 23-24 cm. It is desirable that the mold be split.
Cake base:
In a bowl of a food processor with a knife attachment, mix flour and salt.
Chop very cold butter into small pieces. Just mix it with flour and send the bowl to the freezer for a few minutes. We need some very cold ingredients. Add the zest
We start the food processor in the ripple mode until a large crumb is formed.
Pour in very cold sour cream with the engine running. The dough must be moist enough to form a lump. If the dough does not stick, add milk until a lump forms.
We form the dough into a ball, flatten it slightly, wrap it in foil and send it to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Roll out the cold dough into a circle with a diameter of 27-28 cm. Carefully transfer it into our mold. We press in the shape, trying not to break. Cut off the edges.

Cover the crust with parchment paper and spread the baking beans or dry beans over it. We bake at 210C for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and baking beans and bake for another 5 minutes. If the edges start to darken quickly during the baking process, cover them with foil.

We take out the cake from the oven. Lubricate the entire surface with an egg and send it to the oven for another 4-5 minutes.
Now that our cake base is coated in, the soft lemon filling won't soak any further. So this one is very important if you don't want to get a soft mush instead of crunchy dough.
Meringue hat:
Put proteins in a perfectly clean bowl, 2 tbsp. l. water, citric acid, sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt.
We prepare the zest.

Place the bowl on the steam bath. The bottom must not touch the bottom! Beat the whites with a clean whisk. When the temperature reaches 70C (it burns quite a lot), we move it to the combine, turn it on at medium-high speed and beat for 5-7 minutes. The whites should fit snugly on the whisk. Gently stir in the zest.

Lemon filling:
In a saucepan with a thick bottom, mix the sugar, vanilla and starch. We dilute the dry mixture with water and put on medium heat. Stir constantly. Bring to a boil.

Mix eggs and yolks in a separate container. Add a few tablespoons of the hot mixture to them and stir gently. So we gradually increase the temperature of the eggs. Pour the egg mixture into our saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 2-3 minutes after boiling.

Remove from heat and add salt, butter, lemon juice and zest. Stir until smooth.
Assembling the cake:
Grind the crackers into small crumbs.
Pour the hot lemon filling onto the baked base.
Sprinkle generously with crumbs. This step is necessary so that our meringue does not absorb moisture from the filling and does not get wet.
Carefully place the meringue hat on top of the filling. We try not to get on the boards. The more beautiful the curls are, the more effective the finished cake will look.
We bake in the oven preheated to 170C for about 30 minutes. As soon as our protein hat begins to darken, we take out the pie.
Chill in refrigerator for several hours before serving.