Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

15^th May 2016

Lemon Meringue Pie with Poached Oranges and Basil

A refreshing and zesty dessert to add a spring in your step this May. Enjoy the deliciously smooth lemon cream, complimented perfectly with the soft crunch of the meringue topping and biscuit base. Matthew Tomkinson has added a unique twist and paired this sweet citrus dish with a basil sorbet to bring all the flavours together.

Ingredients

Lemon cream
2 lemons, juiced and zested
140g of caster sugar
425ml of double cream
1 bronze gelatine leaf

Lemon meringue pie topping

120g of caster sugar
1 tbsp of glucose syrup
water
2 egg whites

Biscuit base

225g of butter
112g of caster sugar
340g of plain flour

Basil sorbet

50ml of glucose
100ml of water
1/2 lemon, juiced
20g of basil leaves, finely chopped

Poached oranges

2 oranges, peeled
Stock sugar syrup
caster sugar
water

Method

1. To begin this lemon meringue pie recipe, start by making the stock syrup. You will need approximately 240ml of syrup for this recipe

2. To make the basil sorbet, purée the basil in a food processor and set aside. Boil the glucose, water and 50ml of the sugar syrup together in a pan. When cool, add the basil and lemon. Churn in an ice cream machine and freeze until ready to use

3. To make the biscuit base, preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas mark 4. Cream the butter and the sugar together and add the flour, mixing well until a dough has formed

4. Roll the dough into a log the same diameter as the rings you will be setting the lemon cream in. Slice 4 discs from the log and place on a baking tray. Cook for 8 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool

5. To make the lemon cream, first line your moulds with cling film. Boil the lemon juice, cream and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the gelatine and pass through a fine sieve. Pour the mix into your moulds and set in the fridge

6. For the meringue, bring the water, glucose and sugar up to 120°C in pan. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Carefully pour the hot sugar mixture into the egg whites and whisk until cool. Place in a piping bag with a star nozzle

7. To make the poached oranges, cut the oranges into segments, making sure to remove all the pith and membrane. Boil 185ml of the sugar syrup in a pan, add the oranges and stir, then take off the heat

8. To serve, place a biscuit disc into the middle of a serving plate, top with a turned out lemon cream and then pipe ‘spikes’ of meringue on top

9. Glaze the meringue with a blow torch and surround with segments of the poached orange. Finish the lemon meringue pie with a small scoop of the basil sorbet and serve

Photography by David Griffen for Great British Chefs.

Don't fancy cooking this yourself? To taste one of Matthew's delicious dishes, book a table at the Terrace Restaurant or