Cherry Lemon Meringue Pie

I’ve become somewhat obsessed with American-style pies for the last few months and have been craving a lemon meringue pie. I also wanted to make something with cherries as they’re perfectly ripe and flavourful at the moment.

I’ve cooked them down with some sugar and cointreau into a luscious shiny compote. It sits on top of a smooth and creamy lemon filling. I went with a recipe from Cloudy Kitchen because after a first failed attempt, I wanted a trustworthy recipe. My pastry recipe is the perfect mixture of both sturdy and flaky with minimum effort. To finish the pie, I went with an italian meringue because it’s light but holds up well in the fridge.

I love the way the bright purple cherry compote seeps into the meringue with each slice. Torched meringue is my favourite so I sometimes torch the exposed meringue after I’ve cut a slice too.

Please note: you will only need half of this pie dough for this pie. Feel free to make a half batch. I like to make the full batch and freeze half for another time. This is a two day bake. On day one you make and bake the pie crust, bake the filling and make the cherry compote. Day two is assembling and finishing with the meringue. I like to make the pie crust and while it’s chilling, make the cherry compote.

Ingredients - makes 1 x 8inch pie
Pie dough:
225g unsalted butter, cold/cubed
385g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp caster sugar
140-160ml ice water
1/2 tbsp vodka
egg, to egg wash

Cherry compote:
200g fresh cherries, halved (weight after de-stoned) - plus a few cherries to garnish
50g frozen sweet cherries
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
60g caster sugar
2 tbsp cointreau 
2 tsp cornflour

Lemon filling: - recipe originally from Cloudy Kitchen
Zest of 3 lemons
300ml double cream
135g lemon juice, fresh
150g caster sugar
100g whole eggs
40g egg yolk

Italian meringue:
135g egg whites
270g caster sugar
70g water

Method
Day One:
For the pastry, place all the ingredients into a bowl apart from the water and vodka. Press and rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs with a few larger pieces of butter. Add in the 140ml of ice water along with the vodka. Mix the pastry together and add the remaining 20ml of water if needed. Tip the dough out of the bowl and knead it a few times to bring it together. It should have enough water that the flour is hydrated but not be sticky. It can have some dryer parts which will hydrate during resting. Pat the pastry into a disc. Cut it in half and place one piece on top of the other. Pat it back down and repeat. Pat the dough into a disc and cut it in half. Form each half into a disc and wrap them individually in clingfilm. Chill the pastry for 2 hours. Freeze one of the halves for another time if you’re only making one pie.

Once rested, roll out the pastry on a floured surface to 1.5inches wider than your pie dish. Lay the pastry over your pie dish and push it into the corners of the base. Trim the pastry with scissors so you have 1.5cm of overhang around the top edge. Work your way around the edge of the pie, folding and pressing the excess pastry under itself so you have a thicker top boarder. Prick the base and sides of the pie with a fork before crimping the edge. Place the pie crust into the freezer for 2 hours.

When you’re ready to bake, heat your oven to 200°C. Crumple a piece of baking parchment big enough to cover the inside of the pie and the edges. Take the chilled pastry from the freezer and place the baking paper inside. Pour in your pie weights (I just use rice) until it is full to the inner rim. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden. Remove the weights and baking paper (bake it for a little longer if the base isn’t baked enough to remove the weights) and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden. Brush the inside with whisked egg and return to the oven for 5 minutes to set it. Remove from the oven until completely cool.

For the cherry compote, place all the ingredients into a saucepan apart from the cornflour. Cook on low heat with the lid ajar for 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the fruit has completely softened, mash them down with a potato masher. Mix the cornflour and a little of the compote in a small bowl to make a slurry. Add it back into the pan and return to the heat. Boil for 1 minute until glossy. Pour the compote into a container and place clingfilm on the surface. Refrigerate until needed.

For the lemon filling, zest the lemons and set aside the zest for later. Mix the sugar and lemon juice together, in a saucepan, and cook over low heat until simmering. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon zest. Leave it to infuse for 5 minutes. In the meantime, warm your cream until just under the boil. Take it off of the heat and leave to one side. Once your lemon syrup has infused, strain it to remove the lemon zest. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and egg yolks until well combined. While whisking, slowly stream in the lemon syrup followed by the warm cream. Strain the lemon filling into a jug.

Preheat the oven to 110°C. Place your pie onto a baking tray. Pour the lemon filling into your cooled pie crust until it reaches just under the crimped edge. If you have any left, it can be pouring into ramekins and baked alongside the pie. Gently run a blowtorch over the top of the lemon filling to pop any air bubbles. Carefully place the pie into the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until set. It should have a very slight jiggle in the middle. Turn the oven off and leave the oven door ajar until completely cool. Lightly place clingfilm on top of the lemon filling and refrigerate overnight.

Day Two:
For the Italian meringue, put the sugar and water into a saucepan and mix to saturate the sugar. Place over medium heat. Meanwhile, put the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk. Whisk the egg whites on medium until you have soft peaks. Keep the mixer running on low until the syrup is ready. Once your sugar syrup hits 121°C on a digital thermometer, remove it from the heat. With the mixer on medium speed, carefully pour the hot syrup into the egg whites. Let the sugar syrup run down the inside of the bowl as you pour, to avoid hitting the whisk. Once all of the sugar syrup is in, turn the mixer up to high. Continue to whisk until the meringue has cooled. It should be fluffy and reached stiff peaks. 

To assemble, take the pie from the fridge and remove the clingfilm. If the pie is a little wet on top, gently lay a piece of kitchen towel on top to remove the excess moisture. Spoon over the cherry compote and smooth into an even layer. Try not to press too hard on the lemon filling. Spoon over half of the Italian meringue and spread into an even layer with a palette knife. Add the rest of the meringue on top and spread into a big swirl. Burn the top using a blowtorch until golden and arrange a few cherries on top. Chill the pie for at least 1 hour before serving. Cut using a hot dry knife for clean slices. It's best served on the day but stays good for a further 2 days in the fridge.