Passover Meringue Lemon Pie

A Passover lemon pie with a crisp baked meringue crust, optionally with nuts, filled with a tangy lemon custard thickened with potato starch.

From the recipe book of Sandra Mills, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained cook in our family.

Steak and Seafood title card for Passover Meringue Lemon Pie, photo coming soon
  • Prep 40 min
  • Cook 1 hr
  • Total 1 hr 40 min
  • Yield 1 pie

Jump to: Ingredients | Instructions | Tips | Print recipe

This pie turns the usual lemon meringue upside down: the meringue is the crust. Egg whites are beaten for as long as 20 minutes into very stiff peaks, spread in a pie plate with the sides built up high and baked low until dry and lightly browned.

The filling is a bright lemon custard thickened with potato starch, so the whole pie is kosher for Passover. Chill it before serving.

Ingredients

Meringue crust

  • 4 egg whites, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Filling

  • 5 tablespoons potato starch
  • 1 cup sugar
  • A pinch of salt
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
  • 5 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons oil

Instructions

  1. Beat the meringue. Beat the egg whites until frothy. Gradually add the sugar a small amount at a time and beat until very stiff peaks form; this can take as long as 20 minutes. Fold in the nuts.
  2. Shape and bake. Spoon into a lightly oiled glass pie plate, building up the sides above the edge. Bake 45 minutes at 250°F, until lightly browned and dry. Shut off the oven and leave the door closed so the meringue continues to dry.
  3. Cook the filling. Put the potato starch, salt and sugar in the top of a double boiler. Add the water and cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, until thick; it gets clear and rubbery. Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add the yolks. Beat the yolks and stir in some of the hot mixture until smooth. Pour the yolks into the pot and stir until combined. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  5. Finish. Remove from the heat and add the lemon rind, lemon juice and oil. Cool to room temperature without stirring.
  6. Fill and chill. Spoon into the baked meringue shell and chill.

Tips

  • Salt appears in Sandra's method but not her list; a pinch is plenty.
  • Make the meringue shell on a dry day; humidity keeps it from crisping.

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