A cool, tart lemon meringue pie on a hot summer day is so refreshing. There are lots of lemon meringue pie recipes but a royal lemon pie is a cut above. It’s made with cream instead of water and the lemon juice is tempered with a touch of orange juice so it is just a touch sweeter and not quite as tart. We think you will love it.

This recipe was designed for a nine-inch deep-dish pie and the meringue is piled high with five egg whites–not three or four.

Royal Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

Ingredients

1 nine-inch deep-dish pie shell

4 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cups granulated sugar
dash of salt

1/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup whipping cream
3 large eggs, whisked
5 large egg yolks

1/4 cup butter

5 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated sugar, preferably superfine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Bake the pie shell at 450 degrees for about ten minutes or until it just starts to turn brown on the edges. It will help the pie shell keep its shape during baking if you line the shell with aluminum foil and then place beans, rice, or pie shell weights in the shell to hold the crust down.

2. Grate the zest from one large lemon or two small lemons. Avoid the white, pithy part of the peel for it is bitter. Add that to a saucepan with the lemon juice, orange juice, sugar, and salt. Stir and heat until it just starts to boil.

3. While the filling is beginning to heat, mix the cornstarch with the whipping cream, Add the eggs and egg yolks and mix until smooth.

4. Drizzle the hot lemon mixture into the egg mixture while stirring constantly. Return the combined mixture to the stove and heat until it thickens and starts to boil. Add the butter and stir until melted. Scrape the filling into the pie shell.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. In a medium metal or ceramic bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together. When soft peaks are formed, drizzle in the sugar while beating. Continue beating until stiff peaks are formed. Fold in the vanilla.

7. With a spatula, spread the meringue topping on the filling. Press the topping against the crust so that the meringue will adhere to the crust during baking.

8. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees or until the top is a golden brown. Let cool for an hour on the counter and then two hours in the refrigerator.

Baker’s Note: Try using pie weights while baking your crust.