Freshness, color and cheerfulness: these are the first words that come to mind when looking at Lemon Pie!
This very famous American dessert is nothing more than a delicious shortbread tart, filled with fresh lemon cream. In this colorful version, it has been embellished with a topping made with the natural dyes Taste and Color Yellow and Pink.
Fresh and mouthwatering, this lemon cake should be served chilled. Perfect for the spring time!
Ingredients for 1 Lemon Pie
For the hemp shortbread
- 230 g Hemp Green mix, alternatively the Nutridea line of flours.
- 80 g granulated sugar
- 120 g soft butter
- 2 egg yolks at room temperature
- Grated zest of ½ organic lemon
For the Lemon Curd
- 2 Bio lemons
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 40 g butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon of potato starch
For decoration
- 2 egg whites (about 70 g)
- 140 g sugar
- 20 ml water
- 1 teaspoon of Taste and Color Yellow
- 1 teaspoon of Taste and Color Pink
Preparation of Lemon Pie
Start by preparing the shortcrust pastry. Pour all the ingredients into a planetary mixer or blender until you get a nice dough (alternatively, you can also knead by hand). Once the dough is ready, let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the curd. Wash the lemons well, grate the zest, and squeeze out the juice.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter in a double boiler.
In a bowl mix the eggs with the sugar, and add the melted butter. Add the strained lemon juice and zest, and mix well.
Continue cooking in a bain-marie stirring continuously for about 10 minutes, as the last ingredient add the sifted starch. Continue cooking until the cream has begun to set. Once it is ready, let it rest. You will need it later.
Preparation of Italian-style Meringue
For the Italian-style meringue with which you will decorate your cake, get a cake thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature of the syrup with which you will be whipping the egg whites.
Melt sugar with water in a saucepan and heat over low heat.
Meanwhile, start whipping the egg whites in a bowl with whips or a planetary mixer. When the syrup has reached about 121 degrees, pour it in a trickle over the egg whites while continuing to whip. You should get a firm, glossy meringue.
At this point, divide it into two equal parts and color them with the powdered dye of your choice, mixing until evenly colored. Fill 2 sac à poche with the colored meringues; you can choose the tip you prefer for decoration.
Roll out, bake and compose: your Lemon Pie is almost ready
Roll out the shortcrust pastry about 4 cm thick in a removable-bottom mold, previously buttered and floured. Prick it with a fork and bake it in the oven at 180 °C for about 25 to 30 minutes. Once the pastry has reached a light browning, remove it from the oven.
With the leftover shortbread you can make cookies or decorations. In this version, little leaves were made to decorate the finished tart.
Now, you can compose your Lemon Pie: fill with curd and garnish the surface with clumps of colored meringue.
If you like, you can choose to grill the meringue a few minutes or flame it with a blowtorch for a golden effect.
For the recipe, thanks to Erika of Sugar Games.
