Lemon Meringue Pie

A cream made from organic lemons with a meringue topping on a crispy base: sounds tempting, right? The tart tastes best cold from the refrigerator. Recipe by Nicole Giger, Mags Frisch.

05/03/2026

Ingredients

Ingredients for 4 portions

Shortcrust Pastry

200 g Wheat flour

130 g Cold butter

1 Egg

2 tbsp Sugar

2 Pinches of salt

Lemon Curd Filling

4 Lemons, juice and grated zest (approx. 1.5 dl juice)

150 ml Water

30 g Butter

3 tbsp Cornstarch

150 g Sugar

3 Egg yolks

Meringue

3 Fresh egg whites

2 Pinches of salt

100 g Sugar

Preparation

Shortcrust Pastry

Mix flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Cut the cold butter into small cubes, add and rub by hand into an evenly crumbly mixture.

Beat the egg, add and bring together into a dough - do not knead! Press the dough ball flat and cover; refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Press the dough ball flat on a well-floured work surface and roll out. Gently place the dough into the well-greased tart pan and press edges and base well. Prick the base several times with a fork.

Blind-bake the pastry: Cover the base with a trimmed baking paper and, for example, fill with chickpeas (or other legumes). Blind-bake for about 20 to 25 minutes in the lower half of the oven preheated to 200 degrees with top/bottom heat. Remove, discard legumes and baking paper.

Lemon Curd Filling

Juice the lemons, grate the zest.

Bring lemon juice, lemon zest, water, butter, cornstarch, sugar and egg yolks to a boil in a small pan over medium heat, stirring constantly; as soon as the mixture thickens and becomes more viscous, remove the pan from the heat and whisk for another 3 minutes.

Then pour the curd through a sieve into a bowl and let cool slightly.

Spread the curd over the pastry base.

Meringue and Final Baking

Beat the egg whites very stiff with a pinch of salt.

Gradually add the sugar, continue beating until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Spoon the meringue over the cream.

Bake the pie for about 8 to 12 minutes in the lower half of the oven preheated to 200 degrees. Then reduce the heat to 160 degrees and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes.

Open the oven door and let cool in the oven for 30 minutes, remove and cool completely. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

Tip: Lemon curd can also be used in other recipes - for example on pancakes or simply as a spread.