recipe | lord bergamot lemon meringue pie
a classic lemon meringue pie with a tea-infused twist! it’s worth the effort. i use smith teamaker’s lord bergamot, but any high quality earl grey tea will do the trick!
lord bergamot lemon curd:
single crust, baked & cooled
1 1/2 c. extra-strong lord bergamot tea (5 t tea steeped in 1 1/2 c water for 10 minutes), divided into 1 c and 1/2 c portions
1 1/4 c sugar
1/3 c cornstarch
the zest of one lemon
1/2 c lemon juice (from ~ 2 ripe lemons)
1/4 t salt
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten (reserve whites for meringue)
4 T unsalted butter
method:
in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring 1 cup of extra-strong tea, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice & salt to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula until thick and saucy.
slowly add a few spoonfuls of the hot mixture to the egg yolks, whisking to incorporate. add a bit more, stir, and repeat until about half the mixture has been added, then add it all back in with the tea + sugar mixture. return to moderate heat for about 60 seconds, stirring constantly but make sure it does not boil.
your mixture should be thick & shiny! remove it from the heat and add the butter & lemon zest, stirring until the butter is melted.
if you're picky, you can run the mixture through a sieve to eliminate any potential bits of cooked egg white, but i'm not usually too worried about it.
pour hot mixture straight into the cooled pie shell and top with parchment, pressing out any air bubbles and forming a seal all the way across the surface of the curd. this will help your meringue stick later!
place in the fridge and get started on the meringue!
lord bergamot meringue:
remaining 1/2 c of strongly brewed lord bergamot tea
1 c sugar
4 reserved egg whites, room temperature
1/2 t lemon juice or cream of tartar
method:
bring remaining 1/2 c of tea and sugar to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan without stirring. cook syrup until it reaches 240 F, occasionally wiping down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush (this will prevent sugar crystals from forming which will later cause the meringue to break down)
while syrup is cooking, whip egg whites & lemon juice/cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until they reach the soft peak stage (here is a great visual guide to the stages of peaks!)
once sugar is 240 F and egg whites are at the soft peak stage, carefully pour a very thin stream of the syrup into the whites with the mixer on medium speed. (hot sugar burns like hot oil, so be very careful!) this is the trickiest part -- it does take a bit of finesse to pour the syrup in without it touching the beater and causing splattering. i have found that slow and steady is the key!
once the syrup has all been added, increase the speed to medium high and beat until the mixture is thick and glossy, and at the stiff peak stage.
to assemble the pie:
carefully remove the parchment from the surface of the pie. it *should* come free with little-to-no sticking.
scoop the meringue onto the pie in five separate dollops. i like to put four around the edges and one at the center. spread the meringue across the filling, making sure it meets the edges and forms a seal all the way around. this will help to prevent shrinkage and other problems.
use a small metal spatula to make a swirling design in the meringue, or alternately, you can use a pastry bag and pipe the meringue in a decorative design.
place the pie under a hot broiler for 45-90 seconds (or use a kitchen torch) to brown and set the meringue*.
chill the pie uncovered for thirty minutes to an hour prior to serving.
*note: because hot syrup is used in the meringue-making process, italian meringue does not require cooking and will set on its own over several hours. it is incredibly stable and will not weep! for the purposes of this pie, a toasted meringue is simply more attractive (and delicious!)
