a boy and his pie

Mention that classic dessert, Lemon Meringue Pie and my thoughts turn instantly to my gorgeous not-so-little brother. For as long as I can remember Dom has been fanatical about his pie, think Homer Simpson and his devotion to beer or doughnuts and you’re not even in the same ballpark as to how much Dom loves LMP.

From when he was little, whenever Mum would give Dom the option of what to have for dessert there was only one answer. I can’t remember him ever having a normal Birthday cake, it was always LMP.

One year, I think it was around his 21st, when Mum asked Dom what he would like as a birthday present he somehow convinced her to make him one pie a day for 21 days.

So she did and not even that sort of over exposure was enough to dampen his love for the pie.

It’s a bit of family legend that Dom was so good at asking for his favourite dessert that he was able to get it out in just one syllable ‘lemeringuepie’. No mean feat for a small boy, try it yourself.

A few weeks ago when I was at the farm we had a bit of a belated Birthday dinner for my favourite (and only) brother and there was no question when it came to the dessert decision. It was my second attempt a recreating my Mum’s legendary LMP, using the recipe she had lovingly hand written into her little cook book. And while it came nowhere near close to looking like my Mum’s creation, I’m pretty sure for Dom it was better than no pie at all. Think rich lemony goodness in the filling balanced by light-as-air-sweet sweet meringue and you’re there.

mum’s legendary lemon meringue pie
serves 1 if you’re my brother or approx 6 normal people

I’ve copied this across from my mum’s recipe book and this is exactly as she had it written down. Apologies if it seems a little confusing but it felt wrong trying to re-organise it.

I was always impressed that my mum went to the effort of making her own pastry, and one of my strongest memories is of her is how clever I though she was balancing the pie on hone hand while trimming the pastry edges with a knife. The sound of the knife rubbing down the ceramic pie edges still reminds me of her.

It seems a little sacrilegious to admit it, but I have always thought of the pastry as the weak link in her pie. If you’re looking for the crunch of a more of a classic short crust try my favourite sweet pastry recipe HERE. And bake blind for abour half an hour before filling.

Sift together 1 cup plain flour, pinch salt.
Rub in 2oz (60g) butter until like fine breadcrumbs.
Add 2 tablespoons water and mix well. Roll dough to fit an 8in pie plate.
Prick base lightly with a fork.
Bake in a moderate oven for 15mins only, cool.
Combine:
1 400g (14oz) can Nestles condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
grated rind of 1 lemon
3 egg yolks
Place in shell
Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add in 1/4 cup castor sugar. Beat until dissolved.
Place meringue on top of filling.
Bake in moderate oven 15 minutes, or until golden.


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For more of my Mum’s no-fuss Australian recipes – get your own copy of ‘and the love is free’ – a tribute to mum from my online bookstore HERE.

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22 Comments

  • thanks so much for the recipe. i will try it for sure, and i think your homage to your mum’s LMP looks spectacular!

  • I would be absolutely privileged to bake your mother’s lemon meringue pie.

    Incidentally, I was looking for a dessert to bake for mother’s day. I promise to put all my heart and soul into making this, for you, your mother and my mother.

    P.S, you’re a total web idol for me: an 18 year old aspiring to write a cookbook.

    P.P.S, my best-friend-forever also play the game where we guess what the other one is having on the menu. Unfortunately most of the time, we’re way too starving to remember.

  • Yummo Clance! My mum used to make LMP a bit too, I recall a winters evening when I was about 7, and I took a rather large mouthful only to discover mum had “accidentally” put too much lemon juice in! Needless to say, my mouth imploded and I have been wary ever since (but still very much in favor).
    Maybe it’s time to try Mrs C’s recipe. I’ll try it out on book group again…

  • Wow, I’ve never heard of anyone so obsessed with LMP. Did he really eat a pie a day for 21 days???

  • I have to be honest, not usually a big meringue fan, but you may have turned me around on this one. Your pictures are simply gorgeous, and darn it if I am not sitting here right now, wishing I had a slice of that pie to go with my morning coffee!

  • hi jules, i’m back again to get this recipe as i’m planning to make it next weekend. just wondering if this version of lmp can be chilled for a few hours before serving.

  • oh drool. I totally understand your brother’s passion.

    Mum recipes are so special. Thanks for sharing.

  • hi deborah
    yes it’s fine to chill for a few hours. even the next day it’s still good the only thing is that the pastry goes a little softer

  • This pie tastes every bit as delicious as the photos look, It didn’t last very long in my house-everyone lurved it!

    PS. I made a graham crust for this, my preference with lemon pie.

  • You website is so beautifully presented, it actually makes me want to cook. Managed to find time today to make this recipe with my daughter , and it ended up looking fantastic – not as good as yours but much better then I usually do and it tasted even better. I now understand why your brother loves these lemon meringue pies so much.

  • Madeleine,
    Thanks for dropping by to let me know. So glad it worked out well for you.

    Cathy
    Thanks for the feedback. Am so glad that you’ve been inspired in the kitchen and even happier to hear that the pie worked out so well for you

    planet
    it is sweetened condensed milk. sorry in australia we don’t have the unsweetened version

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