Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pie is surely my all-time-favorite dessert.  I love this just because it has all the balanced combinations.  This lemony bliss consists of three delicate layers of heaven.  Each layer gives different texture and flavor.  The flaky buttery crust base brings something to chew.  The fresh citrusty lemon filling is so velvety smooth and creamy, while packs with real punch of sourness and tartness from lemon.  For the meringue on top, it has billowy and toasty touch.  The sweetness from the meringue definitely balances out the sour taste from lemon curd.  So what's not to love?

Let's start with the base.  I have been sticking with this pie crust recipe ever since I discovered it.  In the past, I always cheated the pie base by using crumbed Ritz crackers with added melted butter.  I won't put so much description for this base recipe in this post because it is exactly the same with the previous one. (please check this one out, pumpkin pie)

While waiting for my pie base to bake, I prepare my curd.  Bring to boil: water, sugar, salt, lemon juice and cornstarch.  Once it got thicken, reduce the heat and drop egg yolks in - one at a time - still keep stirring.  Becareful that egg can be curdling when cook too quick or too long.  Then remove them from the heat and add in your butter cubes and lemon zest.  Stir well until all butter has melted and they all are well combined. 

By then your pie shell is definitely ready.  So pour all your lemon curd into pre-baked shell.  Then set them aside for now.  Do not keep the filling in the fridge as we want it to stay hot when we top it with meringue.  This can help reducing the chance of meringue to collapse.  Also, the heat from filling will instantly cook the bottom part of meringue, make it much less likely to shrink.  

After that, prepare your meringue.  It is very simple and easy.  In a clean and dry bowl, whisk your egg whites until slightly foamy then gradually add the sugar as well as cream of tartar.  Continue beating for a few more minutes, until glossy and stiff peaks form. 

Where cream of tartar is not available, you can replace it with ½ teaspoon of lemon juice.  

Flip over head test

In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 190 degree celcius.  Then pipe or spoon the meringue mixture over the top while the filling is still hot.  Any looks from the traditional mounting and spiky to the fancy kisses shapes, whatsoever, making sure that meringue should completely cover until the crust edge.  This will allow the meringue to hold onto the crust so the two do not separate. 

Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the peak has the nice golden color.  Remove from oven and allow to cool before chilling it for couple more hours in the fridge. For slicing the pie, use the knife that has been dipped in hot water to prevent the meringue from collapsing when we slice it. This lemon meringue delight could be store up to three days in the refrigerator before it goes watery and wilted. But I do not think it will last that long anyway.

Pie Base Recipe Plain flour 1½ cups Caster sugar 2 tbsp Chilled butter, chopped 120 gr Water 2 tsp I like to add a pinch of salt (optional) Method 1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor     and process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.     You can knead the base using hand, if processor is not available 2. Add water and pulse to combine. 3. Gently knead until smooth. 4. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes. 5.  Roll out the pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper to line      a deep 9" pie tin with removable base.  Or just using hand. 6. Prick well with a fork. 7. Bake in preheated 190⁰C oven for 10 minutes.     Pie weights are not necessary

  

Lemon Curd Filling and Meringue Recipe For the lemon filling Egg yolks 4 large eggs Cornstarch 3 tbsp Water 60 ml Sugar 120 gr Salt ¼ tsp Butter 5 tbsp Lemon juice ½ cup Lemon zest 1 tbsp For the meringue topping Egg white 4 large eggs Caster sugar 8 tbsp Cream of tartar 1 pinch (½ tsp of lemon juice can be used instead of cream of tartar)   Method 1. Prepare your crust base. 2. In a pot, combine water, cornstarch, sugar, salt and lemon juice     bring to boil. 3. Reduce the heat and add in egg yolks one at a time while keep stirring. 4. Remove from heat and add in butter cubes and lemon zest. 5. Stir until butter melted and well combined. Pour onto your pre-baked shell. 6. Preheat the oven to 190⁰C 7. Make the meringue by beating egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar.     Until glossy and stiff peaks form.  8. Spoon or pipping the meringue on top of the hot lemon filling.     Cover all of the filling.  It allows the meringue to hold onto the crust     So the two do not separate. 9. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the peak turns golden. 10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Then chill it in the fridge for       couple of hours before slicing and serving.

 

Deep Fried Sweet Cheese Sticks

Today, I am going to prepare some light snacks to please both adults and kids.  Most of you may have tried some deep fried mozarella cheese balls.  This recipe would be the sweet version of deep fried cheese.  Instead, what I use is cheddar cheese in here.

So in a pot, combine together cheese, sugar, milk, corn starch and salt.  Give them some stir to blending them together before heating them on the stove.  Turning the stove to medium heat and cook the cheese mixture until it thickened.  Keep stiring, so your mixture will not get lumpy.

Scrap out all the cheese mixture from the pot and transfer it into pre-lined tray or container.  Smooth the top part.  Keep the thickness for approximately one or one and half centimeters.   I like to do it in the square tin for easy cutting.  Oops mine looks terrible because my tray was way too big. 

Then keep the cheese in the fridge for about one to two hours so it will get hardened and made it easy to cut.  I waited only around one hour, then I cut them into a long stick with the size roughly of 1x10 cm.

Mix your flour and water together in one bowl and put your breadcrumbs ready in another plate.  Dip your cheese stick in the flour mixture then into the breadcrumbs.  Do it one at a time and make sure it all covered.  After that, put them back in the fridge just for another half an hour.

Final step is deep frying your cheese sticks.  We need a considerably high heat, so the outer side will turn golden fast before the inner cheese is melted.  Once you remove them from the heat, put them on the plate lined with kitchen towel to absorb the excessive oil.  Then there we have....  Deep fried sweet cheese sticks.

Recipe Shredded cheddar cheese 200 gr Full cream milk 480 ml Caster sugar 80 gr Corn Starch 96 gr Salt ½ tsp Plain flour 90 gr Water 160 ml Breadcrumbs Oil for frying Method 1. In a pot, combine cheese, milk, sugar, corn starch and salt.  2. Put the pot on medium heat stove, cook until thicken. Remove from heat.     Keep stirring the mixture to avoid lumpy batter. 3. Pour all mixture into a pre-lined (using cling wrap) square tray. Spread evenly. 4. Refrigerate it for at least one hour to make it easy to cut. 5. Cut them in your preferred size. Mine is about 1x10cm 6. Mix flour with water in one bowl and breadcrumb in a different bowl. 7. Dip one cheese stick in flour mixture then coated with breadcrumbs     Do this until all cheese sticks are coated. 8. Keep them back in the fridge for about 30 minutes until thoroughly chilled. 9. Heat oil in a frying pan over high heat. Fry cheese sticks until golden brown. 10. Drain on paper towels. Serve while hot.     ** Use medium high heat to brown the sticks quicker otherwise cheese filling         will be melted and oozed out. Made: 23-25 sticks

Pumpkin Pie

Any good pies will start from their base.  An excellent pie crust will enrich the whole texture and taste of any pies we are making.  I have this beloved recipe for pie base that very simple and so crusty.  Also, you don't need to use any pie weights when pre-baked your crust.  And the side will not sagging down.  However, this base is a little softer than any base I used to make before.  Although I did chill it prior rolling.  Therefore, the easiest way is by manually shape them - press the dough using hand - in your pie tin.  

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a bowl, if you don't have a food processor, your hand is always greatly available to do this job.  Once it is combined, knead the crumbs until smooth.  Work quickly in this stage, otherwise the chilled butter will be completely melted.  Which we don't want it to happen.  Then wrap and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

As I mentioned earlier that this pie crust recipe is quite softer than any recipes.  So, instead of bother rolling out the pastry, I just press it all around the bottom and the sides of my pie tin.  Prick well the shell before baking it.  Pie weights are not needed for this recipe.  The crust sides will still hold upright, once baked.  Bake them in 190 ํC oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

Now move onto your filling.  Combine sugar and spices in a separate bowl.  Then set aside.  In a large bowl, beat your eggs, and add in the pumpkin and sugar mixture.  Mix them.  Then gradually pour in evaporated milk.  Keep stirring until all well combined. 

Pour all into the pre-baked pie shell.  I did some leaves decoration with the left over pie crust.  Then bake your pie in a preheated oven of 180 ํ C for 50 minutes or until skewer inserted in the center and comes out clean.  (Mine actually takes slightly more than one hour)

Pie Base Recipe Plain flour 1½ cups Caster sugar 2 tbsp Chilled butter, chopped 120 gr Water 2 tsp I like to add a pinch of salt (optional) Method 1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor     and process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.     You can knead the base using hand, if processor is not available 2. Add water and pulse to combine. 3. Gently knead until smooth. 4. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes. 5.  Roll out the pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper to line      a deep 9" pie tin with removable base.  Or just using hand. 6. Prick well with a fork. 7. Bake in preheated 190⁰C oven for 10 minutes.     Pie weights are not necessary

Pumpkin Pie Recipe Pumpkin puree 425 gr Caster sugar ¾ cup Ground cinnamon 1 tsp Salt ½ tsp Ground cloves ¼ tsp Eggs 2 Evaporated milk 1 can / 379 ml Pie crust 1 recipe Method 1. Mix sugar, cinammon, salt and cloves in a small bowl 2. In a large bowl, beat eggs. 3. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture 4. Gradually add in evaporated milk and keep whisking until     all well combined. 5. Pour the pumpkin filling into pre-baked pie shell. 6. Bake in preheated 180⁰C oven for 50 minutes or until     toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 7. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes. Then serve immediately     with some whipped cream or refrigerate it. * If pumpkin can is not available, just steam the fresh pumpkin    and make puree out of it by using blender or strainer.