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Lemon meringue pie with poached oranges and basil

by Matthew Tomkinson
  1. Lemon meringue pie with poached oranges and basil
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The classic lemon meringue pie recipe gets updated by Matthew Tomkinson to give it extra wow factor. Lemon cream provides a sumptuous alternative to lemon curd for this pie recipe. Prepare the ice cream and lemon cream ahead of time.

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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Lemon cream

  • 2 lemons, juiced and zested
  • 140g of caster sugar
  • 425ml of double cream
  • 1 bronze gelatine leaf

Lemon meringue pie topping

  • 120g of caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp of glucose syrup
  • 1 tbsp of water
  • 2 egg whites

Biscuit base

  • 225g of butter
  • 112g of caster sugar
  • 340g of plain flour

Basil sorbet

  • 50ml of glucose syrup
  • 100ml of water
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 20g of basil leaves, finely chopped

Poached oranges

Stock sugar syrup

  • 125g of caster sugar
  • 125g of water
SAVE RECIPE

Equipment

  • Food processor or blender
  • Blow torch
  • Sugar thermometer
  • Piping bag with star nozzle
  • 4 small ring moulds

Method

1
To begin this lemon meringue pie recipe, start by making the stock syrup. You will need approximately 240ml of syrup for this recipe. Place the water and sugar in a pan and heat until the sugar has dissolved, then set aside to cool
  • 125g of caster sugar
  • 125g of water
2

To make the basil sorbet, purée the basil in a food processor and set aside. Boil the glucose syrup, water and 50ml of the sugar syrup together in a pan. When cool, add the basil and lemon juice. Churn in an ice cream machine and freeze until ready to use

3
To make the biscuit base, preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas mark 4. Cream the butter and the sugar together and add the flour, mixing well until a dough has formed
  • 225g of butter
  • 112g of caster sugar
  • 340g of plain flour
4
Roll the dough into a log the same diameter as the rings you will be setting the lemon cream in. Slice 4 discs from the log and place on a baking tray. Cook for 8 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool
5
To make the lemon cream, first line your moulds with cling film. Boil the lemon juice, cream and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the gelatine and pass through a fine sieve. Pour the mix into your moulds and set in the fridge
  • 2 lemons
  • 140g of caster sugar
  • 425ml of double cream
  • 1 bronze gelatine leaf
6
For the meringue, bring the water, glucose and sugar up to 120°C in pan. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Carefully pour the hot sugar mixture into the egg whites and whisk until cool. Place in a piping bag with a star nozzle
  • 120g of caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp of glucose syrup
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tbsp of water
7
To make the poached oranges, cut the oranges into segments, making sure to remove all the pith and membrane. Boil 185ml of the sugar syrup in a pan, add the oranges and stir, then take off the heat
8
To serve, place a biscuit disc into the middle of a serving plate, top with a turned out lemon cream and then pipe ‘spikes’ of meringue on top
9
Glaze the meringue with a blow torch and surround with segments of the poached orange. Finish the lemon meringue pie with a small scoop of the basil sorbet and serve
First published in 2015
Matthew Tomkinson

Matthew Tomkinson’s elegant and highly accomplished food earned him a Roux Scholarship in 2005, as well as Michelin stars at The Goose and The Montagu Arms.

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