Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie with Ginger Lemon Cookie Crust
When I received an amazing gift of Meyer lemons from my friend Kim at Rustic Garden Bistro a couple of months ago, they were waylaid. Somewhere that we will never be privy to. All I know is that two shipments from California made at the same time saw one get to Indiana a week earlier than the one that was shipped to Colorado, i.e. to me. Boohoo. By the time they arrived in my mailbox, there had been jokes about Pony Express and more and as beautiful and sun-kissed as they looked, my lemons were frozen solid. I let them thaw out on a plate I placed on my desk which not only let me enjoy their amazing aroma for a couple of days but also meant I could keep close watch on them; I had no idea what was going to happen to a whole frozen lemon.
Once they thawed I used them to make Lemon Bars with Rosemary which were fabulous but I did notice that they definitely had a different, softer texture so I decided, instead of having anything devastating happen to them, that I would juice the lemons, grate some rind and freeze the results so that I didn’t lose everything from this little batch of pure heaven! Out of curiosity I left one small one out for a couple of days and let’s just say I’m very glad I took that route. Frostbite and lemons are not a perfect marriage! I sort of forgot I had that cache in my freezer until last weekend when I was invited to friends for dinner and offered to bring a dessert. It was fortuitous that I had a box of Ginger Lemon cookies in the pantry. I had planned to make a lemon meringue pie with a graham cracker crust but I decided to try a crust with those cookies and seriously…so perfect. If you can’t locate Carr’s Ginger Lemon cookies, do try this with a graham cracker crust with a bit of ginger and lemon zest in it; the flavors are divine together. One way or the other though…make this Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie with Ginger Lemon Cookie Crust!
Lemon Meringue Pie with Ginger Lemon Cookie Crust
Ingredients
For the Ginger Lemon Crust:
- 1 ½ cups crushed Carr Lemon Ginger Cookies
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Lemon Filling:
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice from 3 to 4 lemons
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons 1/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest from 3 to 4 lemons
For the Meringue:
- 5 large egg whites at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
To Make the Graham Cracker Crust:
- Place oven rack in the center of oven and heat to 375°F.
- Put cookies in a processor and process finely. Add melted butter and salt and mix well. Press mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie plate and bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
To Make the Lemon Filling:
- Combine cornstarch, sugar, egg yolks, and lemon juice in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Add water and whisk until blended; use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan to make sure mixture is well combined.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add butter and lemon zest, and stir vigorously until butter is completely melted and ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Pour mixture into cooled graham-cracker crust, cover with a round of waxed paper and let it cool to room temperature.
To Make the Meringue:
- Combine egg whites and salt in a large, clean bowl and whip with a mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- Remove the waxed paper from the pie and spoon meringue over lemon filling. Spread meringue with a spatula so that it covers the entire surface of the pie, sealing in filling. Be sure meringue meets the crust, otherwise it will shrink inward, exposing filling.
- Bake until meringue is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then refrigerate until filling is cold, at least 4 hours. Slice, and serve chilled.
I made this — my first meringue pie ever — and it was spectacular in every way. Thank you for sharing this terrific recipe! Now, a word of encouragement for anyone else who has trouble making a crumb piecrust extend all the way up the side of the pan: don’t worry if the meringue doesn’t touch the crust. As long as the meringue touches the rim of the pan, it will not shrink.
What a great combination…I love a lemon-ginger cooler and this makes me feel HAPPY! The only LMP I made ages ago was for the DB’s, my first and last. Suddenly I feel brave again after looking at your beautiful pie. Missed you Barb…will catch up soon!
Time to get back on that horse it seems, right? I, for one of many, know you can do it!
Frozen lemon? No way! They look really fresh and like sunshine to me. Barbara, you have me here, completely! I LOVE ginger and trying to use it everywhere. Infact my next post is going to be a cake with ginger. Lemon and ginger pairs so beautifully, so does lemon and rosemary (gosh I got to do that one). This dessert is calling my name, LOUD!
Yes, way! No frozen long and never process and canned? Makes a difference I think. The lemon and rosemary bars were great too though I must say…I like my lemon bar recipe better so next time will just add some rosemary to the crust. But a great combo for sure.
I haven’t had lemon meringue pie in years and this looks awesome. Like a ray of sunshine.
Thanks Megan…a great description.
Looks delish, and that crust sounds amazing. I hope to someday find some meyer lemons, I’d love to give them a try!
What a perfect pairing of classic flavors. This looks and sounds delicious. This is my first visit to your blog so I took some time to browse through your earlier entries. I’m so glad I did. I really like the food and recipes you share with your readers. I’ll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Thank you Mary, for the visit and the sweet comment.
This looks like an exceptional lemon pie!
YUM! I just want to lick the screen! Looks delightful! It was great to finally meet you. Thank you for opening your house and hosting this great meetup.
That may just be the most perfect meringue I’ve ever seen! And with that crust, this pie really sounds delicious. Good to see you today Barb and as always thanks so much for hosting.
Always good to see you too and hope that you won’t hate Abbie forever. I need a sign at the door. Keep purses higher than dog. She will find things in them. Loved the pasta; please be sure to let me know when you post and I’ll do a quick roundup and a link, OK? Really…drinks have to be next on the agenda, right?
That is some beautiful meringue! And the flavor combination is just wonderful!
I love Lemon Meringue Pie!! Especially with Meyer Lemons. Barb must be so delicious with the ginger crust. Will have to hunt around for the cookies. Not sure if the brand is available in Canada, do they happen to make crackers too? The names sounds familiar.
I think Carr is better known for their crackers; you’re right. They only place I find the cookies is at Costco…but I really believe some ginger and lemon rind in a graham cracker crust would be a close.
I love ginger and lemon paired together. Curious, is there any noticeable difference in the taste of the zest from frozen lemons?
No difference that I could tell…the juice had only been frozen for a couple of weeks and probably best that I did use it in a cooked product.
Not that I could discern; I think cooking the filling most likely helped to mask that it wasn’t fresh. Missed you today; had a great turnout AND a token male..whoo hoo!
1. I want the Carr’s cookies.
2. I want the pie more!
I love lemon meringue pie and haven’t made it in so long. I love the idea of a ginger crust – must be a wonderful mouthful of flavour! Beautiful, Barb! Your lucky luccky friends!!
Well, everyone loved it and I love when someone I think sounds good turns out so well…and I do love those cookies, all by themselves!
To me lemon and ginger are just such a classic match of flavors. Well done. This looks like a wonderful tart. I am going to try it out for my daughters birthday tea on Sunday Barb. Will have to sub for the crust obviously as we dont get those fab sounding cookies here in SA. Thank you for sharing. xx
Lucky daughter I would say…and good mom!
Barb, that pie looks delicious. My mother used to bake lemon meringue pies for parties. They were gorgeous, like yours. I haven’t made one in so long…Good for you for finding a way to rescue those frozen lemons.
I love lemon meringue pie but so often forget about them. Maybe that’s why it tasted so good…it had been awhile.
Very interesting about the frozen lemons. I think you made the right call. You pie looks perfect. Magazine cover ready!
Thanks Renee, like a lot of us, the photo part is a new skill; always nice to hear a compliment from a reader and friend.
Barb –
Beautiful!! Mr. RGBistro recently celebrated a birthday. At his request, “no gifts.” So I obliged. But at the end of the day, I asked him what he would have wanted. He winked at me and said, “lemon meringue pie.” So, of course – I said, “why couldn’t you have just said that?! I would have made you one!!”
So… I owe the man some lemon meringue. You can imagine how timely this post is. Stay tuned!!!
[K]
It was SO good Kim…and it wouldn’t have happened here in CO without your efforts in CA so at the very least I do think the Mr. deserves a pie!
This sounds like such an incredible combo!
How resourceful of you to save what you could from the poor frozen lemons. This pie is one of my favourite pies. Right up there with blueberry and apple. They alternate depending on my mood LOL. Your crust with the ginger lemon cookies….so smart…the lemon filling looks *to die* for and that meringue. Seriously, I could take a bath in meringue.
You crack me up…a bath in meringue, but I can see your point!
This sounds perfectly delightful! I agree with Lana – great combo with the ginger lemon cookies and lemon filling.
Thanks Amy…I don’t think I can ever make another way now…it was perfectly perfect!
Lemon meringue is, far and away, my favorite kind of pie. Yours looks absolutely fantastic. What a lovely idea to use the ginger lemon cookies for the crust.
Oh, my gosh! What an absolutely perfect combination using the ginger-lemon cookies with the meyer lemon filling. Making my mouth water just thinking of it!