Lemon Nutmeg Pie Crust Dough Recipes

CLASSIC LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add 3 tablespoons cold water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. , Roll out dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Transfer crust to pie plate. Trim to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned., Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually stir in water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. , Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in butter and lemon zest. Gradually stir in lemon juice just until combined. Pour into the crust., For meringue, in a saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in cold water. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is clear. Transfer to a bowl; cool., Beat egg whites and vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat in cornstarch mixture on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edge to crust., Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

LEMON ZEST PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Sift flour and sugar into a large bowl. Cut in butter until it is in pea-sized pieces.
• Make a "well" in the flour mixture. Pour in water and lemon zest. Carefully fold into the flour mixture until lightly combined.
• Make another "well" and pour in lemon juice; lightly fold into the batter. Repeat with vanilla extract. Add more water if needed to bring the dough together.
• Form dough into 2 separate, equal-sized discs and cover in plastic wrap. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.

MAGIC LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the crust: In a mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until fully combined. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie plate. Set aside.
• Make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix the condensed milk, lemon juice, zest and egg yolks. Pour into the crust. Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread the meringue over the pie and seal the edge of the crust. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meringue browns slightly. (Be sure to watch the pie while it's baking. Meringue can burn quickly.) Let cool slightly on a rack, then chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving.

MOM'S LEMON CUSTARD PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate while preparing filling., In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until well blended. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk, flour and salt; mix well. Stir in lemon juice and zest; set aside. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; gently fold into lemon mixture., Pour into crust. Bake until lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, garnish with whipped cream, lemon and mint. Store in the refrigerator.

NUTMEG-MAPLE CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by a quarter, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg and vanilla.
• Pour filling into crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

LEMON CUSTARD PIE

Steps:

• Make graham cracker crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Lightly butter pie plate.
• Stir together all crust ingredients, then press onto bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake until crisp, 12 to 15 minutes, then cool completely, about 45 minutes.
• Make lemon custard filling:
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
• Pulse sugar and zest in a food processor until zest is finely chopped, then transfer to a small heavy saucepan with water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then boil, without stirring, 5 minutes. Stir in cream and salt, then cook until hot (do not let boil).
• Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly, then whisk in lemon juice.
• Strain custard through a fine sieve into another bowl, then pour into crust.
• Bake until filling is set 2 inches from edge but center is still wobbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely (filling will continue to set as it cools).

TART LEMON PIE

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out a disk of dough into a circle about ¼-inch thick. Starting at one end, gently roll up the dough onto the rolling pin. Unfurl the dough over a 9-inch pie plate, preferably ceramic, and press it in lightly, making sure it's lining the plate.
• Trim so that there's about ½ inch of excess dough hanging over the edge of the pie plate. (If the dough feels warm, refrigerate it for 15 minutes.) Tuck the excess dough under itself so it is flush with the edge of the pie plate; leave the pie like this for a straight-edge finish, or crimp as desired. Dock the base and sides all over with a fork and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours.
• Roll out the second disk of dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out several small triangles (or other shapes from the dough); do as many as you like, and as many as a few dozen for a more intricate design. You can cut them freehand, trace a stencil using a paring knife or use a small cookie cutter. Transfer the shapes to a baking sheet lined with parchment and chill at least 30 minutes.
• Place a rack on the bottom shelf of the oven, and place a baking stone, if you have one, on the rack. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Use a small brush to evenly paint egg wash on the edge of the crust. Cut a square of parchment paper and use it to line the crust. Fill with pie weights (or dried beans) up to the top edge. Place the plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil.
• Transfer the baking sheet to the oven, placing it directly on the baking stone if using. Bake until the outer edge is beginning to become golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights. If the dough puffs up anywhere, you can puncture it with a fork. Continue to bake until the base is baked through and the outer edge is deeply brown, 12 to 15 minutes more. Cool the crust completely.
• Egg wash the top of the triangle cutouts. Transfer to the oven on the middle rack and bake until they are evenly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely.
• When the crust is cool, make the filling: In a medium pot, whisk the lemon juice, lemon zest and ½ cup/120 milliliters water to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt to combine. Whisk this mixture into the pot and then place it over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
• In a medium, heatproof bowl, lightly whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks. When the lemon mixture has come to a simmer, gradually add about ¼ of the hot liquid to the egg yolks in a slow, steady stream while whisking constantly to combine.
• Whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the pot, and switch to a heatproof spatula. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. It should come to a boil - not small bubbles around the outer edge, but fat bubbles from the center of the pot. (You should also see a distinct line that quickly closes in on itself if you drag your spatula through the curd.) Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter, a few cubes at a time. Mix thoroughly to combine.
• Strain the lemon curd through a fine mesh sieve into the cooled pie crust, and spread into an even layer. Place plastic wrap directly over the surface when the pie is still hot and chill until the curd is set, at least 3 to 4 hours and up to overnight.
• If you like, create an optional spiral on the surface of the pie once the curd is fully cool: Transfer the pie to a cake turntable. If the surface looks uneven, smooth it with a small offset spatula. Then place the spatula in the center of the curd at a 45-degree angle, and begin to rotate the turntable while you gently move the spatula towards the outer edge. Move steadily and not too slowly.
• Keep the pie chilled until ready to serve. Just before serving, arrange the cutouts on the surface of the pie in 6 diagonal lines. If you like, alternate the points of the triangles on each line to create a more graphic effect. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.

PIE DOUGH FOR MINI LEMON-MERINGUE PIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter and shortening; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1/4 cup ice water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube, pulsing, until mixture holds together. If necessary, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough holds together when squeezed. Form dough into a ball; cover with plastic wrap. Flatten into a disk; refrigerate at least 1 hour.

APPLE, CRANBERRY, CURRANT PIE W/ LEMON-NUTMEG CRUST

Steps:

• Crust: Combine flour, sugar, salt, zest, nutmeg & butter in food processor. Blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add lemon juice as a stream with motor on & process until moist clumps form. Gather dough into 2 balls, flatten into disks. Wrap each disc in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minute.
• Position oven rack in lowest third of oven & preheat to 400°F Roll out 1 disc of dough to 12 inch round and place in 9 in pie dish. Trim to leave 1/2 inch overhang.
• Pie Filling: Combine all ingredients (except 1 T sugar) and spoon into crust.
• Roll out 2nd dough disk to 12-inch round and place atop pie filling. Crimp edges decoratively. Cut several slits to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle w/ remaining sugar.
• Bake until crust is golden brown, apples are tender and juices bubble thickly, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool 20 minutes before serving.