French-Style Lemon Pie with Meringue and a Cuban Touch

Prepare the shortcrust pastry

1. Place the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix lightly.
2. Add the cold cubed butter and crumble it with your fingertips until you obtain a texture similar to coarse sand.

   

3. Incorporate the lemon zest and, if you decide to use it, the previously toasted and cooled shredded coconut.
4. Add the slightly beaten egg and mix until the dough comes together. Do not knead it too much: the less you work the gluten, the more delicate and crispy it will be.
5. Form a disk, wrap it, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of approximately 3 mm. Place it in a tart pan measuring 22 to 24 cm and adjust the edges well.

   

7. Prick the base gently with a fork. If the dough has softened, refrigerate for another 15 minutes before baking.
8. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Cover the dough with parchment paper and place baking weights or dried beans intended for that use on top. Bake for 18 minutes.
9. Remove the paper and weights. Bake for another 8–10 minutes, until the base is lightly golden and completely cooked.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.

Prepare the lemon cream

11. Wash the lemons well and grate only the colored part of the peel, avoiding the white part as it can add bitterness.
12. Squeeze the lemons and measure 140 ml of juice in total: 100 ml of criollo lemon and 40 ml of yellow lemon. You can use all criollo lemon if you seek a more intense flavor.
13. In a heat-resistant bowl, lightly beat the 2 whole eggs, the 3 yolks, the sugar, and the pinch of salt. Incorporate the juice and lemon zest.
14. Place the mixture in a double boiler over hot water that does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula.
15. Continue cooking until the cream thickens and reaches approximately 82–84 °C. It should coat the back of a spoon. Avoid boiling, as the eggs could curdle and form lumps.
16. Remove from heat and pass the cream through a fine strainer to achieve a completely smooth texture.
17. Let it lose some heat. Incorporate the cubed butter little by little, mixing until it melts and the cream becomes shiny and homogeneous.
18. Pour the filling over the already cooled shortcrust pastry base. Smooth the surface with a spatula.

    

19. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until the cream is firm and you can cut it without it spreading.

Prepare the Italian meringue

20. Place the pasteurized egg whites in the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer. There must be no traces of fat or yolk.
21. In a small saucepan, mix the sugar with the water. Heat over medium heat, without stirring once it begins to boil.
22. When the syrup reaches approximately 110 °C, begin beating the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
23. When the syrup reaches 118 °C, remove it from the heat. With the electric mixer running at medium speed, pour it in a thin stream along the side of the bowl, avoiding the beaters.
24. Continue beating at medium-high speed for about 6–10 minutes, until you obtain a firm, shiny meringue with well-defined peaks. The bowl should have lost most of its heat.
25. If desired, incorporate a few drops of lemon juice at the end of whipping.

Decorate and finish the pie

26. Take the lemon tart out of the refrigerator and check that the filling is firm.
27. Cover the surface with the Italian meringue. You can use a pastry bag with a tip to create decorative peaks or distribute it with a spoon forming small waves.
28. Lightly torch the surface with a kitchen torch, moving it constantly to obtain an even golden color without burning the meringue.

    

29. If you do not have a torch, you can place the tart briefly under the broiler of the oven, very hot, watching constantly for about 1 minute. The torch is preferable to avoid heating the filling too much.
30. Let it rest for a few minutes and serve the pie cold, cut into portions.