Wow Clear Lemon Meringue Pie! If you want a surprise for your guests, you can cover all tart with mereng. Lightly passing through the kitchen pulp. Even though the tart you put in looks like an ordinary one, we are sure that the pastry will increase your score by one point before it appears.
Clear Lemon Meringue Pie, Alinea, one of the most modern restaurants in the USA with its unusual product pairings and modern menu options, has developed Grant Achatz which has stepped into the world of quality food. Grant Achatz is one of the first names that comes to mind today when it comes to molecular gastronomy.

You can use an ordinary tart base. A greasy pastry that you always make or taste will do. We give you a classic tart base recipe.

You can also decorate merengue in the form of small clouds, or you can completely cover it. The merengue we use in our recitation is also among the classics. If you have a classic merengue recipe, you can use it.

To make the meringue, put the 230 g caster sugar and 100 ml water into a small saucepan and stir until the sugar has melted, then bring to the boil. Leave the saucepan without stirring, until it reaches a fast boil. Use a sugar or digital thermometer to check the temperature of the sugar syrup – it needs to reach 120C.

Meanwhile, put the 4 egg whites at room temparature and lemon juice into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until it reaches soft peaks.

Once the sugar has reached 120C, with the stand mixer still running, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the whipped egg whites. Keep whisking until the meringue has formed soft peaks and is cool, then switch off the mixer.

For crust:
350 g plain flour
2 tbsp icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
130 g butter, chilled
1 medium egg, beaten
100-120ml water, chilled
Egg wash

For the filling:
2 sachets (12 g each) powdered gelatine
350 g caster sugar
600 ml water
1 tbsp citric acid
1 tsp lemon extract

Meringue

• To make the pastry: put the flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to mix it together. Cut the butter into 1 cm cubes, and add it to the flour. Process the mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs, taking care not to over mix it, then add the egg and switch the motor on again until the pastry starts to come together. Once it starts to form one large ball in the machine, tip it out onto a floured surface and bring it together quickly with your hands. (If the pastry is still dry, add 1 tbsp water and pulse a few times to bring it together.)
• Roll the pastry out to around 0.6cm thick. Use it to line your pie tin, pressing it firmly into the flutes, then trim the edges, prick the base with a fork, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 200 C (180 C fan). After an hour, line the pie dish with foil and fill with baking beans or dry rice or lentils. Blind bake the pie case for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and foil, brush with egg wash, and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown.
• To make the pie filling: put the sugar and water into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Don’t let it come to a boil - or if it does, let it cool some before the next steps.
• Remove from the heat and sprinkle over the powdered gelatine. Use a whisk to combine and dissolve the gelatine, returning the pan to the heat for a moment if it doesn’t dissolve fully. Once totally combined, add the lemon essence and citric acid, and whisk through.
• Let the mixture cool, then put the pie case, still in it’s tin, into the fridge. Carefully pour the liquid filling into the pie case and leave it to set in the fridge, for 5-6 hours, or overnight.
• Serving the pie: carefully transfer the pie from its tin onto a serving board or plate. For a traditional looking pie with a surprise clear centre, pile spoonfuls of the meringue on top of the pie and use the back of a spoon to create billowing cloud shapes. Use a blow torch to brown the meringue, starting slowly and taking care not to burn it. Serve within an hour or two of adding the meringue.