Lemon pie

To prepare the lemon pie, start by making the shortcrust pastry. You can knead it by hand or with the help of a stand mixer. In the mixer bowl, place the flour, add the butter 1, sugar 2, and grated lemon zest 3.

Add an egg 4, a pinch of salt 5, and knead with the paddle until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap 6 and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, focus on preparing the lemon curd. Squeeze the lemons; you will get about 4 oz of juice. Pour it into a saucepan 7 and bring to a boil. In a bowl, crack the eggs and egg yolk 8, add the sugar 9.

Add the grated lemon peel 10 and mix thoroughly to combine all the ingredients 11. Then add the cornstarch 12.

Mix again 13 and add the lemon juice 14 in two batches, stirring continuously. Transfer the mixture to the saucepan 15.

Continue stirring 16 until the mixture comes to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the butter 17, stir once more until it has completely melted 18, then let it cool down by transferring it to a bowl.

Take the shortcrust pastry and roll it out with a rolling pin 19. To avoid overheating it and to avoid using flour, you can do this using parchment paper. Line a 9.5 inch tart pan with the pastry and remove the excess 20. Prick the bottom with a fork 21. Put the pan in the fridge and let it rest for another 30 minutes.

Take the pan, line the interior with parchment paper and pour dried beans inside 22. Bake in a static oven at 340°F for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment paper 23 and bake the base again in a static oven at 320°F for 15 minutes, let it cool completely 34.

Put the lemon curd on the base 25, level it with the back of a spoon, and then let it rest in the fridge for 12 hours. After this time, you can focus on preparing the Italian meringue. In a small saucepan, pour the water and 5.3 oz of sugar 26 and bring to a temperature of 250°F. In the stand mixer bowl, pour the egg whites, add 1.8 oz of sugar 27, and beat until stiff.

Without stopping the machine, pour the sugar syrup in a thin stream 28 and beat until the Italian meringue is no longer hot and remains stable 29. Transfer it to a piping bag 30.

Take the base with the lemon curd out of the fridge and garnish with the Italian meringue 31, flambé with a blowtorch 32, and decorate with a few mint leaves and grated lemon zest. The lemon pie is ready to be enjoyed 33.