Want to know my inspiration behind this lemon blueberry meringue pie?
Well, every Spring the most beautifully colored hyacinth flowers grow in the front of my house. A couple of years ago, I started using them in my pictures, but I have to time it right because they only last for about 2-3 weeks. So, I start planning what I can make to go with the beautiful violet and white shades.
Hyacinths are bell-shaped flowers with reflexed petals. They come in several shades. But mine always bloom in purple, lavender and white. And they compliment my desserts beautifully.
This year, I decided to go with a lemon meringue pie. But instead of the usual white meringue, I took inspiration from Erin McDowell’s Lemon Pie with Blueberry Meringue and make a blueberry flavored meringue for my pie as well.
What is Lemon Meringue Pie?
Lemon meringue pie consists of a fully baked pie dough base filled with lemon curd, which consists of egg yolks, lemon zest and juice, sugar, and corn starch. Then, it’s topped with meringue.
This sweet-tart layered pie is thought to have been invented by a pastry chef in Philadelphia, who ran America’s first cooking school.
What type of pie dough is used?
If made by scratch, what’s normally use an all butter pie crust. For this pie, I went with my cream cheese pie dough recipe. This pie dough version makes a flaky, buttery layered crust because of the incorporation of cream cheese. It’s almost more pastry-like than a regular pie dough. Paired with that rich sweet and tart lemon filling, it’s perfect! And oh so delicious!
How do you get the purple-blue colored meringue?
That gorgeous purple-blue colored meringue is achieved by using freeze dried blueberries that is turned into a fine powder by pulsing them in a food processor. Then, I add them to the sugar and egg whites and heat it over simmering hot water before it’s fully whipped. To make the color brighter, you can
Normally, after you add the meringue to the top, you torch the peaks. I decided not to just to keep the beautiful purple color throughout.
This easy lemon blueberry meringue pie recipe is definitely a must try!
Tips for this recipe:
- For the pie crust, I use a cream cheese pie dough. If you don’t want to use cream cheese, you can use an all butter pie dough. Just replace the cream cheese for additional butter in the recipe. And you can use ice water instead of the buttermilk if desired.
- Use a metal pie pan for this pie. The metal pan will give you a crispier crust. Using a glass pie pan will make the crust softer.
- It will be helpful to zest your lemons before you squeeze them. It’s much harder to zest the lemons after all of the juice is squeezed out because the lemons are flatter.
- Chilling the baked pie crust with the lemon filling in it overnight is best. This will insure that the filling is fully cold and the pie will be ready to eat as soon as you add the meringue on top.
- The freeze dried blueberries can be found on Amazon and most Target stores. Make sure you don’t purchase dried blueberries instead of FREEZED dried blueberries. Dried blueberries can not be processed into a powder, which is needed.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why is my lemon meringue pie crust soggy?
The best way to prevent a soggy pie crust is by a blind baking it. Blind baking means you pre-bake the crust. You want the crust to set and crisp up before you add any wet filling. Do not skip this step. It’s very important for this recipe.
Why didn’t lemon meringue pie set?
Cornstarch is used to thicken the curd so that it sets. The mixture is cooked over a low to medium heat source. Be sure that the mixture has thickened before you remove it from the heat and add it to the baked crust. If it’s not thickened, then the pie will not set properly.
Can lemon meringue pie be made in advance?
You can make the components of this recipe a couple of days ahead of time and assemble it the day of serving.
Can Lemon Meringue Pie be frozen?
Lemon meringue pie can be frozen for up to 3 months. Some people like to freeze the meringue separately from the crust and filling, but it’s not necessary and doesn’t really affect its taste or texture.
How store lemon meringue pie?
To store a meringue-topped pie overnight, insert wooden toothpicks or chopsticks (depending on how high your meringue is) into the center of the meringue and a couple near the edges. Place clear plastic wrap over the toothpicks. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. After that, the meringue may start to weep.
Here are some other great meringue topped dessert recipes:
Lemon Blueberry Meringue Pie
This delicious Lemon Blueberry Meringue Pie has all the lovely flavors of the classic lemon meringue pie, wit ha beautiful bright hue of purple in the meringue!
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Pie Crust
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 8 tbsp (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 4 oz Cream Cheese (1/2 bar), cold and cubed
- 2 tbsp buttermilk
Lemon Filling
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 6-7 lemons)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup water
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
Blueberry Meringue
- 1/2 cup freeze dried blueberries
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cream Cheese Pie Crust
- Combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter and cream cheese and pulse for a few seconds to just combine the everything. Add the buttermilk and pulse to fully combine. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight.Sprinkle some flour on a work surface and roll out the pie dough to fit a 9” pie plate. The dough should come out about an extra inch from the rim of the pie plate. Crimp the edges as desired. Use a fork to prick the bottom of the dough all over. Place the pie shell in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or in the freezer for about 15 minutes.Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Once chilled, line the pie dough with a piece of parchment paper and then add pie weights or dry beans into the pie pan. Blind bake the crust for 20 minutes, then remove the parchment and pie weights. Place the pie shell back in the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is fully baked and starts to brown slightly. Set aside until ready to use.
Lemon Filling
- Add cornstarch, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice and water and whisk together. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often, until it’s thick starts to bubble. this should take about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl using a spatula push it through to remove any bits of egg. Whisk in the zest and butter until fully combined.Pour the lemon filling into the prepared pie crust and smooth over the top. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Blueberry Meringue
- In a food processor, pulse the blueberries until they form a fine powder. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the powder to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large heat proof metal bowl for using a hand mixer). Add egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Whisk together until fully combined.Fill a small pot with about 2 inches of water over medium-high heat. Set the bowl of the stand mixer over the pot of simmering water. Constantly whisk the mixture until egg whites reach a temperature at 160°F, about 3 to 5 minutes, and all the sugar has dissolved.Remove the bowl from the heat and attach the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Turn the mixer on, and gradually increase the speed until it reaches medium-high. Or do this step with a hand mixer. Add in the vanilla and whip themeringue until it is glossy and begins to thicken and get stiff peaks, about 8 minutes.Spoon the meringue on top of the lemon pie filling. Use an offset spatula to spread the meringue around and give it a dome shape while also giving it a wave like decorative pattern. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
