Recipe for XXL Lemon Meringue Pie

THE DAY BEFORE. Work 90 g of softened butter with a spatula until it becomes creamy. In the bowl of a mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the creamy butter, almond flour, and powdered sugar until you achieve a homogeneous mixture. Alternatively, continue using the spatula.

Then add the eggs one by one, continuing to beat (with a mixer or immersion blender). Incorporate the flour and salt. Mix until you obtain a crumbly dough (with a mixer or by hand with a spatula). Roll the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for two hours (or overnight).

Preheat the oven to 175° (th. 5.5-6). Grease a pie dish (26 cm) and line it with parchment paper. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 6 mm in the dish (by hand, pushing the dough into the dish). Cover with parchment paper and ceramic beads or dry beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beads or beans and the parchment paper. Continue baking for about 5 minutes and remove from the oven.

Grate the zest of 2 lemons (untreated) over a saucepan. Squeeze these 2 lemons and a 3rd one to extract the juice from the 3 lemons (and retrieve approximately 250 ml). Beat the eggs with a fork.

Gently heat the lemon juice, zest, 70 g of sugar, and 140 g of butter in a saucepan. In the absence of gelatin, you can use 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, to be mixed into the lemon juice. Carefully incorporate the eggs using a whisk. Continue cooking over very low heat, stirring constantly to avoid boiling (the eggs would coagulate) until the mixture thickens, coating the back of a spoon, like a custard.

Incorporate the powdered gelatin (or the previously soaked and drained sheet). Blend with an immersion blender if the cream is not smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a night.

THE SAME DAY. For the Italian meringue, melt 230 g of sugar with water and lemon juice over low heat. Bring to a boil and let cook until the mixture reaches 120°C. If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, drop a spoonful of the syrup into a glass of cold water. If the drop forms a small soft ball, the syrup is ready.

At the same time, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form at the tip of the whisk. Pour the sugar syrup in a thin stream along the sides of the egg whites while continuing to whisk until the meringue cools down (this should take about ten minutes).

To finish, fill the tart crust with the lemon cream (which, upon cooling, has set nicely). Spread the meringue on top using a plastic spatula, creating a raised shape in the center. Caramelize the meringue using a kitchen torch. If you don’t have a torch, you can place the tart under a very hot broiler in the preheated oven. Remove it after 2 or 3 minutes as soon as the meringue has browned. Reserve for a good hour in the refrigerator before enjoying.