Joyeux Lemon Day! On 16 Fructidor, we are celebrating citron. You guys! The lemon festival of Menton is happening right this very moment! La Fête du Citron! It appears to be like the Rose Parade, but with lemons and oranges used for decoration. The video of this year’s decorations is… unbelievable. Please watch. Menton is located on the French Rivera and is the last city in France before the Italian border. At any rate, their theme for the 2018 fête is Bollywood. Last year’s was Broadway. I would very much like to attend the 86ème fête next year.

Our own lemon fête centered around lemon meringue pie on a very snowy day. I made this in a tart pan with Rose Levy Beranbaum‘s tart crust and America’s Test Kitchen lemon filling and meringue.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Crust

6 tbs butter

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

3 tbs turbinado sugar

1 large egg yolk

2 tbs heavy cream

Filling

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 tsp table salt

6 large egg yolks

1 tbs grated lemon zest

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tbs unsalted butter

Meringue

1/3 cup water

1 tbs cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

4 large egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Using a food processor, pulse the butter and the sugar until the sugar disappears. Add the flour and the salt and pulse until just combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and cream, then add it to the flour mixture and pulse a few times. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. In between two sheets of plastic wrap, roll out the dough and carefully lift into the tart pan. Rose suggests that you fold over any over hanging dough back into the sides of the crust. Place the tart shell back in the fridge. Rose says it should stay in the fridge for at least an hour. Let’s just agree she is correct. Set the oven to 425 and gently place some aluminum foil in the tart shell and fill with baking beads or beans. Cook for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and cook until the crust is golden brown – perhaps 5 minutes more. Rose has a great tip for filling in any cracks that might have appeared during baking – using egg white, gently brush over the holes and place the tart back in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes more or just until the egg turns white.

For the filling, in a medium pan, bring the water, sugar, cornstarch and salt to a simmer while whisking constantly. When the mixture starts to turn translucent, whisk in the egg yolks, two at a time. Then, whisk in the lemon zest, juice and butter. Simmer for a bit more and them remove from heat. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the top of the filling in the pan and keep warm while you make the meringue.

For the meringue, bring the water and cornstarch to a simmer in a small saucepan and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened. Remove from heat. In an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and vanilla together. Add the cream of tartar and then the sugar, one tablespoon at a time while whisking at medium-high. Whip until shiny soft peaks form. Add the cornstarch mixture, one tablespoon at a time and continue to whisk until the eggs are at the stiff peak stage. Heat the oven to 325.

Remove the plastic from the filling and reheat until just simmering. Pour the filling into the baked pie shell. Immediately after that, add the meringue to the top of the pie, attaching some to the edge of the crust so it won’t shrink while baking.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown. Enjoy!