Giving the fall flavors a break…just for this weekend. This will have you holding onto your summer feels all weekend long (albeit summer temps are a thing of the past). Lemon Meringue Mousse Pie is for the present! It’s light, bright, refreshing and oh so dreamy and creamy!
Who said you can only have certain desserts at certain times of the year…or day or week…? I don’t know, but you are a grown ass woman (or man) and you can do whatever you want! And trust me, you will want to do this. I had a good friend come in who has been away for some time. I wanted to make a special treat for her, and she is a lemon lover!! Not in the creepy way (like that show My Strange Addiction), she just loves lemon flavored desserts! 😉 So, I did a little spin on the traditional lemon meringue, by making it a lemon mousse! I know, groundbreaking! Well it may not be groundbreaking, but it is damn good.
Any who, this is actually really simple. I used a store-bought graham cracker crust…. what…. I know. But hey, we are in difficult times, so trying to simplify things a bit. Plus, it’s a time saver and now turns this baby into a no bake! So there, back off. Or make your own…remember, you are a grown ass human. So back to the no bake pie. Just make the lemon curd…easy, then make whipped cream to fold into the lemon curd, easy, then chill…. you guessed it… easy. Last, make the swiss meringue, easy. Are you sensing a theme here?
The light and creamy lemon mousse!
Toasty swiss meringue. I used this kitchen torch, I highly recommend a kitchen torch!
Pre-made crust baby!
Marshmallowy meringue atop that silky lemon mousse! Perfectly paired!
Hold off on the pumpkin spice and everything nice this weekend. Make my Lemon Meringue Mousse Pie this weekend and enjoy the light, bright, cream and don’t forget dreamy delight! Pairs perfectly with…whatever the heck you want! Remember, we are grown…. you got it.
Happy Weekending & Lemon Meringueing It!
Diane
- Crust:
- Store bought baby graham cracker!
- Filling:
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 tbsp. corn starch
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1½ cups water
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Swiss Meringue:
- Kitchen Torch
- 5 large egg whites
- 1½ cup of sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- For the Filling:
- Separate the yolks from the whites and reserve the whites for the meringue. In a medium bowl add the yolks and whisk until lighter and smooth, a few minutes. Set aside.
- Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl set aside. Place the bowl of a stand mixer in the freezer with the whisk attachment while you prepare the filling.
- In a medium saucepan add the water, sugar, cornstarch, salt and lemon juice. Whisk to combine over medium high heat. It will be cloudy. The sugar should dissolve while whisking constantly. Bring to just a boil. Take a ladle full of the mixture and slowly add it to the egg yolks while whisking to temper the eggs. Pour the tempered eggs back into the saucepan while continuing to whisk until the mixture thickens and comes back up to a boil. Should take a few minutes more. Pour through a fine mesh strainer back into the medium bowl and gently place the bowl in the ice bath to stop the cooking. Whisk in the butter until melted and smooth. Whisk for a few minutes in the ice bath to continue to cool. Remove from ice bath and set aside.
- Pull the bowl and whisk from the freezer and attach to the stand mixer. Pour the heavy cream into the chilled bowl and whisk on high until medium peaks form. This will only take a few minutes, don't over mix.
- Take a third of the whipped cream and whisk into the cooled lemon curd to loosen. Switching to a spatula add the cream in three more additions, gently folding into the curd after each addition. Continue to gently fold until all the cream is fully incorporated into the curd.
- Pour the lemon mousse into the pre-made crust and even off top. In a covered pie container or loosely covered not touching the mousse chill for at least 3 hours to overnight.
- For the Swiss Meringue:
- Fill a medium saucepan with about an inch or two of water to create a double boiler. Heat over high heat to bring to a bowl. Reduce heat medium low to gently simmer.
- Using the reserved egg whites, plus one more egg white add to the clean bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and salt and whisk. Place the bowl of the stand mixer over the saucepan but not touching the water. Whisk constantly until the sugar and egg white mixture is combined and lighter and when you rub a small amount of the mixture between your fingers there is no graininess. This should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Return the bowl to the stand mixer with the whisk attachment and start off at medium speed for about 2 minutes to allow the steam to escape. Increase speed to high and whisk until stiff peaks form. Around 5 minutes or so. The bowl will be cooler to the touch.
- Pull the pie out of the fridge and dump the meringue onto the mouse using an off-set spatula or knife to spread out across the pie. Can be as uneven as you want and higher in the center.
- Carefully toast the top of the meringue until browned (if you don't have torch, carefully toast in the oven under the broiler on low for a few minutes. Watch and don't walk away). Slice and serve.
- Can store leftovers in airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Enjoy!
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