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Nothing says a family tradition like fresh baked pies and National Lemon Cream Pie Day reminds us that fall is a time of sweet indulgences. But you don’t have to limit an urge for a sweet tooth dessert to pie alone. Try a creamy, refreshing lemon cream pie topped with light whipped cream for an alternative to traditional heavy pecan or fruitcake.
History of National Lemon Cream Pie Day
This Lemon Meringue Pie takes a classic and makes it even better by upgrading the meringue in two ways. First, you’ll beat the egg whites with cream of tartar, which helps produce a more stable meringue that won’t weep in the oven or while sitting at room temperature. (Cream of tartar is also added to the filling to help stabilise it. If you don’t have it on hand, you can leave it out and add a few drops of fresh lemon juice instead.) Second, we’re going to make Swiss Meringue. This isn’t a difficult technique but does take a little more time because we first heat the egg whites with sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved, then beat them into stiff peaks (see How To Make Swiss Meringue). This results in a creamy meringue with a glossy finish that will never deflate or turn grainy. The pie itself is an easily pourable filling made from eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice, butter, and cornstarch—that’s all there is to it! The rich lemony flavor perfectly offsets the tangy meringue and flaky crust.
Traditional lemon meringue pie was born in the 19th century, however, lemon custards, puddings and pies were created as early as mediaeval times. Acclaimed baker Alexander Frehse has been credited with creating one of the earliest recorded recipes for this popular dessert.
Amongst the baking tins and trays of Elizabeth Goodfellow’s pastry shop in post-revolutionary Philadelphia, one may find a recipe for a popular pie originally made with dried cherries. The combination of sweet and tart remains pleasing to this day, hence our rendition, featuring first-of-the-season sour cherries and a filling sweetened with sugar and thickened with our all-natural cornstarch.
Lemon meringue pie is one of the most enduring and beloved symbols of American culinary ingenuity to date. The lusciously sweet, tart filling is a perfect match for the cloud-like, lightly browned Italian meringue that forms the pillowy topping. While many bakeries and kitchen-labourers alike have tried to improve on this timeless classic, it remains, in our opinion, virtually perfect as is—and especially so when made with a buttery flaky crust like this one.
Experience our true taste of history with Goodfellow’s Lemon Meringue Pie, which has been lovingly created and cooked by hand in Philadelphia since 1851. Using only the finest lemons, and a unique recipe that includes cornstarch and real butter, our pie is truly something special.
How To Celebrate Lemon Cream Pie Day
Lemon cream pie has a yellow filling usually made from egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch or flour, butter and lemon (both juice and zest). Some recipes include cream or condensed milk as well. The meringue always varies depending on who’s doing the baking. Some use whipped cream, others make the topping using whipped egg whites, while yet others bake the meringue with fluffy peaks. Whatever your choice is you can’t go wrong on National Lemon Cream Pie day!
