Gloria’s lemon meringue pie

Method

1. For the pastry, put the butter, icing sugar and ground almonds in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the egg and beat again until well combined. Sift in the flour and salt, then briefly mix on a low speed until the pastry just comes together. Form the dough into a ball, wrap well and put in the fridge to rest for at least 8 hours or overnight.
2. For the lemon custard, put the gelatine in a bowl of cold water and set aside to soften for 5-10 minutes. Put the sugar and lemon juice in a pan over a medium heat and cook, stirring regularly, until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.
3. Put the 3 eggs in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. While whisking, slowly pour half the hot lemon mixture into the eggs (see Know How), then return the egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over a low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and is gently boiling. Take off the heat. Squeeze the gelatine to remove excess water, then whisk into the lemon custard. Use a stick blender to gradually incorporate the butter into the hot custard (see Know How), then stir in the lemon zest. Pour the custard into an airtight container and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight (see Make Ahead).
4. Once the pastry and lemon custard have chilled, heat the oven to 160ºC fan/gas 4. Roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface into a large 25-26cm disc roughly 2-3mm thick. Line the tart tin, then use a sharp knife to trim the pastry flush with the edge of the tin (see Know How). Chill for 30 minutes, then line with compostable baking paper and fill with ceramic baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the beans/rice and paper and return the pastry to the oven for 5-10 minutes more until the pastry base is cooked and dry to the touch. Set aside to cool.
5. To make the meringue, put the sugar, lemon juice and 2 tbsp water in a heavy-based pan set over a low heat, stirring regularly until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook until the mixture reads 120ºC on a cooking thermometer (see Know How). When the sugar syrup is almost at temperature (around 112ºC) whisk the egg whites to medium-stiff peaks in the very clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (see Know How). With the mixer on medium, carefully pour the 120ºC syrup into the meringue in a thin stream (pour directly onto the egg white rather than the whisk or bowl). Continue to whisk until the meringue is thick and glossy and completely cooled.
6. To assemble, briefly whisk the lemon custard to loosen it and remove any lumps, then spoon into the cooled pastry case. Pile the meringue on top and use a spatula to shape it into a tall dome. To get the authentic Gloria look, caramelise the outside of the meringue with a blow torch (or leave as is), then chill for an hour before serving.