Lemon and mint meringue pie

Method

1. 01

   Make the pastry: pulse the flour, icing sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the cold butter and pulse until you have coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces of butter still visible — those are what make the crust flaky. Add the yolk and one tablespoon of ice water; pulse. Add more water a teaspoon at a time only until the dough just clumps when pinched. Tip out, bring together into a disc, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. Cold pastry is calm pastry.

2. 02

   Roll the pastry between two sheets of baking paper to a 3mm-thick round, large enough to line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin with plenty of overhang. Lift it in, press gently into the corners without stretching, and leave a 2cm overhang. Chill in the tin for 30 minutes, then trim.

3. 03

   Heat the oven to 190°C. Line the pastry case with baking paper, fill to the very top with baking beans or rice — right up to the rim, no shortcuts. Blind bake for 20 minutes, lift out the beans and paper, and bake for a further 12–15 minutes until the base is dry, sandy and pale gold with no damp patches.

4. 04

   The secret step: while the case is still hot, brush the whole inside — base and walls — with beaten egg white. The residual heat sets it into an invisible waterproof seal. This is the difference between a crust that stays crisp for two days and a crust that turns to porridge in an hour.

5. 05

   Turn the oven down to 150°C. Pour the warm lemon-mint curd into the crust and bake for 15 minutes just to set — the surface should shimmer but not wobble. Cool completely at room temperature, then chill for at least 2 hours until firm.

6. 06

   For the Italian meringue: heat the sugar and water in a small pan without stirring until it reaches 118°C (soft-ball stage — use a thermometer). While the syrup climbs, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks in a stand mixer. With the mixer running on medium, pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl in a slow, thin stream. Increase to high and whip for 5–7 minutes until the bowl is cool to the touch and the meringue is thick, glossy and stiff-peaked.

7. 07

   Pile the meringue onto the chilled pie, swooping it into tall peaks with the back of a spoon. Scorch with a blowtorch until the tips are deep amber. Scatter with the tiny mint leaves and a last shower of lemon zest. Serve within a few hours — this pie is at its most beautiful the day it is made.