Meyer Lemon Meringue Pies in Mason Jars

This is the best way to have lemon meringue pies….served in mason jars! Perfectly lemony and creamy with a crunchy buttery pie crust and caramelized meringue topping. This recipe can be easily reduced for less servings and can be stored in the freezer for later use.

INSTRUCTIONS

Pie Crust: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a piece of parchment onto a baking sheet. 
In a food processor bowl, pour in flour, salt, sugar and ice cold butter. Pulse process for 30 seconds until mixture looks like pea size crumbs. Mix water and vinegar together, then slowly drizzle into the flour mixture while on pulse for about 10-15 seconds, just until mixture comes slightly together. Do not over mix.  Pour onto a large baking sheet with parchment paper and roll mixture into a 1/8 inch rectangle. Chill for 15 minutes. Then place in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. 

Meyer Lemon Curd:
In a large metal or glass bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar until well combined. Whisk in the lemon juice and half of the lemon zest.  Place bowl over a medium pot filled ¼ way up with boiling water, and using a spatula, cook the egg/ lemon mixture until it becomes thick. Stir frequently scraping all the sides of the bowl with the spatula making sure to keep the mixture creamy, evenly cooked and without lumps. It will become thick in about 20-30 minutes. Once it is thick remove from the heat, add in the butter and vanilla and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Stir in the rest of the lemon zest and set aside to cool.

Meringue:
In a stand mixing bowl, pour in sugar, egg whites and vanilla. Place mixing bowl over the same pot of boiling water that was used for the lemon curd and using a whisk, whisk the eggs and sugar until the sugar is dissolved and eggs are slightly warmed, about 1-2 minutes. Then place the bowl on the stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whisk until light and fluffy with stiff peaks, about 10-12 minutes. 

Assembly:
In six washed, cleaned and dried mason jars, crumble about ¼ cup of cooled pie crust into the bottom of each jar, using small chunks. Then spoon or pipe over ½ cup or more of the lemon curd onto the pie crust in the jars. Make sure the curd is evenly distributed. Then using a pastry bag with a star tip, pipe the meringue onto the lemon curd. 
Chill until ready to serve. When ready to serve, using a pastry torch, torch the top of the meringue until golden brown and serve immediately. 

*These lemon meringue pies can be covered tightly with Mason jar lids and frozen for up to a month or two. Just don’t torch the meringue until ready to serve. Remove them from the freezer, remove the lid and let thaw for about 15-20 minutes, torch the meringue and serve. 

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