The Best Meringue Pie: Lemon-Marshmallow Meringue Pie!

Lovely friends, there's only 1 week until Thanksgiving! Goodness did that sneak up. Continuing on with some non-traditional Thanksgiving pie options, I give you one of my absolute favorite desserts: lemon-marshmallow meringue pie. It's tart, sweet and fluffy—a nice break from all of the pumpkin, apple and nuts of the season!  

This is a great make-ahead pie if you're stressing about Thanksgiving baking. You can prepare the recipe up until step 4 about 2 days ahead, then make the meringue right before serving—the marshmallow fluff stabilizes the meringue (meaning it's way easy to make and can sit out longer), plus it tastes far better than the classic egg white–topping. I hope you enjoy it :) 

LEMON MARSHMALLOW MERINGUE PIE
SERVES: 8 to 10

FOR THE CRUST

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

FOR THE FILLING

5 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

5 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon

1 cup water

½ cup whole milk or heavy cream

½ cup fresh lemon juice

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (or less if you don’t like tartness!)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

FOR THE MARSHMALLOW MERNIGUE

2 large egg whites

½ to ¾ cup marshmallow cream

2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350˚. Pulse the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is in pea-sized bits. Pulse in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough sticks together when pressed. Form the dough into 2 disk; wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk out to a 13-inch circle (save the remaining disk for another use). Ease the dough into a 9-inch pie pan; trim the overhang to 1 inch, then fold the overhang under itself and crimp the edges. Pierce the crust all over with a fork; line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Let cool.

3. Make the filling: Whisk the egg yolks together in a heatproof bowl; set aside. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Slowly whisk the water and milk into the sugar mixture until the cornstarch dissolves. Bring the milk mixture to a boil over medium, whisking constantly, then slowly whisk 1 cup into the egg yolks; pour back into the saucepan and cook, whisking, until thick, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest and butter. Transfer to a bowl and press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

4. Make the marshmallow meringue: Beat the egg whites, marshmallow cream, sugar and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

5. Assemble the pie: Spread the cold lemon curd in the prepared piecrust. Top with the marshmallow meringue and make decorative peaks using the back of a spoon. Toast the meringue with a kitchen torch or broil briefly until golden (the meringue will brown quickly).