Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere

Ingredients

• Pastry
• 1 1/2 s plain flour
• 1 icing sugar
• 140 s cold butter, chopped into cubes
• 1 yolk
• 2 s water
• Filling and meringue
• 1/2 cornflour
• 1 caster sugar
• 1/2 lemon juice (Fresh please!)
• 1 1/4 s water
• 2 s finely grated lemon rind/zest
• 60 s unsalted butter, chopped into cubes
• 3 s , separated
• 1/2 caster sugar, extra

Directions

1. First, make your pastry. I didn't have a food processor, so I did this by hand.
2. Sift your flour and icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the chopped butter and "rub in" until the butter is mixed into the flour and the mixture is crumbly. Alternatively, put all ingredients in food process and process until crumbly.
3. Add egg yolk and water. Mix until ingredients come together, or process until combined.
4. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth. Try not to overwork the dough too much.
5. Cover dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Grease a 24cm round loose-based fluted flan tin. Roll out dough between sheets of baking paper (this stops it sticking to the bench and makes it easier to transfer to the tin). Roll out until large enough to line tin. Gently place your pastry into the tin. Press onto base and side and then trim off excess pastry.
7. Cover and refrigerate another 30 minutes.
8. Prehead the oven to 240* or 220* if your oven is fan-forced.
9. Place your tin on an oven tray, line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with dried beans or rice. THis is called blind baking and ensures your dough is cooked and falky. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans. Bake for another 10 minutes to develop some colour. Cool the pie shell and turn your oven off.
10. Now for the filling! First, combine your cornflour and sugar in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in the lemon juice and water until the mixture is smooth. Cook over a high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat and simmer for another 1 minute, stirring all the time.
11. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the rind, butter and egg yolks. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
12. Spread your filling into the pie shell, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
13. After 2 hours, preheat your oven to 240*/220*C.
14. Beat egg whites in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Note, your bowl should be metal or glass, and clean and free of any residue. Any fat or protein in the bowl will mean the egg whites won't whip. It's very sad if this happens!
15. Gradually add the extra sugar into the egg whites, beating until the sugar dissolves.
16. Lightly scour the surface of the pie with a fork to help the meringue to adhere. Spread the meringue mixture onto the base, I like to have it rise to a slight peak in the centre.
17. Bake the whole pie for about 2 minutes, just long enough to get a nice brown colour on the meringue.
18. Serve on its own, or with a scoop of icecream if you're feeling particularly indulgent!
19. We found this keeps for about 3 days, but goes soggy after that.