Ready made pre-cooked pastry case. - You should be able to get this and it will save all the hassle of making pastry. I don't know what sizes are available but the following is enough filling for one 18-20cm diameter. If you get a smaller one the right size for say 2 -3 portions, just halve the quantities. You might want to make a full sized one and make it last several days - or invite someone to dinner!
- 2 large lemons
- 275mls cold water
- 50g granulated sugar
- 40g butter
- 3 level tablespoons cornflour (they might call it maize flour but it's white not yellow)
- 2 large eggs
- 110g castor sugar
You'll need a grater with a fine grating surface, - looks like a lot of barnacles! Hold the grater onto a plate or chopping board with your left hand and take a lemon in your right. Rub the lemon on the grating surface in a circular motion, turning the lemon as you go, so you scrape off all the yellow zest but none of the white pith underneath. Repeat this with the other lemon. Scrape or brush all the zest off of the grater and the plate/board into a saucepan. Add the water and the granulated sugar and bring it to the boil, stirring from time to time to dissolve all the sugar.
Put the cornflour into a jug. Squeeze all the juice out of the lemons removing the pips and add it to the cornflour. Mix it to a paste (called slaking - don't ask me why!) and stir it into the hot lemony water. Keep stirring until it's thickened or it will go lumpy! Remove from the heat and add the butter stirring `til it's melted. Separate the eggs as I described in the chocolate mousse recipe. Stir the yolks in to the lemony sauce. Pour it into the pastry case.
Put the whites into a clean dry bowl and whisk with your electric whisk until stiff. Turn the whisk to a slower speed and whisk in the castor sugar. You should get a glossy meringue mix you can spread over the lemon filling and fork up into little peaks.
Cook it in the oven at 150°C. Delia Smith says it takes 45 minutes but I don't think it'll take that long - I never time it! I'd guess maybe 20 - 30 minutes. Just watch it `til it looks done.
You can't freeze leftovers so you'll just have to eat it all. What a hardship!