Upside Down Lemon Meringue Pie

This unusual crust puts a layer of crisp meringue on the bottom and turns this Lemon Meringue Pie upside-down. Using meringue for the crust is perfect for those who don’t care for pie pastry or simply prefer something lighter. Here the meringue provides a pleasing crunch while the nuts and crumbs add interest in contrast to the smooth lemon filling.

A Slice of Upside Down Lemon Meringue Pie topped with a big dollop of whipped cream and dusted with lemon zest. This photo highlights the crispy crust.

The Pi Day Challenge

Pi Day. 3.14. Okay, I get it! Let’s make pie to celebrate that day of the year that most closely resembles Pi, numerically speaking. My friend, Alanna at Kitchen Parade, is sponsoring just such a Pi Day Event. Fun! It is all about understanding the chemistry of pie crust, the secret of the circle, part baking magic and part scientific equation.

The challenge of Pi Day is to make pie crust and post about it. Sounds interesting. It even sounds a bit like my life. Quirky, a little bit funny, of two minds. Like my family, it is about math and baking being joined in blissful accord. It is about the collaboration of numbers and words, of equations and creativity.

My marriage is like that, the conjunction of engineer and writer. My husband’s mind is full of numbers and their relationship to one another. He builds thoughts, constructs ideas and makes plans with numbers. My mind, on the other hand, is full of words, the nuance of their relationships and the way they interact.

A Different Lemon Meringue Pie

Pi Day made me smile and also captured my imagination. Not only did I like the word play, but it was a worthy challenge. I don’t make pie crust. I’m not even sure I want to make pie crust. Yet I appreciate a good pie pastry and I am curious to discover what creates that delicious magic.

After a few preliminary efforts at understanding the mystery (read: burned, botched and/or shrunken pastry shells) I decided it was best to start the week slowly and work my way into the Pi groove. First I made a playlist with some favorite Pi or pie related songs to set just the right mood for creating kitchen chemistry.

Then, to build confidence, I set out to make a pie crust that I was pretty sure would turn out as expected. I have worked with meringue before and felt good about trying this variation of a pie shell. With Pi tunes playing in the background, the sun shining outside my window and friends coming over after lunch, conditions were right to experiment with a new dessert idea.

This recipe makes a relatively simple crust, that is delicate and easy to break. That said, it is also light and goes great with pudding, mousse, fresh berry or ice cream fillings. I chose a lemon filling with the idea of making an upside down version of Lemon Meringue Pie. The meringue crust has a pleasing crunch and the nuts and crumbs add interest to the smooth lemon filling.

Upside Down Lemon Meringue Pie

Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

45

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

15

minutes

The texture of the meringue crust provides a pleasing crunch while nuts and crumbs add interest to a smooth lemon filling in this unusual pie.

Ingredients

  • Meringue Crust:
  • 3 egg whites

  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vanilla

  • 1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts

  • 10 saltine crackers, loosely crumbled

  • Lemon Pie Filling:
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar

  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 3 tablespoons flour

  • dash of salt

  • 1 1/2 cups water

  • 3 egg yolks

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

  • 1/3 cup lemon juice

Directions

  • Meringue Crust:
  • Beat eggs whites with salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until peaks are stiff. Fold in saltines and chopped nuts.
  • Spread meringue mixture in a well greased 9-inch pie plate, shaping it as a pie shell with the sides mounded higher than the middle.
  • Bake at 300F for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
  • Lemon Pie Filling:
  • Mix sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt in a medium saucepan, stirring well so that ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add water gradually stirring until all ingredients are well mixed.
  • Cook mixture over medium high heat until thick and bubbling across the entire surface, stirring constantly, then cook and stir for another 2 minutes.
  • Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks. Gradually pour 1 cup of the cooked mixture into the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the yolk mixture back into the cooked mixture remaining in the saucepan and cook for two more minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Add butter and shredded lemon peel. Gradually stir in lemon juice until well combined.
  • Turn filling into prepared pie shell.
  • Cool and refrigerate.
  • Serve topped with whipped cream.
  • Garnish with crushed lemon candies or grated lemon peel if desired.

Notes

10 Comments

  1. Oh, I love the playlist! I think you’ve inspired me to add some music to my post! Libby

  2. Alanna – Thanks for the inspiring Pi Day challenge. I’ve been having fun with it this week!

    Cakelaw – The playlist was fun to make. And the meringue crust, well you just can’t beat Aunt Bee and Mayberry for great pie inspirations.

    Tempered Woman – You are too funny – of course I licked the spoon… 🙂

    Carolyn – This is a fun and springy pie. I hope you like the way it turns out!

    Stef, Ricki, Hui Wen- I’ve had a lot of fun baking to this playlist this week. It does set a nice tone in the kitchen. Thanks for stopping by!

    Deb – Glad you like it! It is fun to see what everyone is coming up with for Pi Day.

  3. Deb Schiff

    How cool is that? Love it!

  4. Wow, a Pi Day playlist! What a creative idea. I love Doris Day. Your pie filling looks lusciously smooth. Yum!

  5. What an incredibly innovative way to make this! It looks delicious. And I love the playlist, too :).

  6. I LOVE the play list idea! I always listen to music when I bake. I never made a special song list though.

  7. Okay, I think I’ve found what I’m going to make dessert on Pi Day! With all the eggs we have around here this spring, this is an ideal recipe. Thanks!

  8. Tempered Woman

    oh how I love lemon meringue, let me count the ways… I actually made lemon meringue cuppies a while back. Did you lick the spoon obsessively after making the curd? tell the turth now. 😉
    Looks fantastic and thanks for the song list!

  9. Hi Lisa, Love your pie play list. the meringue crust on your pie looks super – yum!

  10. Oh I just love these springy-sounding pies! I haven’t done a meringue shell in the longest time: must do one!

    Thanks for playing along — and singing along, too?!!! what a playlist, thank you, S??? — with such spirit!

    Some day we’ll share recipes in person again …

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