Bree Van de Kamp’s Masterpiece: The Iconic Lemon Meringue Pie That Defined ‘Desperate Housewives’

Movies and TV shows have been long inspiring many people to finally prepare iconic dishes they’ve been looking at on the screen all along. One of the most popular choices has since been the lemon meringue pie, the best dessert prepared by Bree Van de Kamp in the not less iconic drama TV show Desperate Housewives.

In fact, recreating the pie is actually quite easy if you follow the steps — but make sure no Katherine Mayfair can get in your way.

Ingredients:

For the shortcrust pastry: 280 g of flour, 40 g of sugar, a pinch of salt, 150 g of butter, 1 egg (or 2 egg yolks; the whites may be used for meringue), 30-50 ml of ice water.

For lemon cream: 400 ml of milk, 5 egg yolks, 150 g of sugar, 5 tablespoons cornstarch, juice of two lemons, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, 80 g of butter.

For Swiss meringue: 180 g of egg whites, 360 g of sugar, a pinch of citric acid or 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Cut the cold butter into cubes and place it in the fridge. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the egg and slowly pour in the ice-cold water. Mix the dough until it easily forms a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it chill for 30 minutes.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Whisk the yolks with 50 ml of milk, then add the cornstarch and mix thoroughly. Zest the lemons and squeeze out the juice.

Combine the milk (350 ml) with the sugar and heat over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Carefully pour the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add the lemon juice, zest, and butter. Let it cool.

Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 5 mm, place it in the pan, and trim the edges. Prick the dough with a fork, cover with foil, and weigh it down (for instance, with grains). Bake for 15 minutes at 180°C. Then remove the weight and bake the crust until golden brown (10–15 minutes). Let the crust cool.

Combine the egg whites with the sugar and place in a water bath. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. Do not overheat the egg whites, the temperature should not exceed 50 °C. Remove the mixture from the water bath and beat with a mixer until stiff peaks are formed, adding the lemon juice.

Pour the lemon cream onto the chilled crust. Let it rest in the fridge until the filling has stabilized. Spread the meringue over the cream, smooth it out, and create peaks with a spoon. Hack: for a toasted meringue effect, use a kitchen torch or place the cake in the oven for 10 minutes on the grill setting.

Let the cake cool completely in the fridge (about 3–4 hours).