Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Pie

Brown rice sweet pastry

1. Pre-heat the oven.
2. Put the flour, pastry sugar and xanthan into a bowl and stir to combine.
3. Add the butter and work into the flour with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Break the egg into the bowl and stir it in to make a slightly sticky ball of dough. Cover and leave it to rest for 30 minutes.
5. Cut two 30cm/12” squares of parchment put the pastry between them and roll it into a 23cm/9” circle.
6. Lift the pastry and parchment into a 18cm/7’’ round oven dish, pressing it into the shape of the dish and up the sides. Cut away any excess pastry.
7. Peel back the top layer of paper, prick the pastry a couple of times with a fork then replace the parchment
8. Scatter ceramic baking beans (or rice or flour) over the parchment, spreading them all over the surface.
9. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the top parchment and contents off the pastry.
11. Return the pastry to the oven and cook for a further 5-6 minutes without browning too much.

Filling

1. Pre heat the oven.
2. Put the sugar, filling cornflour, water, egg yolks, grated lemon rind and juice into a saucepan, and whisk to mix thoroughly.
3. Put the pan over medium heat and continue stirring until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble.
4. Pour the mixture into the pastry case and bake for 10 minutes.
5. Take the dish out of the oven and holding the edges of the parchment, gently lift the warm pastry out of the dish. Proceed immediately with the topping or leave to cool.

Topping

1. Pre heat the oven.
2. Beat the egg whites until stiff.
3. Beat in the icing sugar a spoon at a time.
4. Sieve the topping cornflour into the bowl and beat to incorporate.
5. Add the caster sugar and gently mix it in with a metal spoon.
6. Spread over the lemon pie and bake for 20-30 minutes until the meringue is golden.
7. Serve warm or cold.