PIE CRUST

1. I like to make my pie crust the night before or at least 2 hours before to give it time to rest.
2. Once the dough has rested, unwrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/4” (6mm) in thickness, turning the dough 45˚ often as you are rolling to keep it even. You want the circle to be slightly larger than your pie tin. Transfer to a 9” pie tin, and arrange to ensure that the dough is well settled.
3. Trim the dough using scissors or a sharp knife, leaving about one inch excess around the edges. Gently tuck the dough under and onto itself, to give you a neat folded edge. Chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, then remove from the fridge and crimp as desired. Dock all over with the tines of a fork, then chill for a further 30 minutes. If you would like to help the crust set, I sometimes put it in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.
4. While the crust is in the fridge, preheat the oven to 425˚f / 220˚c. Cut a piece of parchment slightly larger than the pie dish. Line with the parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans, filling right to the bottom of the crimps.
5. Place the pie tin on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper and beans. Drop the oven temperature to 375°f / 190°c.  Return the pie crust to the oven and bake for a further 10-12 minutes, until the inside of the crust is evenly golden. Remove from the oven, brush the inside of the pan with egg wash and return to the oven for 2 minutes to set the egg wash.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack in the pan.

LEMON FILLING

1. Preheat the oven to 230°f / 110°c.
2. Zest the lemons on a microplane or a zester and place zest into a small bowl.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and add the lemon zest, and leave to infuse for 4 minutes, then strain out the lemon zest and discard, and set the syrup aside. 
4. Meanwhile, in another medium saucepan, heat the cream to just shy of a simmer, then turn off and leave to cool slightly. You want the cream and the syrup to still be warm when they go into the egg mixture.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks until well combined. Whisking constantly, slowly stream in the syrup, and whisk until incorporated. 
6. Stream in the cream while whisking constantly, and then mix until incorporated. 
7. Strain the lemon mixture through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl, ideally with a spout. 
8. Place a baking sheet on the lower middle rack of the oven, and place the blind baked pie crust on it. Remove any top racks as you are going to pour the filling directly into the shell while it is in the oven. 
9. Pour the filling into the pie shell, filling right to the edges - depending on the size of your pie pan you may have a tiny bit left over, this is ok. 
10. If you have big bubbles on the top of your filling you can gently blow torch the surface of the pie to pop any bubbles. 
11. Bake the lemon pie for 45 to 50 minutes, until the edges are set but the middle is still jiggly (not wavy but jiggly like jelly / jello). It will seem as if it is underbaked, but it will set up as it cools. 
12. Turn off the oven, and crack the door open using a wooden spoon or something similar. Leave the pie in the oven to cool completely - 2-3 hours, then remove from the oven and either store at room temperature or lightly covered with plastic wrap in the fridge until you are ready to add the meringue and serve. (I find that the pie is easier to cut if it is chilled before adding the meringue)

SWISS MERINGUE AND ASSEMBLY

1. Measure the egg whites and granulated sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer or other heatproof bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water, ensuring that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Heat the mixture, whisking often and watching the edges carefully, until it no longer feels gritty when rubbed between your fingers, and it registers at least 160°f / 70°c on a thermometer.
2. Carefully transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the vanilla bean paste. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks just start to form - you do not want the meringue to dry out too much or it will not shape nicely. It should be glossy and slightly stiff. This step can also be done with a handheld electric mixer but it may take a little longer. 
3. Add the meringue to the top of the cooled lemon pie, and smooth out using an offset spatula. 
4. Torch using a blowtorch to toast the meringue. 
5. Slice into pieces using a sharp knife, wiping between cuts. 
6. Store leftover pie lightly covered or in a container in the fridge.