Ingredients
Method
1.Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Grease base of 19cm x 29cm slice pan; line base with baking paper, extending paper 2cm over long sides.
2.Beat butter, sugar and egg in small bowl with electric mixer until pale in colour; stir in sifted flour, in two batches. Press dough over base of pan; prick dough all over with a fork.
3.Bake base about 15 minutes or until browned lightly. Cool 20 minutes; spread base with jam.
4.Reduce oven to 170°C/150°C fan-forced.
5.Make lemon topping; whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, cream, lemon rind and juice together in medium bowl until combined, pour over base. Bake about 35 minutes or until set; cool 20 minutes. Roughen surface of topping with fork.
6.Increase oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced.
7.Make meringue; beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form; gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved between additions; spread evenly over topping.
8.Bake slice about 3 minutes or until browned lightly. Cool slice in pan 20 minutes before cutting.
Everyone is short of time these days, but in a perfect world the base for this slice should be cooled to room temperature before the topping is poured over. Then once the topping has been baked, it should also be cooled to room temperature before topping with the meringue. The method we’ve given you does work and saves some time for you. If you’ve made meringue-topped pies or slices before, you’ll have noticed that sometimes the meringue will pull away from the side of the pastry or pan — also, a moist layer develops between the topping and the meringue, causing the meringue to slip and slide — very annoying. Try roughing up the surface of the topping (see step 5) with a fork, it gives the meringue something to cling onto.
Note
