Lemon Meringue is a well-known treat in South Africa and is probably better known as a “Lemon Meringue tart”. In England however, the Meringue has a distinctively stronger, sharper taste than the South African version due to a “heavier” right hand when adding the lemon zest and juice and as a result of this, the preferred name is “Lemon Meringue Pie”.
A quick taste will confirm that the British version is probably better (richer) than the South African version, though not everyone will agree. As you may have noted in last week’s edition of Rustenburg Herald’s cooking page, we’ve had an “all English” Thursday afternoon in the company of well-known Rustenburg artist Rita Schubert and colleague Gill Roberts from the Women’s Agricultural Association (Vrouelandbou-unie - VLU).
On the menu were Rita’s Cherry jam and Rumtopf which you may have tasted already. This week we have just the thing for you if you feel like something traditional, but perhaps in somewhat of a different flavour - yes this definitely is it!
Gill and her husband are both from London, England and has made South Africa their home some eight years ago because mainly of Gill’s love to stroll out into the garden to pick some lemons and whatever fruit these parts of the globe has to offer. “I just love fruit I have cultivated myself and enjoy cooking and baking with freshly picked fruit. In London this was quite our of the question”, she comments. If someone loves cooking or baking this much, you can bet on it that he/she knows her stuff - Gill sure knows how to bake a prober Lemon Meringue Pie - she does it like this... 
Blind bake a short crust pastry case. In a saucepan, mix together 15 fluid ounces (420ml) of water, 3 ounces (80g) of cornflour, 8 ounces (225g) of sugar and the zest and juice of 3 large lemons. Heat up gently, stirring as the cornflour begins to thicken. When the mixture is thickened, take of the heat and stir in a small knob of butter and 2 or 2 egg yolks. Pour the mixture into the pastry case. Whisk the yolks of the 2 or 3 eggs, spread over the top of the mixture and cook in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then cook, cut, eat and enjoy...
