A crisp shortcrust case filled with a rich custard of butter, egg yolks, ground almonds and fresh lemon, baked until set and crowned with golden meringue. The almonds give the tangy filling a soft, nutty body unlike a modern lemon meringue pie. Makes 8 servings in about 3 hr 20 min.
Prep30 min
Cook70 min
Cooling1 hr 40 min
Total
3 hr 20 min
Servings
8
Ingredients
Adjust yield
servings
Scales from a half to a double batch. Laminated and yeasted doughs are easiest to handle one batch at a time; bake extra pans in rounds.
1 ⅓ cups (175 g)all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (15 g)granulated sugar, for the pastry
1 pinchsalt
⅓ cup (90 g)unsalted butter, cold, cubed, for the pastry
2 ½ tbsp (40 ml)ice water
⅓ cup (85 g)unsalted butter, for the filling
⅔ cup (120 g)granulated sugar, for the filling
⅔ cup (60 g)ground almonds, blanched almond flour
1 tbsp (6 g)lemon zest, finely grated, from 2 lemons
⅓ cup (75 ml)lemon juice, fresh, from about 2 lemons
For the pastry, whisk the all-purpose flour, 15 g granulated sugar and salt, then rub in the 90 g cold unsalted butter until it looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the ice water with a knife, gather into a disk, wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Roll the pastry on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, line the pie plate, crimp the edge and prick the base. Chill 10 minutes; meanwhile preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Line the pastry with parchment and pie weights and bake 15 minutes, then remove the weights and bake until dry and pale golden, 5 to 8 minutes more. Reduce the oven to 325°F (165°C).
For the filling, melt the 85 g unsalted butter with the 120 g granulated sugar, ground almonds, lemon zest and lemon juice in a saucepan over low heat. Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolks, then cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens like loose lemon curd and reaches 160°F (71°C), 5 to 7 minutes; do not let it boil.
Pour the warm filling into the pastry case and bake until just set with only a slight wobble in the center, 15 to 18 minutes.
While the filling bakes, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then add the superfine sugar a spoonful at a time and whisk until stiff and glossy, 4 to 5 minutes.
Spread the meringue over the hot filling, sealing it to the pastry edge all around, and swirl into peaks. Bake until the meringue is crisp and golden, 18 to 20 minutes.
Cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing; cut with a knife dipped in hot water.
Tips
Spread the meringue on while the filling is still hot so it cooks from underneath and does not weep.
Seal the meringue to the crust all around so it does not shrink back.
For a stronger almond note, as in some Victorian versions, add 1/4 tsp (1 ml) almond extract to the filling with the yolks.
Cook the yolk filling on the stove to 160°F (71°C) before baking, and bake the meringue until golden; refrigerate leftovers.
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Plan on 30 minutes of prep and 1 hour 10 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour 40 minutes to chill and rest. The recipe makes 8 servings.
How should I store chester pudding?
Refrigerate, loosely covered, for up to 2 days; the meringue is crispest on the day it is made.
Can I make chester pudding ahead?
It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.
A Victorian Cheshire pudding of a shallow pastry case filled with a buttery lemon and almond egg-yolk custard and topped with meringue, often called an early cousin of lemon meringue pie. Serve it with earl Grey tea.
Variations
Individual tartlets: line eight 4-inch (10 cm) tartlet pans, blind-bake 12 minutes, fill and bake 10 to 12 minutes, then add meringue and bake 10 to 12 minutes.
Orange-zest version: use the zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon (6 g total) and 1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice plus 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice in the filling; bake times unchanged.
Plain almond Chester pudding: omit the lemon juice, keep the zest and add 1/4 tsp (1 ml) almond extract; filling bake time unchanged.
Make-ahead: blind-bake the pastry case up to 1 day ahead and store airtight; make the filling and meringue on the day.
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.
470Calories / serving
24.2gFat
58.4gCarbs
7.3gProtein
39.6gSugar
Whole recipe (8 servings):
~3760 cal ·
194g fat ·
467g carbs ·
58g protein ·
317g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
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