Pie to save the soul

Hello lovely cooks!
The following recipe is perfect for a sunny afternoon on the patio. For an after dinner dessert to remember.
......And the ultimate midnight snack ;-)

Basically we are talking luscious lemon and lime meringue pie!

This is a twist on the original. Using the lime takes the edge off the sweetness of the meringue and makes for a rich tangy filling.

Pastry first. Refer to the pastry recipe used in my previous entry entry.


This pastry recipe comes from a beautiful little book called 'afternoon tea', bought to cooks young and old by 'frankie' magazine.

Blind baking

For this recipe you will need a blind baked pastry case to pour your filling into. (This applies for both recipes).
Follow the pastry recipe and shape into your tin. Again if you dont own a tart tin you can use any kind of tin. For example, if you are using a lamington/slice tin you can line only the base of the tin with the pastry. By blind baking the base and pouring over the filling, you will end up with a yummy afternoon tea meringue slice, which can be cut into bit size squares.

The next step for blind baking is to grab out either some baking paper or some foil. Personally I like to use foil. Because the foil is thinner, it gets right into the crevices of your tin which means you're more likely to get an even thickness in your pastry and it will look more consistent. This is especially suitable for things like canapes and petit fours where perfection is all in the detail.

The next step is to fill the foil. You dont neccesarily need pastry weights for this. A big packet of rice will do just as well, and i prefer this as it allows for a more even baking, without a lumpy base. This rice can be re-used again and again and can be kept indefinitely in an airtight container. (Once you have baked with this rice you cant re-cook it to eat.)

Pour your rice into the foiled pastry case. Place in a moderate oven for 10 minutes. For the first ten minutes of the cooking you need the weight of the rice on the pastry so it doesnt rise. After the ten minutes is up carefully take your tin out of the oven. Place on a heat proof surface and remove the foil. Do this by taking the corners of the foil and pilling them up together so you have encased the rice completely, leaving no holes. If some of the rice has spilled into the pastry case, dont worry just leave it!
Once the second part of the cooking is done you can take them out using a spoon. If you attempt to do this in the half way stage you will end up pushing the rice into the soft pastry, basically ruining all your efforts.

Place the pastry back into the oven for 10 minutes to dry it out. Keep an eye on your oven. You dont want the pastry to brown, you just want to to dry out so turn your oven down if you have to.

Place your pastry case on a heat proof surface and leave it to cool.


For the filling:

Ive put two suggestions for a filling. (see below meringue for second recipe). These are for a 30cm tart tin but you can convert it for a 22cm tart tin by just dividing the ingredients by 4 and cutting off 1/4 of the recipe.

My first recipe is a baked lemon tart recipe, to which you then pile on the meringue and bake for a further 20 minutes.

This is my version but i was inspired by this recipe from the 'taste.com.au' website, take a look.

This photo is of the tart baked without the meringue topping:


My recipe version is as follows:

100ml lemon juice
100ml lime juice
70ml cream
170g castor sugar
5 eggs

Grab out a large bowl and combine both juices, cream and sugar.
Whisk together until combined. Grab your eggs and crack one in at a time, whisking thoroughly in between each addition of a new egg.

Whisk vigourisly, until combined. The eggs will still look a little separated in the mixture but you wont notice this once the tart is cooked.

Pour the filling into your baked pastry case and carefully place into an oven for 15-20 minutes. Check the tart after 15 minutes, you may need to turn it depending on the colour. When the tart is cooked it will be completely set, and will feel almost rubbery on top. Take out of the oven and cool.

While you are waiting for the tart to cook, begin on your meringue.

You will need:

12 egg whites
castor sugar

Grab out a large bowl and crack in your 12 egg whites. If you are nervous about cracking eggs, I'd suggest cracking them individually into a cup and pouring them one by one into the larger bowl. This way you will avoid any egg yolks that may break.

Grab out your electric beaters. If you dont own electric beaters, you can beat them by hand using a whisk and lots of perserverence. Beat the egg whites on a medium speed til they are thick and look almost curdled at the edges.When you are happy with the way they look, start adding in the sugar. When making a meringue mixture its important to add the sugar just ONE tablespoon at a time. This allows the egg whites to absorb the sugar easily and prevents leakage in the baking process.

When all the sugar has been added, scrap down the sides of the bowl thoroughly and beat again quickly til you have a nice clean mix.

TURN DOWN YOUR OVEN TO 150 C.

Grab your tart and place it somewhere near the oven, so you wont have to carry it too far when the meringue has been put on. Using a large spoon (plastic salad servers are good), pile on the meringue, one spoon at a time. Dollop the meringue around the tart and join the dollops by using the back of the spoon. To create a puffy spiked effect as shown in the picture above, continue to use the back of the spoon.

When you are happy with your meringue tart place it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. You may need to turn the tart after ten minutes depending on how even the heat distribution is in your oven. When the meringue part is a golden brown colour, turn off your oven. Take out your tart and place it on a heat proof surface to cool.


Alternative pie filling
This recipe is also from taste.com.au.
This recipe is for a lemon curd filling, which is baked over the stove top.
Grab out a small saucepan and fill about 2 inch's up with water. Place on your stovetop over a low-medium heat.
                 100g butter (Cut into cubes)
                1 1/2 cups castor sugar
                1/3 cup lemon juice (or a combination of lemon and lime)
                 2 tablespoons of lemon/lime rind
 
Combine the above ingredients in a small bowl (big enough to fit over your saucepan, with enough edge to pick up the bowl). Place the bowl on top of the saucepan and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the butter is melted. (about 6 minutes).

Take the bowl of the heat. Grab out a wooden spoon.
Grab out a whisk and beat in 2 EGGS. Place back on heat and take your wooden spoon and stir.
Stir the mixture until it thickens and lightly coats the back of the wooden spoon.

If you dont have a wooden spoon on hand, dont stress, a metal one is equally as adequate. The best thing to do with either type of spoon is just to put on a kitchen timer for 8 minutes. It should have transformed into a lovely thick curd after about 8 minutes.

Pour your curd into your pastry case, (already blind baked) as soon as its ready. If you leave it to cool, it will thicken. Place your tart into the freezer for half an hour.

Make meringue and bake, (see above). Remove the pie from the oven and cool slightly. Place your tart into the fridge for an hour for the lemon curd filling to set again.

You can serve this pie hot. Although I'd suggest serving it in a bowl with pouring cream and the lemon curd inside will be hot and runny. Not to say that isent amazingly yum all the same!

How to cut a meringue pie without destroying it

With all the time and effort that goes into making a beautiful dessert, you want a great end result. Meringue is notoriously tricky to cut, so here are a few notes that i hope will help take the frustration out of plateing up.
If you have used a tart tin, leave the pie in the tin, as this will prevent the sides of the pastry breaking.
Grab out a large thick straight edge knife. Have a jug of warm water and a roll of paper towel ready.
Make your first cut. Place the dirty knife into your jug of warm water and then wipe on your paper towel. Make your next cut. Keep the knife as clean as possible before each cut.

If you find the cuts are still a little messy: After cleaning the knife and using the towel, dip the knife back into the water, then drain on a new piece of paper towel. (By placing only the sharp edge of the knife on the towel, the knife being in a cutting position).

I hope I've been some what helpful. Look out for more pie recipes, soon to come.