Battle Meringue Pie

Blackberry lime meringue pie vs. Lemon meringue pie

A culinary competition of sorts took place in my kitchen last weekend.  I had already decided to bake this luscious blackberry and lime meringue pie.  (Ok, my sister pleaded with me to make it for her for her birthday.  Birthday pie instead of birthday cake.  Who knew?).  But since the pie only needed a single crust – and everybody knows that all pie dough recipes make for two crusts – the Monarch quickly suggested that I bake a second pie at the same time.  Two birds, one pie.  OK, two pies.  But you know what I mean.

Two pies.  They'd obviously have to be two single crust ones.  One lime meringue.  And the other... lemon meringue.  Not really a stretch but still.  I had my two recipes.  One taken straight from the cover of the newest Bon Appetit magazine.  The other, a mile high lemon meringue pie from Martha Stewart.    But both used slightly different techniques.  Different curds.  Different meringues.  Hmmm, went my mind.  (Yes, apparently my mind goes hmmm.)  This could be interesting.   This could be blog-worthy!

OK, I said to the Monarch.  Two pies it is!

An so, on a blustery and bleary Sunday afternoon, battle meringue pie took place.

First, the pie crust

I will spare you much detail about the making of a pie crust.  All I will say is that:
a) a food processor beats a pastry cutter at making a pie dough
b) forgetting to dock your crust will make it bubble up when baked
c) the navy beans that I needed to make heuvos rancheros were used as pie weights (and the Monarch couldn't find any more at the supermarket!)

 

 

Then the lime curd

Here is where the lime curd u-turned from the lemon curd:

(this is the gelatin dissolving in water)

some cream was whipped

and added to the lime curd

which was now light and fluffy - almost like a mousse

Let's not forget the blackberry compote

 

 

oops - why is the picture of the wine bottle upside-down???

And finally... the Italian meringue

If you were making the mile high meringue, you'd whip the egg whites until stiff peaks formed, and then stop.  But the Italians, well they had another technique in mind....

First, you dust off the candy thermometer and make a syrup....

then you slowly pour it into the whipped egg whites (look: an action shot!)

And you end up with this satiny, ooey gooey, marshmellow-ooey meringue!

And if you still have any energy left, you assemble the pie!

 

Done

If you're wondering about the lemon meringue pie, that's coming up in the next blog!

Lime and Blackberry Italian Meringue Pie

adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Pie Dough (this is my go-to pie dough recipe - also from Bon Appetit but from days long ago)

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 10 tablespoons (about) ice water

Directions for making and blind baking this pie crust can be found here: http://monarchandmrskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/08/coconut-custard-meringue-pie.html.

Lime Curd

• 1 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 3/4 cup chilled heavy cream

Blackberry Compote

• 1 cup fruity red wine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cups blackberries

Meringue

• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup blackberries (about 1/2 pint)

How to

Lime Curd

• Stir lime juice, eggs, egg yolks, and sugar together in another medium bowl. Set bowl over a large saucepan of gently simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk until mixture has thickened, the whisk leaves a path when lifted from curd, and an instant-read thermometer registers 175°, about 15 minutes. Add butter to curd, one Tbsp. at a time, whisking to blend between additions.  
  Set a strainer over a medium bowl. Strain curd into prepared bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. 
• Sprinkle gelatin over 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl; let stand until gelatin is soft, about 10 minutes. Using an electric mixer, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add gelatin mixture; continue beating cream until just before firm peaks form. Fold whipped cream into lime curd. Cover; chill.

Blackberry Compote

• Bring red wine, sugar, and 1/2 cup water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over high heat; reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, 20-25 minutes. Let cool. Add 3 cups berries; fold gently to coat.
• Spread compote in an even layer over baked crust. Spoon lime curd over berries, smooth top, and chill for 1 hour.

Meringue

• Preheat oven to 450°. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat whites in mixer until soft peaks form. Set aside. Stir sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Attach a candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush, until thermometer registers 238°.  Remove pan from heat.
• Meanwhile, beat whites in mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in salt.
• Slowly pour hot sugar syrup down side of bowl into whites and beat until meringue is firm and glossy. Continue beating until cool, about 4 minutes. Spoon meringue over lime curd, leaving a 1" plain border, and sculpt decoratively. Tuck 1 cup berries in and around meringue.
• Bake pie until meringue is toasted in spots, 3-5 minutes (or use a kitchen torch to brown). Chill for 30 minutes before serving.