Robert Welch has teamed up with Sarah Helmsley to create a wonderfully fresh twist on a classic recipe. This Passion Fruit Meringue Pie is perfect for Jubilee celebrations, summer parties or an after-lunch treat at the weekend.
Preparation – 45 minutes + chilling/resting time
Bake time – 45-50 minutes
Serves – 8
Ingredients
For the pastry
400g plain flour 200g butter 200g icing sugar 1 egg + 1 yolk
For the filling
- 10 passionfruit
- 4 egg yolks ( reserve the egg whites) 150g caster sugar
- 30g butter
- 3 tablespoons cornflour
- 200ml water
For the meringue
4 egg whites (reserved from the filling egg yolks) approximately 150ml 300g caster sugar
You will also need a loose bottomed 20-26cm tart tin, 4cm deep or smaller tart cases.
Passion fruit meringue pie – Method
Preheat oven to 180oC
For the pastry
For a perfect Passion Fruit Meringue Pie you need a decent pastry. In a food processor, blitz the flour, butter and icing sugar together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg slowly until a dough is formed. If the dough is still a little dry or not coming together then add a little water to bind.
Once the dough is formed, shape into a flat disc and wrap in greaseproof paper. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer or ideally overnight.
When the dough has chilled, remove from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Roll quite thinly to no more than a couple of mm thickness. Place the sheet of dough into a large tart tin which has a removable base. Line with greaseproof paper if using a tin without a removable base.
Using fingers, gently press the pastry sheet to fill the tart in. Trim off any excess but keep the edges with at least a 2cm overhang above the tin to allow for shrinkage when baked. This can be trimmed with a sharp knife immediately after the case has baked.
Use a fork to prick holes in the pastry base. Line a piece of greaseproof paper over the top and fill with dried peas or ceramic baking beans. Place back into the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
After it has chilled, remove from the fridge and place into the oven to blind bake for 10 minutes. The pastry should begin to look a very light golden-brown colour. Take out from the oven and remove the paper and beans. Put back into the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes until the base has also developed a golden colour. Remove from the oven and put to one side to cool, leave in the tin.
For the filling
Scoop out 8 of the passion fruit and push the pulp and seeds through a sieve retaining only the juice and discarding the seeds. For the other two passion fruit scoop out the pulp and seeds and add them to the juice.
Place the juice into a pan with the sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has all dissolved. Place the cornflour in a small measuring jug and pour over a ladleful of the hot passion fruit liquid. Stir the cornflour mixture until it is all combined with no lumps and then pour back into the pan with the liquid. Stir over the heat for 5 minutes or so until the mixture is starting to thicken.
Remove from the heat. Add the egg yolks and the butter and stir until mixed through.
Pour the warm filling onto the pastry case. Place in the oven for 10 minutes to bake.
For the meringue
Using a food mixer, or by hand, whisk the egg whites until thick and frothy. Then gradually add all the sugar, a spoonful at a time, continuously whisking until all the sugar is incorporated into the egg whites. The meringue should now look like it has doubled in size and be stiff and glossy.
Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before spooning the meringue over the top of the pie. Start at the outer edge and smooth over to a higher peak in the middle. Use the back of the spoon to create swirls and peaks with the meringue.
Place back into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. The meringue topping should look like it has turned a very pale golden colour and be crisp on the outside. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then remove from the tin.
Notes
The quantities for this Passion Fruit Meringue Pie should fill a large tart tin up to 26cm/ 4cm deep. Smaller tins could be used to make individual pies – adjust baking time accordingly.
Any leftover pastry can be kept in the fridge for up to a week or wrapped in greaseproof paper placed inside a freezer bag and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you enjoyed Taste the season with a passion fruit meringue pie, you’ll find more delicious homemade dessert recipes on our Food and Drink channel.
This recipe is reproduced courtesy of Robert Welch.
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