Grapefruit meringue pie

ingredients

• Pastry

  • 175 gram plain flour
  • 50 gram icing sugar
  • 85 gram cold butter, cut into cubes
  • 2 free-range egg yolks

• Filling

  • 225 millilitre grapefruit juice
  • finely grated zest 1 grapefruit
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 3 free-range eggs
  • 4 free-range egg yolks
  • 150 gram butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water

• Meringue

  • 600 gram caster sugar
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 8 egg whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste

• To serve

  • soft whipped cream

method

• • 1

    For the pastry, pulse the flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and pulse again until combined.

  • 2

    Press mixture evenly into the sides and base of a deep, fluted tart tin about 26cm in diameter. Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the grapefruit filling.

  • 3

    Put juice, zest, sugar, eggs and yolks in a medium pan over low heat. Gently whisk to break up eggs and dissolve sugar.

  • 4

    Add half the butter and whisk as eggs begin to gently cook (about 10 minutes). Add remaining butter and continue to whisk until very thick then add cornflour mixture and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. (Whisk throughout cooking to prevent curdling). Take off heat and set on a cold surface to cool.

  • 5

    Preheat oven to 180°C fanbake. Line chilled pastry case with baking paper, fill with baking beans or raw rice and blind bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden at edges. Remove baking paper and beans/rice and set aside to cool.

  • 6

    Turn up oven to 230°C fanbake. Once pastry case is cool, whisk grapefruit filling to combine and pour into case.

  • 7

    Bake for around 2-5 minutes or until top is slightly freckled with brown spots and filling has set. Set aside to cool.

  • 8

    For meringue, it is recommended to make it in two equal batches as it won’t all fit in a regular stand mixer, so halve all the quantities and follow this method. Place sugar in a pan with the water, swirl to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil. When mixture reaches 116°C on the sugar thermometer, place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk at slow speed to create soft peaks; add vanilla in last few seconds of whisking.

  • 9

    Once sugar syrup reaches 120°C, increase mixer speed and slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg whites. Continue to whisk until meringue has cooled down (about 5 minutes).

  • 10

    Spoon meringue on top of cooled pie and spread out. Now make second batch of meringue and use a piping bag to create spires. Evenly toast outside of meringue with a kitchen blow torch. Serve immediately with soft whipped cream or refrigerate until needed.

notes

• You’ll need a sugar thermometer and a kitchen blow torch for this recipe.