Grapefruit meringue pie recipe

Details

• Cuisine: British
• Recipe Type: Pie
• Difficulty: Medium
• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 50 mins
• Serves: 10

Step-by-step

1. For the pastry, place the flour, icing sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly together to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add the egg and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together.
2. At this point, you can either use the dough as a press-in crust or chill it and roll it out. If rolling it, tip the mixture on to the work surface and bring it together as a dough with your hands. Form into a rectangle, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least an hour before using.
3. If using as a press-in crust, tip the mixture directly into the baking tin and loosely spread evenly to cover the bottom of the tin. Press up the sides of the tin to create the tart sides, then firmly press the remaining pastry over the base. Dock with a fork and refrigerate for at least an hour before baking. If rolling, roll out between two sheets of parchment paper into a rectangle, roughly 30.5 x 40.5cm (12 x 16in). Transfer to a baking tray and refrigerate for another 30 minutes to firm up. Lightly grease the tin and line the base with parchment paper.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
5. Peel the parchment paper from both sides of the pastry and carefully drape the pastry into the baking tin, gently pressing it into the corners and up the sides. Trim off the top edges then line with a piece of crumpled parchment paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the paper and beans/rice and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the base is set. Set aside.
6. To make the custard filling, place the caster sugar and cornflour into a large saucepan and whisk to combine. Add the remaining ingredients, except the butter, and whisk to combine.
7. Cook over a medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a simmer, then cook for a further 2 minutes until thick.
8. Remove from the heat, stir through the butter until melted and smooth, then pour the custard into the baked tart case. Press a sheet of clingfilm on to the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Leave at room temperature for an hour, then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
9. For the meringue topping, place the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar into a large, heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water underneath) and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. You can tell when this mixture is ready by rubbing a little between your fingers. If it feels smooth it is ready, if you feel grains of sugar cook for longer.
10.  Remove the bowl from the heat and, using an electric mixer, whisk until stiff and glossy. Add the vanilla and bitters and whisk briefly to combine.
11.  Scrape the meringue on to the tart and spread over the filling. Using a blowtorch or under a preheated hot grill (broiler), burnish the meringue until toasted.

This recipe is from One Tin Bakes: Sweet and simple traybakes, pies, bars and buns by Edd Kimber. Published by Kyle Books, £17.99. Photography by Edd Kimber.