Every year at Christmas, I try to make a fancy dessert, and while a meringue pie isn’t all that fancy, it is a little more effort than an ol’ apple pie. So for this year, I made a Cranberry Meringue Pie, seasonally appropriate, I suppose, with candied cranberries. Very pleased with the outcome. Tart and sweet — and the sugared cranberries add a nice pop — and the meringue is very silky. It does take a bit of time to let things cool in between steps, but I think it’s worth it.
Ingredients
for the pastry
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 tablespoons (or more) ice water
for the filling
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
2 oranges plus zest of 1 orange
2 lemons plus zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
for the meringue
3 large egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for sugared cranberry garnish
1 cup water
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup superfine (not powdered) sugar (or pulse granulated sugar in a food processor until fine)
You will also need: a kitchen torch
Directions
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in using pulse function until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball and flatten each into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 2 hours or up to overnight.
Roll out the dough onto a well floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness and line the bottom of a 9inch pie dish. Trim any overhang to 1-inch. Fold the overhanging dough underneath and crimp around the edges. Prick shell in several places with a fork and chill, preferably in the freezer for 30mins.
Blind bake the crust: preheat the oven to 400F. Line the crust with parchment paper, fill with pie weights and bake until the edges start to turn golden, about 25-30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 300F, remove the parchment and pie weights from the pie and bake for about 10-15 minutes longer, until the pie crust turns an even chestnut brown. Let cool.
Next, make your sugared cranberries. These can also be made a day ahead, though I prefer to make them on the day. Rinse the cranberries under running water. Remove any bruised or mushy fruit and discard. Combine 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer; remove from heat. Combine the sugar syrup and cranberries in a small bowl. Cover and chill for 4 hours. Drain the cranberries in a colander over a bowl, reserving liquid for another use, if desired. Place the superfine sugar in a shallow dish or rimmed plate. Add the cranberries, a few at a time, rolling to coat. Spread the sugared cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until dry.
For the filling, add the cranberries, spices and zests into a pan with 3 tablespoons of water. Cook on a medium heat for 10-15 mins till all the cranberries have burst. Remove from the heat and press the mix through a sieve.
Whisk the corn starch into the citrus juices and add to a pan. Add the strained cranberry mixture, add the sugar and cook over a medium heat, stirring often, till the mixture thickens. Whisk in the butter. Remove from the heat and add the eggs in, mixing in each one well before adding the next. Return to the heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring often, till the mix has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. When slightly cooled, pour the mix into the crust. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Combine all the meringue ingredients in a large bowl set above a pan filled with an inch of simmering water (I like to use my stand mixer bowl). Stir the mix until the sugar dissolves. Remove and place in a stand mixer. Beat on medium-heat speed until stiff peaks form. Pipe the meringue onto the top of the pie and toast the top with a small kitchen torch.
Garnish with the sugared and eat immediately.
