Fun twist on a classic

Orange meringue pie

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

1 sweet shortcrust pastry sheet

For Meringue:

4 large egg whites

6 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

For Orange Curd Filling:

¾ cup sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

¼ tsp salt

1½ cups orange juice

3 large egg yolks

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp orange zest

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 175°C.

To prepare the pie crust, take the pastry sheet and transfer it to a 20-25cm pie pan, fold the edges and pierce holes with a fork. First we need to blind-bake the crust to prevent the crust from puffing up.

In order to do that, cover the crust with foil and pour raw rice or beans on top. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the foil with rice/beans and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

To make the meringue, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl.

In a large mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy then slowly add sugar mixture one tablespoon at a time and continue to beat on medium-high speed until hard peaks form. Set aside.

Now to make the filling. In a small pot mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt and slowly stir in the orange juice. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat.

Cook and stir until mixture is thick and bubbly. Turn the heat to low and cook for one more minute.

In another bowl, beat the egg yolks. To temper the yolks, stir in ½ cup of the hot sugar mixture while whisking constantly to prevent scrambling the yolks. Transfer the tempered egg yolk mixture back to the remaining hot sugar mixture. Cook for a couple more minutes, stirring constantly. Add the butter and orange zest.

Pour the hot orange curd into the pre-baked pie crust and immediately spread the meringue over the filling, making sure to seal the edges. Bake the pie for 8-10 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown.