Meringue Topped Blood Orange Curd Cake Food

BLOOD ORANGE CURD

Steps:

• Rub together the grated zest of 1/2 orange and 1/4 cup sugar with your fingertips; set aside.
• Bring 1 3/4 cups blood orange juice and 1/4 cup lemon juice to a boil in a saucepan. In a large bowl, whisk 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch and a pinch of salt; whisk in 6 egg yolks and the zest mixture. Slowly whisk in the hot juice, then return to the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until thick, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat; gradually whisk in 6 tablespoons cut-up butter.
• Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve and tint with red food coloring. Before using, chill until set, at least 4 hours.

BLOOD-ORANGE CURD

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a simmer. In a large stainless-steel mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, yolks and sugar. Whisk in orange and lemon juice and orange zest. Place bowl over simmering water, and cook curd, stirring, until it has the consistency of homemade mayonnaise. Remove from heat.
• Whisk in butter. Strain curd through a fine mesh sieve. Chill at least 2 hours before using. Curd can be made up to 3 days in advance.

BLOOD ORANGE BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: On a lightly floured surface, and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll pie dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan (not deep dish); fold the edges over and crimp them together. Prick crust all over with a fork and chill in freezer for 30 minutes until frozen. (Cover with plastic if freezing for longer than a few hours. Well wrapped, it will last in the freezer for up to a month.)
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line chilled crust with foil, fill with pie weights or dried rice, then bake for 12 minutes. Remove foil, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until pale golden, 10 to 16 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack to cool while you prepare the filling. (Leave the oven on if baking the pie immediately.)
• In a heavy saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, egg and sugar. Stir in the orange and lemon juices, zest and salt. Add pieces of butter and cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 7 to 9 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should register 180 degrees. Inspect the filling: If you think there are any coagulated bits of egg, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
• Pour filling into pie crust and return to the oven to bake until filling is set (it should jiggle only slightly in the center), about 18 to 40 minutes. (Pies prepared in glass and ceramic dishes can take much longer to bake than those prepared in metal dishes. Don't give up: The curd will eventually set.) Remove pie from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees for baking the meringue.
• As the filling bakes, make the meringue: Fill a medium pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Using a large metal bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Set the bowl with the egg white mixture into the pot above the water, and whisk constantly by hand until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm (160 degrees on an instant thermometer) and has thickened and lightened in color, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat.
• Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-low speed and gradually increase speed to high, until mixture is thick, fluffy and stiff peaks form, about 5 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to overbeat.
• Spread the meringue over the hot filling, making sure it meets the edges of the crust. Using a knife or spatula, swirl in a design if you like, and bake until lightly browned, about 8 to 12 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely and top with more orange zest before serving.

MERINGUE-TOPPED BLOOD-ORANGE CURD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Line two 8-inch cake pans with wax or parchment paper. Grease paper and dust with flour.
• In a stainless-steel bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and zest. Set bowl over simmering water, and whisk constantly until mixture is warm to the touch.
• Remove from heat, and beat with an electric mixer until light colored and triple in volume, about 5 minutes.
• Sift together flour, cornstarch and salt. Resift over the egg mixture in three additions, folding after each addition. Fold in melted butter.
• Pour mixture into cake pans. Bake about 20 minutes, or until cake springs back to the touch. Remove pans to a wire rack, and let cool slightly. Run a knife around edges of pans, and invert layers onto racks to cool completely.
• Spread blood-orange curd between layers. Frost cake with meringue. Using a blowtorch, toast meringue until golden brown. (Or preheat broiler or oven to its highest setting, and broil or bake cake until meringue is golden brown. Watch carefully, it happens fast.)