Mile High Pumpkin Maringue Pie Food

DEEP-DISH PUMPKIN-MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Make the crust: On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. Fit dough into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Trim edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang; fold edges under and crimp as desired. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Line crust with parchment, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges just start to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment. Bake until crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk together eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the nutmeg in a large bowl.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake until center is set but still slightly wobbly, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pie plate set on a wire rack. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).
• Just before serving, make the meringue: Combine granulated sugar and egg whites in the heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer, and whisk on medium speed for 3 minutes. Raise speed to high, and whisk until stiff glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes more. Dollop meringue onto pie, and spread using a swirling motion.
• Hold a small handheld kitchen torch at a 90-degree angle 3 to 4 inches from surface of meringue. Move flame back and forth until meringue starts to brown.

MILE HIGH PUMPKIN MARINGUE PIE

Steps:

• CRUST:.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Combine ginger snap crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Stir to Blend. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a deep dish 9-in (23cm) pie plate. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden around the sides. Move to a rack to cool.
• FILLING:.
• Sprinkle gelatin over brandy in a small bowl. Let stand until softened.
• Scrape brandy mixture into a saucepan along with sugar, spices, pumpkin, milk, egg YOLKS, and orange zest. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture "mounds when dropped from a spoon".
• Transfer filling to a metal bowl and set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Cool, stirring Constantly.
• Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into pumpkin mixture with sour cream until no streaks remain.
• Spoon filling into cooled crust and chill until set, preferably overnight. (You can cook from this point and skip the meringue if you don't like it. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until the filling looks cooked. Refrigerate until served).
• MERINGUE:.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Whip egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer at medium speed until foamy.
• Continue whipping at medium-high speed, gradually adding sugar until fully incorporated. Continue to whip until whites hold a stiff peak.
• Dollop over chilled pie. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until meringue is golden.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Sprinkle with ground ginger snaps if you wish.

MILE-HIGH LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening and pulse a few times until combined. Add the butter and pulse just until coarse crumbs form. Add the vinegar and 3 tablespoons ice water; pulse until the dough comes together but is slightly crumbly. Pinch the dough - if it's too crumbly, pulse in more ice water 1 teaspoon at a time. Turn out the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the dough, then flatten into a disk. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 13-inch round. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself, then crimp the edges. Refrigerate the crust until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place the crust on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and continue baking until the crust is a deep golden brown on the bottom, 20 to 30 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while preparing the filling but leave the oven on.
• Make the filling: Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth; set aside. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan to combine. Whisk in the water and lemon juice and turn the heat to medium. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, whisking, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk about one-quarter of the sugar mixture into the egg yolks. Whisk in another one-quarter of the sugar mixture until smooth, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Continue cooking, whisking constantly to keep the egg yolks from scrambling, about 1 more minute. Stir in the butter and lemon zest until the butter melts; remove from the heat.
• Immediately make the meringue while the filling is still hot: Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Very slowly beat in the sugar; continue beating until firm glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes more (do not overbeat). Give the lemon filling a quick stir, then pour into the crust. Immediately spread the meringue on top of the hot filling, spreading it all the way to the crust; use the back of a spoon to make swoops and peaks. Bake until the meringue is golden brown in spots, 5 to 7 minutes; do not overbake to avoid weeping.
• Remove the pie to a rack and let cool 1 hour, then refrigerate until completely cooled before slicing, about 4 hours.

MILE-HIGH PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• For the pie dough: Pulse the flour, shortening, sugar, vinegar and salt in a food processor until it looks like fine meal. Add the butter and pulse until pea-size pieces remain. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Pinch the dough with your fingers; if it doesn't hold together, add up to 2 more tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition.
• Put the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or preferably overnight. (The dough can also be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the chilled dough into a 12-inch round and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp the edges with your fingers. Pierce the bottom and sides all over with a fork. Chill at least 1 hour and up to overnight. (If refrigerating overnight, cover with plastic wrap.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the chilled dough with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the crust is golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the filling: Gently whisk the pumpkin, cream, granulated sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt in a large bowl until just smooth (do not overmix). Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top. Bake until the filling is set around the edges but still slightly jiggly at the center, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• For the marshmallow meringue: Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment along with the sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk to combine. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer base and place over the simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water). Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture feels hot to the touch. Return the bowl to the stand mixer and whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the marshmallow fluff and vanilla, then beat on medium-high until just combined.
• Gently mound the meringue on top of the filling. Use an offset spatula to spread the meringue all the way to the edges of the crust to completely cover the filling, then make decorative swirls and peaks. Toast the meringue using a kitchen torch or broil 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown (watch the meringue closely if broiling to prevent burning). Slice the pie into wedges and serve.

MILE HIGH MERINGUE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, lemon juice and water.
• Bring to a slow boil over medium heat and stir until clear and thick.
• Set aside and cool completely.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
• Gradually add cooled cornstarch mixture, beating until mixture thickens.
• Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar, beating until soft peaks form, approximately 5 to 8 minutes.
• Spoon the prepared meringue over your favorite pie and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.