Sorbet Meringue Pie Food

THE BEST LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• For the pie crust: Pulse the flour, shortening, sugar, salt and vinegar in a food processor until the mixture looks like damp sand, about 10 pulses. Add the butter and pulse until you can still see large pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Pinch the dough; if it doesn't hold together, add up to 3 more tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together when pinched. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and dump the dough onto the plastic. Using the edges of the plastic, press the dough into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and preferably overnight. (Freeze up to 2 months.)
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 13-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie dish, gently pressing the dough into the edges and letting the excess dough drape over the sides. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Trim any excess dough with a paring knife and crimp the edges decoratively or press them down with the tines of a fork. Prick the dough on the bottom all over with a fork. Place a sheet of parchment paper inside the dough and fill with pie weights or uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights and bake until the crust is deep golden brown on the edges and lightly golden in the center, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let the crust cool to room temperature.
• For the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups water and whisk to combine. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate medium bowl. Place the sugar mixture over medium heat and cook, continuing to gently whisk, until the mixture begins to bubble and is extremely thick. Temper the eggs yolks by slowly adding half of the hot sugar mixture to the yolks while constantly whisking. Add the tempered yolks to the saucepan and return to the heat. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon zest until completely melted and incorporated. Pour the filling directly into the pie crust and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the filling (see Cook's Note). Refrigerate while you make the meringue.
• For the meringue: 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 together to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture feels hot to the touch. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and add the vanilla. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the pie and gently mound the meringue on top of the filling. Use an offset spatula to make sure the meringue completely covers the filling and meets the crust all around the edges. (This will seal in the filling and help prevent weeping.) Use the offset spatula to create swirls and peaks in the meringue. Toast the meringue using a kitchen torch or broil in the oven until golden brown, keeping an eye on the meringue if broiling, 1 to 2 minutes. Refrigerate the pie until the filling is completely cool and set, about 4 hours.

LEMON-CRANBERRY MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to an approximately 13-inch round. Transfer to a 9-by-2-inch fluted tart pan, or a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish. Trim dough to be flush with edges of pan.
• Line with parchment and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is set and dry, about 25 minutes. Remove beans and parchment; continue baking until crust is golden on bottom, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Lemon Filling: Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk in egg yolks, lemon zest, and 1 1/3 cups water until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently; boil 1 minute.
• Remove from heat; whisk in lemon juice and butter until smooth. Pour mixture into crust. Refrigerate until filling is cool and set, about 30 minutes.
• Cranberry Gelée: Combine cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and 3/4 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally; boil 1 minute. Press through a fine-mesh sieve (discarding solids), then pour over chilled and set lemon pudding in crust, gently spreading to edges with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 30 minutes or, loosely covered, up to 1 day. If using tart pan, remove pie from pan and transfer to a serving plate or cake stand.
• Meringue: In the bowl of a mixer set over (but not in) a bowl of simmering water, beat egg whites and sugar until sugar has dissolved and mixture is hot. Transfer to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and vanilla, increase speed to medium-high and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 8 minutes.
• Spoon meringue onto center of pie, spreading slightly and leaving a 1-inch border between meringue and crust. Wave a kitchen torch over meringue until browned in places. Cut pie into wedges; serve. (Pie is best eaten the same day.)

MERINGUE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the cornstarch; beat into egg-white mixture. Beat in vinegar and vanilla.
• Drop dollops of mixture in a line down center of prepared baking sheet. With a flexible spatula or a wet spoon, spread into a 6-by-14-inch rectangle. Make a 1-inch-deep well down the center, leaving a 1-inch-thick border around edges.
• Bake 2 hours; turn off oven, and let stand (in oven) for 2 hours or up to overnight. Fill with sorbet; top with peaches or almonds, if desired. Cut into pieces with a serrated knife.

CHOCOLATE MERINGUE PIE (THE BEST EVER)

Steps:

• Filling: Combine sugar, flour, cocoa and salt in a saucepan.
• Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick.
• Pour a small amount into beaten eggs and stir well. Return to hot mixture and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla, mixing well. Pour into a pie shell and set aside.
• Meringue: Preheat oven to 350.
• In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites on high speed of the electric mixer, gradually adding sugar and vanilla. Beat until mixture holds firm peaks. Spread meringue over pie.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until browned.

RHUBARB & STRAWBERRY MERINGUE POTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/ Gas 4/fan oven 160C. Put the rhubarb in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle over 50g/2oz of the sugar and the orange zest and stir together. Cover and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until tender. (Alternatively, you can cook the rhubarb with the sugar and zest in the microwave for 10 minutes on full power, stirring halfway through the cooking time, until just tender.)
• Remove the rhubarb from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the conserve then the egg yolks. Divide the rhubarb mixture between four 175ml/6fl oz ramekins. Put on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 10 minutes until lightly thickened.
• While the rhubarb is cooking, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Sprinkle over half of the remaining sugar and whisk again. Gently fold in the rest of the sugar. Pile the meringue on top of the rhubarb to cover it completely and swirl the top. Return to the oven for 10 minutes until the meringue is puffy and golden. Serve immediately.

SORBET MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter, marshmallow creme and corn syrup; stir until thoroughly combined. Set Aside.
• Spray a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange meringues, flat side down, on bottom and sides of pie plate. Spoon and spread one pint of sorbet over meringues, pressing gently onto meringues. Pour over all but 2 tablespoons of peanut butter sauce over sorbet, spreading to cover sorbet.
• Freeze for 30 minutes or until sorbet is firm. Spoon and spread remaining pint of sorbet on top of peanut butter sauce. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons peanut butter sauce. Freeze until firm, at least 1 to 2 hours.