Elderflower meringue pie

Recipe by: Michelle Darmody

A zesty filling with notes of elderflower is topped with a delicate meringue and encased in a light homemade pastry for an impressive dessert

Elderflower meringue pie

SERVES

8

PEOPLE

PREP TIME

20

MINUTES

COOKING TIME

50

MINUTES

Ingredients

  • For the pastry:

  • 90g butter,Ā chilled and cubedĀ 

  • 150g flour

  • 35g caster sugar

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1 pinch of salt

  • For the filling:

  • 90g golden caster sugar

  • 2 tsp cornflour

  • zest of 2 lemons and 140ml of lemon juice, strained

  • 40ml elderflower cordial added to 145ml of water

  • 85g butter, cubed

  • 3 egg yolks and 1 egg, lightly beaten together

  • For the meringue:

  • 4 egg whites

  • 190g caster sugar

  • 2 tsp corn flour

Method

  1. To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles rough breadcrumbs, do not over mix it.

  2. Stir the sugar into the egg yolk, mix it lightly and then add it to the pastry, bring it together with your hands. Rest the pastry for an hour in the fridge or over night.

  3. Grease and flour an 8inch tart case. Preheat the oven to 180Ā°C.

  4. Cut a circle of parchment and place it into the pastry shell. Fill with beans or ceramic beads for blind baking. Bake the pastry for 20 minutes, remove the beans and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden and baked through. Set aside to cool completely.

  5. To make the lemon and elderflower layer add the sugar, cornflour, lemon zest and stir them together. Add the lemon juice and the cordial with water. Slowly heat it up, stirring all of the time. Keep stirring over a gentle heat until it thickens. Once the mixture bubbles, remove from the heat and beat in the butter until melted. Now add in the eggs all the while stirring until thickened. Set it aside to cool.

  6. To make the meringue whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the sugar a table spoon at a time and keep whisking. Once you have half of the sugar has been added sieve in the cornflour. Gently stir it into the mixture then go back to adding the sugar.

  7. Scoop the filling into the pastry case and smooth it over. Gently scoop the meringue on top and make peaks with the back of a spoon.

  8. Bake for 20 minutes until the tips of the meringue are golden. Allow to cool in the tin.

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