This Raspberry Meringue Pie is very delicious. It has an intense raspberry flavour that goes well with the Swiss meringue. I use a pâte sablée dough that’s cookie-like and very tasty for the base. I didn’t make it with condensed milk as I do with my lime meringue pie because when I tested that, the raspberry flavour was too muted and the dessert was overly sweet. Instead, I made a sort of raspberry pastry cream. The result is creamy and very intensely flavoured.
The Pie Crust for our Raspberry Meringue Pie
This Raspberry Meringue Pie uses my pâte sablée (classic sweet pastry) as a pie crust. It’s a delicious cookie-like pastry that melts away when you eat it. It’s made by creaming together room-temperature butter with sugar and salt and then adding the flour. The first time I tested this recipe I tried to use a ground cookie base like I do in my Lime Meringue Pie or Lemon Meringue Pie. However, that wasn’t sturdy enough. When removed from the pan, it wasn’t able to contain the filling and would break apart. Conclusion: definitely make the pastry! My pan is 23 cm/9 in in diameter and 3cm/1.1in in height with a removable bottom. If you need a new pan, I recommend this removable bottom tart pan/tart tin. Removable bottoms are great and let you showcase your pie. You can also use a 25cm/10in pan if it’s more shallow. I love tart pans that are tall though, they’re always more impressive. We bake this tart case/pastry case until it becomes golden brown before adding the filling. In my recipe, there’s no need for baking beans which speeds up the baking process.
The raspberry filling
For the filling of this Raspberry Meringue Pie, I used raspberry purée as a base. To make it, we first blend raspberries. You can use fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries. If you go for frozen you need to thaw them first. Once blended, we strain the seeds using a fine sieve/colander to have a smooth pulp. With this pulp, I make a sort of raspberry pastry cream. It’s not a raspberry curd filling if you ask me; it’s somewhere in between. To make this raspberry pastry cream you will add the raspberry purée into a medium saucepan along with sugar. In a large bowl, you will whisk together eggs, egg yolks and cornstarch. We heat up the raspberry mixture until it steams and then pour about a third into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. This then goes back into the saucepan where we finish cooking the raspberry filling over medium-low heat. To finish it, we add cubes of butter and incorporate them as well. We then pour this on top of the pastry crust and spread it out before baking for 10 minutes.
About the Swiss Meringue for the Raspberry Meringue Pie
I topped this Raspberry Meringue Pie with Swiss Meringue. You can also use Italian Meringue if you prefer. Either method for making meringue will yield a glossy meringue. I do prefer a bit more the Swiss as it has more of a marshmallow that goes well with the filling. Once the pie is ready and has been refrigerated overnight, you’re ready to make your meringue. To make the Swiss meringue you will add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl if using a hand-held electric mixer. We will heat this mix in a bain-marie or double boiler at medium heat, stirring every couple of minutes. Once you don’t feel any sugar granules at the base of the bowl and the egg whites are very hot (you can test with a finger) it’s ready to beat at high speed. If you have a kitchen/ candy thermometer, check that the egg whites and sugar have reached 79C/174F. Whip the meringue until it has cooled down to room temperature. You should be able to form stiff peaks with the meringue. Spread the meringue on top of the Raspberry Meringue Pie and spread it with the back of a spoon. Alternatively, you can fill up a pastry bag with the meringue and use that to top the pie. I love to finish it with a kitchen torch/blow torch to make a lovely golden meringue crust.
More pie recipes
If you want to take the base for this Raspberry Meringue Pie recipe and vary it up slightly, it’s very easy to convert to a lemon and raspberry pie. To make it, 50 g of raspberries get left out from the recipe and replace with 30 ml of lime or lemon juice. This will add a delicious acidity to the filling. Having said that, if you need more pie ideas, here are a few that I love:
Raspberry Meringue Pie
Ingredients
For the crust
- 150 g unsalted butter soft at room temperature
- ½ tsp salt
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 250 g all-purpose flour
For the filling
- 700 g raspberries fresh or frozen, thawed first
- 2 eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 150 g unsalted butter cold and cut into cubes
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 50 g cornstarch
For the meringue
- 4 egg whites
- Double the weight of the egg whites in granulated sugar
Instructions
For the crust
- Whisk together the butter with the sugar and salt until it’s creamy and homogeneous. At this point, you could also add spices and citrus fruits’ zest if you like.
- Add the egg and whisk it in until it’s back to creamy (it will look split at first).
- Add the flour and mix it in using a spatula. When the spatula doesn’t help anymore, finish mixing with your hands. Place the dough on a clean surface and knead only until fully homogeneous and no longer sticking to your hands. Don’t knead it more than what’s necessary; only enough to mix it.
- Roll out the dough in between two sheets of baking paper. It needs to be 2mm thick. Once you’ve achieved this, take the dough (with paper and all) into the fridge for 2 hours or until it’s firm and a maximum of 2 days. I first placed it on a chopping board and then put that into the fridge to keep it flat.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and unstick the paper from both sides and then only keep the paper that’s under the tart. We’re doing this only so that the dough isn’t completely stuck to the paper. Use the tart ring to cut the base disc. If you’re using a removable bottom tart pan then cut around the removable bottom base with a small knife.
- In the case of the tart ring, cut the paper around the ring using a knife or a pair of scissors. Place the paper, dough and ring onto a dish that can fit your freezer. If you’re using a removable bottom pan, lift the dough carefully and place it inside the pan with the base on. If it breaks in half don’t worry – you can stick it back in place by gently pressing on it.
- For the sides, cut strips of dough that are thicker than the height of the tart. Place one strip at a time around the edge, pressing gently to stick them in place. Keep going until you’ve reached the last one. The last strip you arrange it in place and use a knife to cut it to the edge of the start of the first one you laid out. I think it’s easier to understand if you watch the video above.
- Use a non-dented small knife to cut the edge to the rim of the pan or ring.
- Freeze the dough inside the pan or ring for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Preheat your oven to 160°C / 320°F.
- Remove the dough from the freezer and poke it at the base 4-6 times with a fork to prevent it from inflating.
- Bake the tart immediately (yes, while frozen!) for 12-18 minutes. The first time you make it you want to be really careful and take a close look as it cooks because it goes from light golden to dark in very little time.
For the filling
- Blend the raspberries and strain them, discarding the seeds. Add the raspberry pulp to a saucepan along with the sugar.
- Heat up the mix until it steams, don't let it boil.
- In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, egg yolks and cornstarch using a whisk.
- Whisk the eggs constantly as you pour about ⅓ of the raspberries over them. Whisk vigorously.
- Add the rest of the raspberries in and mix them together.
- Return the mix to the saucepan and heat it over medium-low heat, stirring all the time with a whisk. Once it breaks into a boil remove it from the heat and add the butter immediately. Stir to combine. Strain the filling one last time and fill the tart crust. Level it out.
- Return the tart to the oven, still in its initial pan at 180°C/350°F for 10 minutes.
- Remove the tart from the oven and refrigerate it overnight.
For the Swiss meringue
- Make it as close as possible to the moment of serving, it’s always nicer when it's freshly made.
- Put the egg whites and sugar in a bowl where you're going to mix them afterwards. Put it on a bain-marie. Don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the surface of the water. Use a whisk to mix every couple of minutes.
- Once you don't feel any sugar crystals at the bottom of the bowl (touch the bottom of the bowl with your finger) you can take it off the bain-marie. If you have a thermometer, check that it reaches 79°C/174°F. Immediately beat with a static or hand-held mixer until it cools down to room temperature and is firm.
- Lay on top of the pie and spread out.
- You can make the meringue look a bit golden using a blowtorch or place it in an oven at 200°C/400°F on broil or just leave it white.
1 comment
These Raspberry Meringue Bars look absolutely heavenly! The vibrant red raspberry layer, paired with the delicate meringue topping, is a treat for both the eyes and the taste buds.