Passion Fruit Meringue Pie
Tangy and flavourful, this Passion Fruit Meringue Pie will become your new favourite dessert. It has a cookie / biscuit base and a delicious Italian meringue on top.
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Servings: 12 people, a 25cm/10in diameter pan
Ingredients
For the cookie base
- 220 g crushed cookies/biscuits I used vanilla
- 100 g unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp salt
For the passion fruit filling
- 800 g condensed milk
- 500 g passion fruit pulp
- 6 egg yolks
Option 1: Italian meringue
- 6 egg whites
- double the weight of the egg whites in sugar
- 125 ml water
Option 2: Swiss Meringue
- 6 egg whites
- double the weight of the egg whites in sugar
Instructions
For the cookie base
- Process or crush the cookies with the salt until fine and mix with the melted butter.
- Put the cookies on a pie mould and press down using your fingers first and use the base of a glass to press it down nicely.
- Take to a preheated oven at 160°C/320°F for 5-10min until it starts to become golden every so slightly. Be careful at this stage because it goes from golden to burnt pretty quickly.
- Let cool down completely before adding the filling so it doesn't become soggy.
For the passion fruit filling
- Place the passion fruit pulp in a blender or food processor and use the "pulse" button a few times to free the seeds from the pulp and juice. Don't overdo it or you'll grind up the seeds. Pass the mix through a colander and keep the juice.
- Mix the juice with the condensed milk.
- Add the yolks and whisk them together immediately so the yolks don't oxidize with the sugar from the condensed milk or the acidity from the passion fruit.
- Pour onto the cookie base and take to the oven still at 160°C/320°F for 20min.
- Let cool down completely and place in the fridge overnight.
Option 1: Italian meringue
- Make it as close as possible to the moment of serving, it's always nicer freshly made.
- Make sure that the pot, bowl and whisk are very clean and without any traces of fat. This can avoid the meringue from firming up. If you're doubting yourself, give everything a wash and dry thoroughly.
- Place the egg whites in the bowl where you'll be making the meringue. The sugar and water go into the pot.
- Bring the sugar and water to a boil over medium-high heat and let it reach 116-118°C/240-244°F (you'll need a kitchen thermometer). From the moment it goes over 101°C/213°F it increases steadily so keep an eye on it.
- When the syrup reaches 110°C/230°F, start beating the egg whites at high speed. Once it reaches the temperature we need, remove the pot from the heat and add it slowly down the side of the bowl while still beating at high speed. We make it go down the side of the bowl so that it doesn't impact the whisk of the mixer.
- Keep beating until it has completely cooled down to room temperature.
- Spread it out on top of the pie with a spatula or use a piping bag fitted with a tip of your choice.
- 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 for a couple of minutes. You can also just leave it white.
Option 2: Swiss meringue
- Make it as close as possible to the moment of serving, it's always nicer 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.
- Spread it out on top of the pie with a spatula or use a piping bag fitted with a tip of your choice.
- 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 for a couple of minutes. You can also just leave it white.
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