Florida Citrus Meringue Pie Recipe

By dette

Why limit a great dessert to just one kind of citrus fruit? Thanks to orange and lemon, this lovely pie packs a bold sweet-tart flavor! —Barbara Carlucci, Orange Park, Florida

Ingredients

• MERINGUE:
• Ingredients
• Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup orange juice
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 4 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup sugar

Preparation

Step 1

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned. Remove foil and weights; bake 5-8 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 350°.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in water and orange juice. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer (mixture will be thick). Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gently stir in lemon juice, butter, and lemon and orange peels.
For meringue, in a large bowl, beat egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until soft glossy peaks form.
Transfer hot filling to crust. Spread meringue over filling, sealing to edge of crust; swirl top with the back of a spoon.
Bake 13-16 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack; serve within 2 hours. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 8 servings.
Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches): Combine 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 tsp. salt; cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until crumbly. Gradually add 3-5 Tbsp. ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.