Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie from Mustards Grill
The chef of this famed Napa restaurant, Cindy Pawlcyn, has Wisconsin ties with a degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. “Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook” is a James Beard Award winner. This is truly a stateme
Makes one 11-inch tart or 9-inch deep-dish pie; 10 to 12 servings
1 prebaked 11-inch tart or 9-inch deep-dish piecrust (see recipe)
6 large eggs
1 1 ⁄2 cups granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 6 limes)
1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons, zested before juicing)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3⁄4 cup egg whites (6 large)
1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1⁄2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
Water
Prepare piecrust as directed and place in the oven to bake.
About 15 minutes before crust will finish baking, make the
filling: Whisk eggs and granulated sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in lime and lemon juices until smooth. Whisk in the cream, then strain the filling (to remove any pulp) through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup and stir in the lemon zest. The filling will be quite liquid at this point.
Without removing crust from oven, pour filling into hot crust (it's easier to do it this way than to juggle the full pie shell from counter to oven). Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake pie (if using a tart pan) 40 minutes, until center is just set. If using a deep-dish pan, cook an additional 10 minutes. Cool pie on a rack, then refrigerate until cold.
For meringue: Place egg whites and cream of tartar in bowl of electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Place brown sugar in a small, heavy saucepan, add water to cover, attach a candy thermometer to pan, and turn heat on high. When sugar is at about 240 degrees, start whipping the whites on high speed (they should be foamy and starting to thicken before you add the sugar). When the sugar is at the high softball stage (245 degrees), remove thermometer from sugar and, with mixer still running, and carefully avoiding the whip, pour the sugar into the egg whites in a thin stream.
When all sugar has been added, continue whipping until firm but soft peaks form. The meringue should still be quite warm.
Quickly spread meringue on top of chilled pie, shaping it with a rubber spatula to form a high, smooth dome. With back of a soup spoon, make decorative waves, working quickly because, as the meringue cools it will become stiff and difficult to shape.
Preheat broiler and place pie on a lower oven rack to brown, turning every few seconds to brown evenly. (Be sure to watch it closely so it doesn’t burn.) Cool and then store pie in refrigerator, but plan on serving it within three to five hours, as the meringue may start to weep.