Mile High Cranberry Meringue Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Transfer to a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate; flute edge. Line unpricked crust with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. , Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until berries pop, about 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks, flour and salt. Remove cranberry mixture from the heat; stir a small amount into egg mixture. Return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and extract. Pour into crust., For meringue, in a large bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. Spread over hot filling, sealing edges to crust., Bake at 350° until golden brown, 18-22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour; refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.

Steps:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to an approximately 13-inch round. Transfer to a 9-by-2-inch fluted tart pan, or a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish. Trim dough to be flush with edges of pan.
• Line with parchment and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is set and dry, about 25 minutes. Remove beans and parchment; continue baking until crust is golden on bottom, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Lemon Filling: Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk in egg yolks, lemon zest, and 1 1/3 cups water until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently; boil 1 minute.
• Remove from heat; whisk in lemon juice and butter until smooth. Pour mixture into crust. Refrigerate until filling is cool and set, about 30 minutes.
• Cranberry Gelée: Combine cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and 3/4 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally; boil 1 minute. Press through a fine-mesh sieve (discarding solids), then pour over chilled and set lemon pudding in crust, gently spreading to edges with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 30 minutes or, loosely covered, up to 1 day. If using tart pan, remove pie from pan and transfer to a serving plate or cake stand.
• Meringue: In the bowl of a mixer set over (but not in) a bowl of simmering water, beat egg whites and sugar until sugar has dissolved and mixture is hot. Transfer to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and vanilla, increase speed to medium-high and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 8 minutes.
• Spoon meringue onto center of pie, spreading slightly and leaving a 1-inch border between meringue and crust. Wave a kitchen torch over meringue until browned in places. Cut pie into wedges; serve. (Pie is best eaten the same day.)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crust: Toss the cookie crumbs with the melted butter in a medium bowl until well combined. Press into a 9-inch pie plate and bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely before filling.
• For the filling: Put 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top. Let stand 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the Brandied Cranberry Sauce, sugar and lime zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture and orange juice; set aside to cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.
• For the meringue topping: Once the pie is set, put the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl set over, not in, a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are foamy and warm to the touch. Remove from the heat, and whip in a stand mixer on medium-high to stiff, glossy peaks.
• To assemble the pie: Spread the meringue over the top of the set filling. Using a kitchen torch, brown the meringue all over. Slice and serve.
• Combine the cranberries, sugar and brandy in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and some of the cranberries have burst, about 20 minutes. Use right away or refrigerate, covered, for up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening and pulse a few times until combined. Add the butter and pulse just until coarse crumbs form. Add the vinegar and 3 tablespoons ice water; pulse until the dough comes together but is slightly crumbly. Pinch the dough - if it's too crumbly, pulse in more ice water 1 teaspoon at a time. Turn out the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the dough, then flatten into a disk. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 13-inch round. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself, then crimp the edges. Refrigerate the crust until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place the crust on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and continue baking until the crust is a deep golden brown on the bottom, 20 to 30 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while preparing the filling but leave the oven on.
• Make the filling: Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth; set aside. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan to combine. Whisk in the water and lemon juice and turn the heat to medium. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, whisking, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk about one-quarter of the sugar mixture into the egg yolks. Whisk in another one-quarter of the sugar mixture until smooth, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Continue cooking, whisking constantly to keep the egg yolks from scrambling, about 1 more minute. Stir in the butter and lemon zest until the butter melts; remove from the heat.
• Immediately make the meringue while the filling is still hot: Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Very slowly beat in the sugar; continue beating until firm glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes more (do not overbeat). Give the lemon filling a quick stir, then pour into the crust. Immediately spread the meringue on top of the hot filling, spreading it all the way to the crust; use the back of a spoon to make swoops and peaks. Bake until the meringue is golden brown in spots, 5 to 7 minutes; do not overbake to avoid weeping.
• Remove the pie to a rack and let cool 1 hour, then refrigerate until completely cooled before slicing, about 4 hours.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
• To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

Steps:

• For the pastry, put the butter and flour in a food processor and whizz to fine crumbs, then pulse in the sugar. Mix the egg yolks with 2 tsp cold water and, with the blade running, pour in the liquid to bring the pastry together. If it doesn't come together, add 1-2 tsp more water until it does.
• Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface and bring together to make a flat disc, then roll out to line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Leave the pastry overhanging the tin and prick the bottom of the pastry case with a fork. Chill for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line the pastry case with some crumpled baking parchment, fill with baking beans, then blind-bake for 15 mins. Carefully remove the parchment and beans, and bake for a further 10 mins or until the pastry looks golden and biscuity. Remove the case from the oven and trim the edges of the pastry with a sharp knife. Can be done the day before. Lower oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• While the case is baking, make the filling. Cook the cranberries in a shallow pan over a medium heat with 2 tbsp water for 15 mins until pulpy. Push the fruit through a sieve over a bowl; discard the seeds and skins.
• Put the cornflour in a clean pan and whisk in the lemon and orange juice until smooth. Add the sugar and cranberry purée, and heat until the mixture has bubbled and thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, add the butter and beat until melted. Add the egg yolks and whole egg to the pan, beat well and return to a medium heat. Keep stirring vigorously for 5 mins until the mixture thickens and drops off the spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the meringue. Put the egg whites in a large clean bowl and whisk to stiff peaks. Add half the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition until stiff again. Whisk in the cornflour and remaining sugar until shiny and thick.
• Pour the filling into the pastry case. Put spoonfuls of meringue around the edge of the filling so it just touches the pastry and pile the rest into the centre, spreading so that it covers the filling. Bake for 18-20 mins until the meringue is crisp and slightly coloured. Let the pie sit in the tin for 30 mins, then remove and leave for at least another 30 mins before slicing. Can be made several hours ahead.

Steps:

• To make the crust, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together the crumbs, butter and sugar. Scrape into a 9-inch glass pie plate and press evenly across the bottom and sides. Bake until the crust just begins to brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
• To make the curd, put the cranberries and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Heat until the cranberries pop, about 5 minutes. Purée in a food processor and strain through a sieve. Return to the pan, add the butter and sugar and heat until the butter melts and sugar dissolves.
• Whisk the yolks until smooth. Very slowly whisk in the hot cranberry mixture. Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens a bit, about 5 minutes. (Do not allow to boil, or the eggs will scramble.) Set aside.
• To make the filling, place the cranberries, sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Boil just until the sugar melts. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Position a rack in the top third of the oven. Have the curd and filling very hot. (Reheat the curd gently, stirring, to avoid scrambling the eggs.)
• To make the meringue, put the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small saucepan. Stir in 1/3 cup water. Place over medium heat and stir until the mixture boils and becomes translucent. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until fluffy. Slowly add remaining sugar. Reduce speed to medium and add cornstarch mixture a tablespoon at a time. Beat just until meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks. (Do not overbeat.) Fold in the dried cranberries.
• Pour off any liquid from the filling and spread it in the pie shell. Top it with the cranberry curd. Add the meringue, covering the filling completely and making little decorative peaks. Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake until meringue peaks are nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool before serving or refrigerating.