Lemon Meringue Pie is a classic but what about the humble grapefruit?
In the height of citrus season my grapefruit tree is dripping with inspiration, so I turn my hand to a classic dessert with a grapefruit twist.
Many backyards have mature grapefruit trees, much of the fruit fallen and rotting on the ground. Unlike lemons, we generally don’t reach for a grapefruit when dabbling in the kitchen. I challenge you too! Grapefruit zest and juice are great cooking companions.
If you think grapefruit only as a breakfast item, sliced and sprinkled with sugar on a side plate, think again. I’ve already squeezed fresh juice, used the peel for sugar coated Candied Citrus (they takes like fruit jubes), Bitter Grapefruit & Whisky Marmalade – on toast, as a seafood marinade or folded through scone and cake mixes.
Grapefruit Meringue Pie is fun to make and easy as pie. The meringue is soft and fluffy, the filling gooey and delicious.
For this meringue pie you’ll need a cup of grapefruit juice for this recipe. For me it equated to the juice of five medium sized homegrown grapefruit.
Grapefruit Meringue Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust (see my Flaky Pie Crust recipe)
- Meringue topping:
- 4 egg whites
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornflour
- Filling:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup grapefruit juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornflour
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 Tbsp grapefruit zest
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 30g butter
Method
- Preheat oven to 175°C (160°C fan bake). Proceed to make your pie crust!
- Prepare meringue: While this is the last to be plonked on top of the pie, it’s best prepared first! In a large mixing bowl beat the egg whites until foamy. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and cornstarch together, then slowly add one tablespoon at a time to the egg whites, beating continuously until hard peaks form. Set aside.
- Prepare filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together ½ cup of water, grapefruit juice, sugar, cornflour, flour, grapefruit zest and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. It may seem like nothing is happening, then will turn into a thickened filling before your eyes. Temper the egg yolks before you add them to the mix (to do this add half a cup of heated grapefruit juice mixture into the egg yolks and whisk well, before adding back into the saucepan). Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes, stirring all the while, then add the butter. Whisk until butter is fully melted. Take off the heat.
- Pour hot filling into your pie dish, top with meringue mix ensuring you cover the whole filling (which helps seal everything in).
- Bake for 10 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.
- Cool for 2-3 hours before serving.
Enjoy!
