Rhubarb Meringue Pie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a child, I grew up knowing that a “Butter Creme Torte” was the best birthday cake a person could wish for, reserved only for very special occasions. “Honigkuchen” (honey cookies) were the best Christmas cookies in the world.  That “Plum Streuselkuchen” (Plum Crumb Cake) or “Aprikosen Streuselkuchen” (Apricot Streusel Cake) were special summer cakes when those fruits were in season. But I gazed in wonder at the pies that our dear neighbour, Mrs. Lindsay, would put on her kitchen window sills to cool. Pies were something that we did not have at our house. Luckily, Mrs. Lindsay liked me and I adored her. When I was 12, I asked her to show me how to make an apple pie and she very kindly taught me the secret to a flaky pie crust and the magic of cinnamon. Thus started my culinary adventure in pastry with a master baker.

Mrs. Lindsay had a large garden with a huge rhubarb bed. One day after school, she showed me her latest confection…a rhubarb meringue pie. This pie did not go on the window sill. This pie held pride of place on her kitchen table to cool. She shared this fabulous rhubarb meringue pie recipe with me. Today, I am passing it along to you. It is my most favourite rhubarb pie recipe. I hope that you and your family will also enjoy it.

The recipe makes enough filling for a deep dish 9-inch pie crust and possibly 6 tarts or a 10-inch pie crust. The recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, but depending on the tartness of your rhubarb, you may need to adjust that amount. Now that rhubarb is grown commercially in hot houses, it is available often in the freezer section of your grocery store, year round. Note: that commercially grown rhubarb tends to be sweeter than the rhubarb we grow in our gardens.

Ingredients for Rhubarb Meringue Pie:

6 cups rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 heaping tablespoons flour

1 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

1 baked 9-inch deep dish or 10-inch pie shell

Meringue:

3 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 tablespoons sugar

Method for Filling:

1. Place rhubarb in saucepan. Add ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil.
2. Cover pot and simmer till rhubarb can be easily pierced with a toothpick (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat.
3. Whisk together flour and sugar. Stir into hot rhubarb.
4. Temper egg yolks by gently beating egg with a fork. Add two tablespoons of warm sauce to the egg. Mix well. Stir egg mixture to the rhubarb in the pan. Return filling to medium heat, cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens.
5. Add 1 tablespoon butter.
6. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
7. Make meringue: Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a medium bowl with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites turn glossy and stiff. Spread evenly over the hot rhubarb filling. This minimizes that amount of “weeping” between the meringue and the filling after the pie is baked. Be sure to seal the meringue to the edges of the pastry.
8. Place pie in a preheated 375°F. oven and bake until meringue is golden.
9. Place pie on cooling rack to cool to room temperature – about 1 hour.  Chill for at least 3 hours in the fridge before serving.
10. For clean, neat slices, cut pie with a sharp knife that has been run under hot water. Wipe knife blade between cuts.

Tags: meringue, rhubarb, rhubarb meringue, rhubarb pie

Category: Pies & Tarts