Lemon Meringue–Pistachio Pie
Nut crunch makes a great pie crust! I absolutely love this pie, but it doesn’t fit into the composed dessert realm of Ssäm Bar’s menu and it isn’t quick and easy to pack like Milk Bar pies need to be, so it never made it onto a menu. It’s a delicious recipe you’ll only find here.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 1 (10-inch) pie; serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Dump the pistachio crunch into a 10-inch pie tin. With your fingers and the palms of your hands, press the crunch firmly into the pie tin, making sure the bottom and sides are evenly covered. Set aside while you make the filling; wrapped in plastic, the crust can be refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.
Step 2
Using a pastry brush, paint a thin layer of the white chocolate onto the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Put the crust in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the chocolate.
Step 3
Put 305 g (1 1/3 cups) lemon curd into a small bowl and stir to loosen it a bit. Scrape the lemon curd into a crust and use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread it in an even layer. Place the pie in the freezer for about 10 minutes to help set the lemon curd layer.
Step 4
Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and gently slush the sugar around in the water until it feels like wet sand. Place the saucepan over medium heat and heat the mixture up to 115°C (239°F), keeping track of the temperature with an instant-read or candy thermometer.
Step 5
While the sugar is heating up, put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and, with the whisk attachment, begin whipping them to medium-soft peaks. If the whites reach medium-soft peaks before the sugar hits 115°C (239°F), slow your mixer waaaaaay down and let the sugar catch up. Or, if you notice that the sugar is almost to 115°C (239°F) and the whites are still a bit off, turn the heat way down under the sugar and turn the speed way up on the mixer. Ideally, the whites will reach medium-soft peaks at exactly the same time as the sugar syrup hits the 115°C (239°F) mark. If you can achieve this on your first try, then we have a job waiting for you in our kitchen.
Step 6
Once the sugar syrup reaches 115°C (239°F), remove it from the heat and very carefully pour it into the whipping egg whites, being sure to avoid the whisk: turn the mixer down to very low speed before you do this, unless you want some interesting burn marks on your face. Once all of the sugar is successfully added to the egg whites, turn the mixer speed back up and let the meringue whip until it has cooled to room temperature.
Step 7
While the meringue is whipping, put the 155 g (2/3 cup) lemon curd in a large bowl and stir, using a spatula, to loosen it up a bit.
Step 8
When the meringue has cooled to room temperature, turn the mixer off, remove the bowl, and fold the meringue into the lemon curd with the spatula until no white streaks remain, being careful not to deflate the meringue.
Step 9
Remove the pie from the freezer and scoop the lemon meringue on top of the lemon curd. Using a spoon, spread the meringue in an even layer, completely covering the lemon curd.
Step 10
Serve, or store the pie in the freezer until ready to use. Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap once frozen hard, it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 weeks. Let the pie defrost overnight in the fridge or for at least 3 hours at room temperature before serving.
notes
Step 11
Painting a thin layer of white chocolate onto the pie crust protects it from getting soggy from the moisture in the lemon curd. This is a classic pastry trick when filling any crust with something that is moist or somewhat wet.
Step 12
Note that you will need a full recipe of lemon curd here, but it’s broken up in the ingredients list because two-thirds is used in one spot and the remaining third in another.
