And Everything Nice

Ever make the most perfect meringue you've ever managed to haul out of an oven and realize you've forgotten to prepare the good camera to photograph the moment? In other words, pics or it didn't happen! Derp!

Luckily I had my phone handy. And then it occurred to me this recipe is actually blog-worthy, being the unabashed bastard child of two different recipes and my own twisted twisted mind. It's the Fitz-lemon of meringue pies. But it is delicious.




The original inspiration came from this recipe for spiced lemon curd. Most people have carb or fat cravings when the days get short and the wind gets cold. I get citrus cravings. Feeling a little one-note after a run of key lime pies, I started hankering for lemon. It was the addition of cardamom and ginger that caught my attention, and the slightly darker, more complex custard in the pretty little sealed glass containers. Something about it made me think of the medieval Arab territory encompassing Spain and North Africa that became a booming academic and cultural center while the rest of Europe was sunk in the Dark Ages. Both a literal and a figurative bright spot.


So in the spirit of warmth and openness, I give you pie.

Note: the local grocery had these enormous "juice" lemons on sale for 50 cents apiece, so that's what I used, keeping in mind that the juice of just one of these is probably equivalent to the amount in 2 regular lemons...

Note #2: the original (non-spiced) pie recipe comes from The Essential Dessert Cookbook, published by Bay Books 2010.

Note #3: the resulting lemon curd is on the tart and spicy side, so for more sweetness increase sugar to 1 cup and for less spice halve the cardamom and ginger.

Mama Fang's Spiced Lemon Meringue Pie
Crust:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup cold water

Filling:
zest of 2 large lemons (optional: keep in mind you will strain these out later, but I think it adds flavor if not actual texture)
juice of 4 large lemons (approximately 1 cup)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
6 large egg yolks (whites will be used for meringue)
1-1/3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Topping:
6 egg whites
1 teaspoon cardamom
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

Make the crust:
Sift flour and powdered sugar into a medium to large bowl. Work butter into flour (I prefer to do this with my fingers because I'm an overgrown child with a tiny kitchen and no electric mixing implement) until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add water a little bit at a time, mixing constantly, until dough just forms. Roll into a ball, flatten into a disc, cover with plastic wrap (or a fold-top sandwich bag works fine for me) and refrigerate until ready to use, at least 20 minutes.

When ready, roll out dough between two sheets of wax paper (wax paper, sprinkle of flour, dough disc, sprinkle of flour, wax paper, then roll the hell out of it with a glass or whatever heavyish cylindrical rolling object you possess) until large enough to fit into a 9 inch pie plate. Line pie plate with pastry (I usually interpose a layer of foil for easy lift when serving, but you may omit this if you're not a fan of aluminum foil), and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350F. When it's heated, line pastry with a sheet of wax paper and spread a layer of baking beads (or dry pinto beans, whatever, you ain't gonna eat these) evenly over the paper. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the paper and beans, and bake for another 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Make the filling:
In a medium saucepan, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, cardamom, and ginger, and place on the stove over low heat. Add egg yolks one at a time, whisking well between additions. Add butter and whisk until completely melted.

Once butter is completely melted and whisked in, increase heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until custard thickens to approximately the consistency of...a thin vanilla pudding, for us American public school brats who grew up on the stuff?

Remove from heat immediately and strain into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap (the plastic should be touching the top of the custard to avoid forming an unappetizing-looking skin during the cooling process) and chill in the refrigerator until set, approximately 20 minutes to 1 hour, or overnight if you want to prep ahead of time.

Make the meringue:
Beat egg whites, cardamom, and ginger in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar approximately 1/2 cup at a time and beat well after each addition, until mixture is thick and glossy.

Avengers assemble!
Preheat oven to 425F.

Pour chilled filling into cooled pastry shell. Spread meringue evenly over top, forming peaks (I found this easier using the whisk rather than a spatula--who knew?).

Bake for 5-10 minutes, checking after 5, until meringue is lightly browned.

You may serve hot and impress your guests, or chill in the fridge until ready to unveil the beauty.

Oh, and warn your audience about the spice part. They may ignore you at their own peril, of course, but full disclosure nonetheless.


Now go forth and walk on sunshine! Or, really, don't, because that would mean either wicked solar flares or global warming gone ballistic or nuclear holocaust, and I don't want the end to be that nigh!