Description
A luscious Passionfruit Meringue Pie featuring a crisp sweet shortcrust pastry base filled with a tangy passionfruit and lemon custard, topped with a cloud of light, glossy meringue. This dessert combines bright tropical flavors with a perfectly baked golden meringue for a show-stopping treat that’s both refreshing and indulgent.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry
- 2 sheets of ready rolled sweet short pastry
Filling
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (395g)
- 1 egg
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (80ml)
- 1/4 cup passionfruit pulp (from 3 fresh passionfruit, approx. 60ml)
Meringue
- 3 egg whites
- Pinch of salt
- 2/3 cup caster sugar (130g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare tin: Preheat the oven to 200°C fan bake. Lightly grease a 22cm pie tin or flan ring to prevent sticking.
- Line pastry and blind bake: Line the pie tin with the ready rolled sweet short pastry, trimming away excess pastry. Place a sheet of baking paper over the pastry and fill it with dry rice or baking beans to weigh it down.
- Bake pastry shell: Bake the lined pastry tin for 10 minutes at 200°C. Remove the baking paper and rice, then bake for a further 5 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 160°C for later use.
- Prepare the passionfruit filling: In a mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, whole egg, egg yolks, lemon juice, and passionfruit pulp. Stir well until smooth and slightly thickened. Set aside until ready to bake.
- Make the meringue: In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar while continuing to beat on high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture becomes thick, glossy, and holds stiff peaks.
- Assemble the pie: Pour the passionfruit filling evenly into the cooled pastry shell and spread to the edges. Spoon the prepared meringue on top, spreading it gently to cover the filling completely. Use a fork to create decorative little peaks on the surface of the meringue.
- Bake the assembled pie: Bake the pie in the preheated 160°C oven for 50 minutes, or until the meringue is crispy and golden brown on top.
- Cool and serve: Allow the pie to cool on the bench for an hour before transferring it to the refrigerator. Chill completely before serving to allow the filling to set and flavors to meld beautifully.
Notes
- Using fresh passionfruit for the pulp enhances the natural tropical flavor, but canned pulp can also be used if fresh is unavailable.
- Blind baking the pastry ensures a crisp base that won’t become soggy under the custard filling.
- Make sure no yolk contaminates the egg whites to achieve the best meringue volume and stability.
- The pie is best served chilled, allowing the passionfruit filling to set fully and the meringue to maintain its texture.
- You can decorate the meringue with a light dusting of powdered sugar or toasted coconut flakes for an extra touch.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of pie)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 140 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
