I had three gooseberry bushes in my garden. They are usually in season around June, but they have all died.
So I went looking for gooseberries, but it was really hard to find them in the shops. Waitrose sells them, but they are in limited stock and sell out quickly.
Last week at a dinner gathering I made a gooseberry meringue pie at the last minute and it didn't turn out well. I tried to recreate the amazing Gooseberry Cake It was like the one I had a few years ago in Wernigerode, a German wooden road town. It was like something out of a fairy tale. The top was high and snowy, and underneath were bright green gooseberries. The tartness of the berries contrasted beautifully with the light and sweet meringue.
Gooseberry Meringue Pie
provide 8
ingredient
For pastries:
- 125 g flour
- 50 g icing sugar
- 50 g Butter, cold, grated or cut into cubes
- make cynical salt
- One small egg
For the gooseberry filling:
- 400 g Gooseberries, tops and tails removed
- 2 A large spoon sugar
- One A large spoon Cornmeal
For the meringue topping:
- 5 Egg whites (55g each)
- make cynical salt
- One teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 250 g icing sugar
- 150 milliliter water
guideline
For the pie crust:
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Mix flour, sugar, butter, and salt into dry ingredients by rubbing butter. Add eggs and make dough. Pat into disc shape, cover with cling film and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Prepare pie tins by rubbing butter and lightly dusting with flour. Preheat the oven to 180C.Place the cooled disks in a pie tin and press them up to the edges with your fingers or flatten them further with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. Press into the pie tin. Prick the bottom all over with a fork.Line a pie crust with parchment paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool, then remove the baking beans. Set aside.
For the gooseberry filling:
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Place the clean gooseberries and sugar in a saucepan and heat until the gooseberries are soft and juicy, but be careful not to crush the gooseberries.
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Add cornflour and cook over low heat until gooseberry thickens.
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Then spoon it evenly over the pie crust. Let cool.
For the meringue topping:
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Place the sugar and water in a lidded pan and heat to 115C. The lid prevents crystallization. Condensation will melt the sugar crystals on the sides of the pan.
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Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a very clean bowl or food mixer and whip until soft peaks form.
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When the sugar syrup reaches 115 degrees, remove from heat and slowly pour into the egg whites while the machine is running. Whip until stiff peaks form.
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Spread on cooled gooseberry pie and shape into a dome shape.
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Use a torch or oven to brown the top of the meringue.