“Lemon meringue pies are an all time classic. In this recipe I have made them with pink grapefruit juice instead, not only do they look amazing, but fresh grapefruit juice makes great curd. The curd is also wonderful on toast, pancakes, muffins etc, so it's a good idea to make extra. The pistachios are not essential, but they are darn pretty!” – Sophie Michell Makes 4 Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 20 minutes Extra equipment needed, 4 individual tart cases. Ingredients: 375g ready made shortcrust pastry 2 pink grapefruit, segmented For the curd: 3 pink grapefruit juiced (make about 200ml) and grated rind of 1 1 tsp lemon juice 150g caster sugar 6 egg yolks (keep 3 whites back for the meringue) Pinch of salt 50g unsalted butter For the meringue; 3 egg whites 150g caster sugar 1tsp crushed pistachios
Method: 1. Firstly preheat the oven to 180°C, roll out the pastry and line the pastry in 4 individual tart cases. Then line with greaseproof paper over the top and add some baking beans. 2. Bake for 15 minutes, then take out the beans and finish off until golden. 3. Then go on to make the curd. Place a saucepan of water on to boil, and in a bowl that fits snugly on top of the saucepan, add the grapefruit juice, lemon juice, zest, egg yolks, butter, sugar and salt, this cooking method is called en bain marie. 4. Place the bowl on top of the saucepan and heat while whisking until thickened. Then take off and pour into the tart cases. 5. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, and gradually add the sugar, one spoon at a time, whisking in-between, until stiff and glossy. Then spoon onto the tarts and top with a sprinkling of crushed pistachios. 6. Finally pop back in the oven for 15 minutes until a little golden and serve with the refreshing grapefruit segments on the side. South African grapefruit recipes by Sophie Michell