Grapefruit Meringue Pie
A sweet, floral twist on lemon meringue pie, made with a homemade grapefruit curd filling in a flaky all-butter pie crust and topped with a fluffy toasted meringue.
Ingredients
Crust
Grapefruit Curd
- 1 cup Grapefruit Juice (237mL)
- 1 cup Water (237mL)
- 1¼ cup Granulated Sugar (250g)
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Grapefruit Zest
- 6 Egg Yolks
- ⅓ cup Cornstarch (42g)
- 3½ tbsp Unsalted Butter, cubed (50g)
- Pink Gel Food Coloring optional
Meringue Topping
- 3 Egg Whites
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar (150g)
- ¼ tsp Cream of Tartar optional
Instructions
Make the Grapefruit Curd
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan (1.5qt is ideal), combine the grapefruit juice, water, sugar, salt, and grapefruit zest. Place over low heat.
- While the mixture warms, whisk together your egg yolks and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Make sure the bowl is large enough to hold the yolks, cornstarch, and eventually the grapefruit juice mixture from above.
- Increase the heat on the saucepan to medium and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once the mixture begins boiling, temper the egg yolks by slowly streaming the hot liquid into the yolk mixture while whisking vigorously. This prevents the eggs from scrambling.
- Return the tempered mixture to the saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent scorching. The mixture will begin to thicken.
- As soon as the mixture returns to a boil, whisk vigorously for 60 seconds, then remove from heat.
- Strain the grapefruit curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any lumps, cooked egg, and zest.
- Whisk in the butter until fully melted and smooth. If you want your grapefruit curd to have a more orange or pink color rather than a bright yellow color from the egg yolks, also add a couple drops of pink gel food coloring during this step.
- Pour the hot grapefruit curd into the prepared pie crust. Gently jiggle the pie as you pour to create a smooth, even surface.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until fully set.
Make the Meringue Topping
- In a mixing bowl set over a double boiler, whisk together the egg whites and sugar.
- Continue whisking the mixture slowly until a candy thermometer reads 160°F (70℃).
- Immediately remove the bowl from heat, and whip on high speed with a stand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Spread the meringue evenly over the chilled grapefruit curd, making sure to seal the edges where the meringue meets the crust.
- Using a kitchen torch, brown the meringue until it is a golden brown. Alternatively, bake the pie at 350℉ (175℃) or put the pie under a broiler until the meringue becomes a golden brown color.
- Slice and serve!
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