This Rhubarb Meringue Pie is an absolute showstopper! But despite what you might think, it’s actually pretty straightforward to make. The result is a creamy, tangy, sweet combination of a lightly sweetened cookie dough base topped with tart, bright rhubarb curd & finished with fluffy, sweet toasted meringue.
Why I’m a Rhubarb Lover
Im an absolute sucker for rhubarb. It is such an amazing fruit. Although technically it is a vegetable, belonging to the knotweed family of plants, just like buckwheat. And, while rhubarb and buckwheat have nothing in common when being cooked, they do share two characteristics: they are both highly underrated, and thus underrepresented in our diet, and they can be eaten both sweet and savory. And, they are delicious, of course. But that goes for any vegetable, if you ask me…
Rhubarb is usually cooked before eaten and sweetened, to balance out its natural tartness. It pairs extremely well with elderflower, strawberries and vanilla. And its color can range from green to dark red to bright pink.
Depending on the color of the rhubarb stalks you’re using, the curd in this RHUBARB MERINGUE PIE will be anywhere between a pale rosé to a bright pink. If you’re having a specific color in mind, like I did for taking the pictures, there’s a little trick. You can find out all about it below.
In any case, it will look gorgeous & taste amazing: tart, sweet & bright. But I promise you: while it looks impressive, it’s certainly not as hard to make as you might think.
But, please, find out for yourself! Just be quick: rhubarb season is ending soon & if it’s already late June or even later in the year when you’re reading this, you should wait for next season. Just make sure you pin & save this recipe, so you have it whenever you’re ready to go!
How to make Rhubarb Meringue Pie
This beautiful pie or tart, or however you wanna call it, is made up of three parts:
- A crispy cookie crust
- A creamy, tart rhubarb curd
- A fluffy, toasted swiss meringue topping
You start by making the dough for the crust. Which is a straightforward cookie dough. I chose to go with this option compared to a classic pie dough because I feel that the crumbly base is a nicer fit to the rich topping compared to a rather buttery pie crust. And it comes together super easily and in a whim. You first cream the butter with the sugar, then add 1 egg yolk and once you’ve added the flour, the dough comes together almost magically by itself.
To make sure it bakes up nicely, you need to refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. But please feel free to make the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge for when you’re ready to use it. Just make sure you take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you want to use it, as you won’t be able to roll it into shape if it’s hard like a brick.
Once you’ve rolled the dough into your desired shape you bake it using pie weights. This can be artificial ones like these or you use any dry bean that you have at hand. I have half a kilo of chickpeas set aside for this occasion which I reuse time after time and store in a big mason jar. Just be aware you won’t be able to use the beans for cooking anymore after you’ve used them as pie weights.
To protect the crust, line it with baking paper and make a little basket out of aluminum foil for the pie weights. The basket will make it easier for you to remove the weights from the still soft base without having to pick them out one by one. And it also helps to keep the shape of the pie crust.
While the dough is resting you can go ahead and prepare the rhubarb curd. First you cook the rhubarb with the lemon juice. After blending it into a smooth purée, you add corn starch and honey and cook it again. To finish it off, you add the eggs and butter. The curd can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week. So, again, feel free to make it ahead of time.
Lastly, you prepare the swiss meringue. What I love about this recipe, is that you use up all of the eggs. The egg yolks go into the crust and curd and the leftover egg whites make this super fluffy, sugary meringue topping which adds such a wonderful contrast to the creamy, tart filling. For swiss meringue you want to use 1.5 the amount of sugar to egg whites. Which you can easily calculate by weighing your egg whites when you transfer them into a heat-proof bowl. You then add the same amount plus half amount of white granulated sugar and whisk it with a handheld mixer over the steam of simmering water. As always when you use a bain-marie (which is the safest method to warm up ingredients like egg whites or chocolate) you want to make sure that the bottom of your bowl is not touching the water, as it would start to cook your egg whites and you would end up with scrambled eggs instead of fluffy meringue.
Apart from that precaution, all you need is a little patience and time. When researching swiss meringue home bakers and professional chefs advise to bring the temperature of the egg whites up to about 70°C. But don’t worry if you don’t have a thermometer, I usually do without as well. If you keep whisking over the steam for 4-5 minutes, until the egg whites are glossy and holding their shape you will be fine. By heating up the meringue in that way you make sure it holds shape once cooled and doesn’t liquify over time.
Once you’ve made the meringue you whisk it until it’s cool again and then you’re ready to go. You can pipe it on top of your pie or simply pour it all over the curd and make some nice swirls with an offset spatula. If you have a kitchen blow torch you can torch the meringue or you place it under your oven broiler on highest heat for just a minute, making sure it doesn’t burn. Or you simply leave it as it is.
Storing and serving
This beautiful pie is best eaten once it’s cooled completely, making it a great spring and summer dessert or treat. You can store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Cut it into pieces and voilá, you’re ready to go. Which makes it a wonderful make-ahead dish, which you can bring along to the next bbq or picnic.
If you want to keep the pie for longer, you could keep it in the fridge for up to three days before adding the meringue topping. This is best enjoyed on the day or a day later. Otherwise it will start to dissolve and separate sugary water onto your pie.
Ok, loves! It’s time to let you go & leave you with the recipe.
And, as always, If you give it a try, make sure to leave a comment and/or 5-star rating and tag me on your creations @themellowkitchn over on Instagram. I absolutely love reading from you
Lot’s of love!
Anna
Rhubarb Meringue Pie
An elegant twist on the classic lemon pie. Tart rhubarb curd meets sweet toasted meringue. A showstopper dessert for every occasion.
Ingredients
For the cookie crust
- 135g butter, softened
- 50g powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 210g white flour (spelt or wheat)
For the rhubarb curd
- 450g fresh rhubarb
- zest & juice of 1 organic lemon
- 2 (leveled) tbsp corn starch (Maizena)
- 75g honey
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg yolk
- 80g cold butter
For the meringue
- 3 egg whites (approx. 90-120g)
- 135-180g granulated sugar (1,5x the weight of the egg whites)
- 1 tsp vanilla powder or 1/2 vanilla pod
- 1 tsp white vinegar
Instructions
Prepare cookie crust
- Beat butter for 2-3 minutes with a kitchen machine or handheld mixer, until fluffy & pale yellow.
- While beating sift powdered sugar & salt into butter.
- Add egg yolk & mix until incorporated.
- Slowly add flour & mix until dough comes together.
- Using your hands, knead dough into a ball. Place in an airtight container & let rest in the fridge for 30mins or until ready to proceed.
Prepare rhubarb curd
- Wash rhubarb stalks & cut into 3-4cm pieces. Place in a small pot & add lemon juice (reserving the lemon zest for later).
- Cook covered on low heat for 8-10 minutes or until completely softened.
- Transfer rhubarb to a blender or blend with an immersion blender until homogeneous.
- Transfer back into the pot.
- Mix corn starch with 2-3 tablespoons of the rhubarb until smooth.
- Add corn starch back to rhubarb & bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring continuously.
- Once mixture starts to thicken, turn heat to low & add egg & egg yolks while whisking vigorously.
- Take off heat & add cold butter cut into cubes. Stir through & set aside.
Bake pie
- Pre-heat oven to 175° C & prepare a round or rectangular pie dish (metal with removable bottom works best).
- Roll out dough on a floured surface. Lifting it up from the surface as you go to prevent sticking. Roll into a circle or rectangle that's about 2cm wider than your pie dish.
- Carefully transfer dough into the pie dish. Don't worry if it breaks, you can easily push it back together.
- Press dough in the dish and build a 2cm rim. Prick with a fork.
- Cover dough with baking paper overhanging the sides. Place pie weights or dried beans (I use chickpeas) in a aluminium foil basket the size of your pie dish bottom. Place on top of the dough.
- Bake dough for about 5 mins, then remove pie weights & baking paper & bake for another 5mins until set & lightly golden.
- Pour curd into the pre-baked crust & bake for 10-12 minutes or until set & lightly jiggeling.
- Let cool entirely before adding meringue.
- You can keep the pie without meringue in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Make meringue
- Place a small pot with 3cm water over high heat.
- Weigh egg whites & place in a heatproof bowl.
- Add 1.5 the amount of white, granulated sugar & vanilla to the egg whites.
- With an electric mixer start whisking the eggs on very low
- Turn down heat & place the egg whites over boiling water, while whisking on very low until they start to thicken and are pale white. They should be warmed up to 71°C (if you don't have a thermometer, sugar should be completely dissolved & egg white should be hot to the touch)
- Remove from the heat & continue to whisk the egg whites for 8-10 minutes or until nice and shiny.
- Add vinegar & whisk for another minute or until cooled to body temperature.
Assemble pie
- Top rhubarb curd pie with prepared meringue, creating swirls.
- Toast meringue with a kitchen torch or place under the broiler of your oven for 1-2 minutes while observing all the time to make sure it doesn't burn.
- Keep in the fridge until serving.
- Best enjoyed on the day but will keep for 1-2 days in the fridge.
Notes
* You can swop up to 1/3 of the rhubarb for strawberries to add some color and taste. If you want a vibrant pink filling (like I show in the pictures), add 1-2 tsps dried beetroot powder or 3-4 drops of natural pink or red food coloring.
* If you want more meringue on top of the pie, you can add 1 more egg yolk to the rhubarb curd and use the egg white for the meringue, adjusting the amount of sugar to be 1.5x the weight of the total weight of the egg whites.
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