Pie-a-Day #45: Lemon Curd with Black Raspberry Compote and “Floating” Meringue

Toupe Pie

Or as we’ve at KCRW have come to call it, “Toupe Pie”. This was my attempt to deconstruct the pie. I made a graham cracker crust, lemon curd, black raspberry compote thickened with tapioca, the uhhhh, I guess you could call it meringue. I would call it an egg white topper.

Before the Meringue Shrank

In her book The Lost Art of Pie Making, Made Easy, Barbara Swell talks about the conundrum of Lemon Meringue Pies. You get a choice:

Crisp Crust vs. weeping filling

Dying from Salmonella vs. Rubbery Meringue

All in all the whole experience is one of acceptance and will.

* Crust – a regular pie dough crust can often get soggy from the weeping meringue or the moisture in the filling

Solution: Make graham cracker, chocolate wafer or coconut press in crust

* Filling – I am still not convinced about cornstarch fillings. One has to choose between a better tasting yet looser filling vs a firm, easy to slice filling that just isn’t “toothsome”

Solution: Use lemon curd, no cornstarch yet tons of egg yolks

* Meringue Topping – Where do I begin? What starts out as a gorgeous show piece of fluff can end up as a shrinking, spongy, weeping “toupee”.

Solution: Anyone have one?