Passion Fruit Meringue Pie

Before starting this Passion Fruit Meringue Pie, prepare the almond rich shortcrust pastry.

Refrigerate the pastry for at least 2 hours, then roll out using a rolling pin to a thickness of 3 mm.

Wrap the pastry around the rolling pin.

Place a perforated tart ring Ø 22cm on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper.

Lay the almond pastry over the stainless steel ring.

Line the stainless steel ring with the pastry.

Slide a utility knife along the rim of the ring to cut the pastry excess.

The result should be as shown in the photo.

For the passion fruit filling: Organise the necessary ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, tip the egg yolks...

... add the castor sugar...

... and beat vigorously with a whisk.

Add the potato (or corn) starch while mixing...

... and the passion fruit purée.

Mix the preparation with a Bamix hand blender. Set aside.

Blind bake the pastry case in preheated oven at 170°C (gas 3) for 15 minutes.

For the passion fruit crémeux (make the day before): Place the gelatine sheet in a bowl with cold water. Place the egg yolk in a saucepan...

... add the passion fruit purée...

... castor sugar...

... and combine well.

Cook the preparation on medium heat and bring to a boil. Whisk constantly to avoid scrambled eggs.

Pour the preparation in a dispenser jug...

... add the butter...

... and mix until smooth and homogeneous. Add the strained gelatine and mix again.

Transfer the passion fruit crémeux into a bowl and cover the surface with cling film. Store in the fridge overnight.

When the pastry case is baked...

... remove from the oven and set aside to cool at room temperature.

Detach the red currants from the stems and spread them over the pastry shell...

... into one layer over the whole surface.

Fill the pastry case with the passion fruit preparation.

Bake in a fan-assisted oven preheated at 180°C (gas 4) for about 20 minutes.

The passion fruit filling should rise a little during baking, then it will set.

When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool at room temperature. Then store in the fridge.

For the Italian meringue: Organise all the necessary ingredients.

Pour the water in a saucepan...

... and add the castor sugar. This order is important: the water first, then the sugar to make sure there are no clusters of dry sugar.

Place the saucepan over medium heat...

... until the temperature reaches 118/119°C. I recommend using a digital thermometer with probe to monitor the temperature.

When the sugar reaches between 105 and 110°C, start beating the egg whites so they are ready when the sugar gets to 118°C.

Add the cooked sugar at 118/119°C to the beaten egg whites, pouring it slowly against the inner side of the bowl.

Increase to maximum speed until cooled down completely. This operation should take between 5 and 10 minutes.

Slide a knife blade between the almond pastry and the tart ring...

... and remove the ring carefully.

Once the meringue has cooled down, divide it into two piping bags. Fit one piping bag with a plain nozzle and the second one with a fluted nozzle.

Divide the passion fruit crémeux into two piping bags as well, one fitted with a plain nozzle and the other with a fluted nozzle.

Cut a passion fruit in half and scrape the pulp with a spoon.

For the decoration: Gather all the elements on your workbench.

Pipe a few swirls of meringue over the surface of the tart, using the bag with fluted nozzle.

Repeat the operation with swirls of passion fruit crémeux. Also pipe dots of meringue, using the bag with plain nozzle.

If you wish, you can prepare a separate bag with a mix of passion fruit crémeux and meringue. The colour is pale yellow.

Arrange a few red currants on top...

... as well as a few passion fruit seeds, using a decorating tweezers.

Finish with a small mint leaves. Reserve in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy this delicious dessert!