Cherry Meringue Pie

A vintage dessert is something sweet that reminds us of simpler times. And it must be homemade. As a girl, I proudly baked a version of this Pink Pie for my sisters. I’m not sure which part was more fun: making my own pie from scratch – or the fact that it was pink. Back in the day, I used food coloring to tint the pretty pie; today I use natural beet juice (from canned/pickled beets).

Enjoy making this simple dessert for anyone who loves to eat pie off of mismatched china plates from a garage sale – or anyone who likes pink.

Disclosure: This recipe was used with permission and compensation to milk-drinker Serena Ball, who notes she appreciates the hard work of dairy farmers to bring us a2 Milk®.

Difficulty: Medium

Preparation: 15 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients

Filling

1, 9-inch pie crust shell, baked (homemade, even if misshapen!)
4 Egg yolks, beaten
¾ cup Sugar
3 Tbsp. Ccornstarch
3 cups a2 Milk® 2% Reduced Fat
1 tsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Maraschino cherry juice (preferably natural)
1 Tbsp. Canned/pickled beet juice (or 2-3 drops red food coloring)
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla extract

Meringue

3 egg whites at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. cream of tarter
6 Tbsp. sugar
Natural maraschino cherries (optional)

Directions

Beat egg yolks in a medium bowl near stove. Set aside.
In a saucepan, stir together sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in milk. Place saucepan on heat and cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly until many bubbles pop the surface. Continue to cook over medium heat for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly with a flat-bottomed spoon/spatula.
Remove from heat. Using a glass mug, scoop out about 1 cup of hot mixture and pour into the bowl of egg yolks; whisk to combine.
Pour egg yolk mixture back into hot milk mixture and whisk. Over medium heat, bring barely to a boil (lots of bubbles break the surface) and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in butter, cherry juice, beet juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Pour into pie crust shell.
For meringue: In a large bowl, combine egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form – about 1 minute. Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar while beating on high. Beat about 4 minutes more until stiff glossy peaks form (peaks stay standing up, when lifted with a spoon.)
Immediately spread meringue over warm pudding in pie crust and spread to seal the edges. If desired, make curly-topped designs in meringue and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes until meringue is golden in a few places.
Cool before serving. Garnish with cherry if desired.

Recipe Courtesy of

Serena Ball, MS, RD | Teaspoon of Spice

Serena Ball, MS, RD is a registered dietitian nutritionist. She blogs at TeaspoonOfSpice.com sharing recipes, tips, and tricks to help families find kitchen shortcuts to delicious food. Follow her @TspCurry on Twitter and Snapchat.