strawberry meringue pie

so this weekends delight was strawberry meringue pie.....more than the pie i was challenged to do the meringue....and i wanted to know if i got it right....well i did get it right for the most part....and yes as usual i did make some changes in the recipe and method....so i am giving u the original links too...i need more practice setting meringue on the pie.....so it can be more decorative! other than that the pie taste fabulous :)

Ingredients
for the pie crust

1. one cup wheat flour
2. 1/2 cup solid butter (cut it into cubes)
3. 2 tablespoons sugar

for the filling

1. 1 1/2 cup strawberries
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 3 egg yolks
4. 1/2 tsp salt
5. 1/2 cup cream (i used whipped, but heavy is better)
6. 2tbsp + 2 tsp wheat flour

for the meringue

1. 2 tbsp sugar
2. 2 tbsp corn flour
3. 3 egg whites
4. 5 tbsp sugar
5. 1/2 tsp vanilla
6. 1/4 tsp salt
7. little more than 1/2 cup water

first of all i wanna tell u....dont get intimidated by the name of the dish or number of ingredients!!! is a very simple dish to make.....almost all the ingredients are going to be there in ur kitchen year round

Method

for the crust: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a spatula or spoon till its all combined well and has a texture similar to bread crumbs.....press it down on the baking dish...preheat the oven at 350 deg F (175 deg C) and bake it for 20 min or till you feel that the crust is baked well..this is post baking pic...so yes my crust looked white only..

for the filling: while the crust is getting baked....whisk together the cream, egg yolk, flour, sugar, salt.....once its well mixed...add chopped strawberries...once the crust is done...pour in the filling on the crust and put it in oven again...

bake at 350 deg F for 35 to 40 min...till the top is golden brown....mine is little bit darker brown than it should be...i think...taste wise its good..i dont know exactly how much to bake the pie...coz it does remain little soft and knife doesnt really come out clean...u might want to do some research...or just bake it for this much time...one thing i can tell u is mine is not under baked at the center or anything like that..

for the meringue: while the pie is getting baked....put together the egg whites, vanilla essence, and salt in a large bowl and beat the eggs till soft peaks are formed.....if u use a electric appliance it will be easier for u...else u have to beat it for at least 20 min till u see the soft peaks rise in the eggs....add sugar one table spoon at a time and mix it well...

in a saucepan, take take water, add 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp corn flour...and stir it continuously...till the mix gets thick and transparent....ask some to add the mix to the eggs while you beat them....I wasnt able to pour it....i had to take in spoon and add to the eggs...so thats how thick it was....

continue beating the eggs till stiff shiny peaks are formed....this will take 10 to 15 more min...

so if you are doing it by hand its 30 min of beating....yes your muscles might ache but the results are worth it...

by now the pie is done....so get it out of oven and top it off with the meringue...you can make nice design with the spatula or the beater...i did it with the beater...and mine wasn't as good as the pic i saw on web....but it was a good result considering it was my first time :)

bake it in oven for 10 min....once u see the meringue turning golden brown, take it off from the oven....

it can be served warm or at room temperature....dont refrigerate it if possible as the crust gets too hard to break...yes i am saying this from experience and search on the internet....and this pie should be consumed immediately or in 2 days time...so dont keep it for many days...and i am sure it wont last that long...coz it is indeed very very tasty!!!

it takes an hour to be made....but trust me, its so yummy...and u ll be so proud of yourself at the end of it...the result is way better than the effort put in...coz only the meringue takes some work...rest of stuff is super easy....go ahead and give it  a shot!

song of the day: hum hai rahi pyaar ke phir milenge chalte chalte....love this medley :)