Lime and Blackberry Meringue Pie

From Bon Appétit magazine, August 2011

LIME CURD

1 cup fresh lime juice

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ tsp. unflavored gelatin

¾ cup chilled heavy cream

BLACKBERRY COMPOTE

1 cup fruity red wine, such as Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon

½ cup sugar

3 cups blackberries (about 1 1/2 pints)

1 Blind-Baked Pie Crust in a 9” deep-dish glass or metal pie pan (see Master Pie Crust recipe)

MERANGUE

3 large egg whites, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp. corn syrup

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup blackberries (about ½ pint)

LIME CURD set a strainer over a medium bowl; set aside. Stir lime juice, eggs, egg yolks, and sugar together in another medium bowl. Set bowl over a large saucepan of gently simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk until mixture has thickened, the whisk leaves a path when lifted from curd, and an instant-read thermometer registers 175° (80 C), about 15 minutes. Add butter to curd, one Tbsp. at a time, whisking to blend between additions. Strain curd into prepared bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd. Chill until cold, about 2 hours.

DO AHEAD: can be made 2 days ahead. Refrigerate curd. Sprinkle gelatin over 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl; let stand until gelatin is soft, about 10 minutes. Using an electric mixer, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add gelatin mixture; continue beating cream until just before firm peaks form. Fold whipped cream into lime curd. Cover; chill.

BLACKBERRY COMPOTE   bring red wine sugar, and ½ cup water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over high heat; reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced to ½ cup, 20-25 minutes. Let cool. Add 3 cups berries; fold gently to coat. Spread compote in an even layer over baked crust. Spoon lime curd over berries smooth top, and chill for 1 hour.

MERINGUE if toasting meringue in oven, preheat oven to 450°(200 C). Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat whites in mixer until soft peaks form. Set aside. Stir sugar, corn syrup, and ¼ cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Attach a candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush, until thermometer registers 238°(soft ball stage, 115 C), 6-8 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Meanwhile, beat whites in mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in salt. Slowly pour hot sugar syrup down side of bowl into whites and beat until meringue is firm and glossy. Continue beating until cool, about 4 minutes. Spoon meringue over lime curd, leaving a 1” plain border, and sculpt decoratively. Tuck 1 cup berries in and around meringue.

Bake pie until meringue is toasted in spots, 3-5 minutes. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Pie can be made 3 hours ahead. Keep chilled.