Orange and meringue pie

Orange and meringue tart . Today I propose you one of those spectacular dessert recipes , if you want your guests to hallucinate, an “orange meringue pie”. Do not stop preparing this tart in the style of lemon pie or lemon tart , an adaptation with touches of the latter but with orange. An alternative for kitchens, but without many complications, with the short pastry purchased and without major designs. Come on, although you are not great experts in making meringues or cakes, it is sure to be very simple and quick to prepare.

I found the original recipe in a book by the pastry chef Paco Torreblanca and I am sure that its final result is spectacular. However, I propose a much simpler alternative, so that everyone can cook this delicious sweet. Those who have a food processor can use it to assemble the meringue, but if you do not have this appliance, you only need a good rod and a little patience for the whites to mount.

You can substitute the orange cream for another flavor, if you don’t like it. The lemon cream  would be very classic choice, it would be the same as making lemon pie, but if you do not want to give her that fruity touch that is extraordinary for me, you can use a simple and delicious custard to fill this cake. They are options, although I advise you to try the orange cream, because the flavor is truly extraordinary.

As for the dough, I have chosen the broken dough because it is much easier to handle. But if you fancy a puff pastry base , all you have to do is put the dough on the greased pan, make some holes to prevent it from swelling and put some chickpeas to prevent the puff pastry from rising. With all that said, let’s get this tart of tart to start.

Preparation of the orange and meringue pie

1. Prepare the base: We spread butter on the mold that we are going to use. Then we extend the dough a little with the rolling pin. We put the mold on the dough and turn it so that the dough is on top. Now we place the dough and collect the sides a little, but not much, because in the oven they will shrink and we do not want to run out of edges.
2. Prick the dough and put it in the oven at 180 ° C with heat up and down, until the dough is golden and hard. We remove the base from the cake and reserve it.
3. It is important to know that the doughs when subjected to the heat of the oven lose their original size and shrink, so I do not advise you to cut the sides too much, otherwise you will be left without edges and therefore, without support and consistency for the cream and meringue.
4. Prepare the orange cream: In a deep container, beat the sugar and the yolks until you get a cream with a light tone. Next we add the zest of one orange and the juice of two oranges. Mix well with the rod or the mixer. Finally we pour the milk and cornstarch. We beat all the ingredients and transfer them to a saucepan.
5. Now we are going to put the saucepan over medium heat and, without stopping stirring, we will let it heat until the liquid turns into cream.
6. We pour the cream on the base that we have baked. It is best to add the cream when it is hot so that it can spread better over the entire surface of the cake.

1. Prepare the meringue: In a large container, separate the whites and add a few drops of lemon and sugar. We beat vigorously until the content does not fall when lifting the rod. Try to overturn the container a little and if it does not move, you will have reached the desired consistency. It is the same as riding whites until stiff.
2. We spread the meringue over the orange cream and make some drawings with the fork so that it looks nice. If you do not want to draw, it will be enough to understand the meringue with the spatula.
3. Put the tart in the oven in the gratin position at 200 ° C until the meringue surface is toasted. Take out of the oven and let cool before serving.

What better than to make an orange cake to savor how rich the oranges are these days, in the middle of the season. A dessert with a very aromatic touch of orange very similar to the orange cake that we already have on the blog. A recipe with a very balanced flavor and that is very juicy on the palate.

This orange tart is best eaten cold, so I recommend that if you are not going to serve it quickly, leave it in the fridge. Perfect to accompany it with a glass of sparkling white wine or coffee in case you feel like it in the afternoon or later hours, a great dessert for a great night.

You can see in this step by step how to prepare this orange cake recipe  that you will surely repeat at home over and over again.