This is an easy pie recipe that combines custard and meringue with a favorite flavor - oranges. Make this your contribution to a reunion, pool party or picnic.
For a dessert that is light and tangy but easy to make and to store, try this brilliantly flavored custard pie with a meringue topping that is sure to make everyone sit up and take notice.
Old Fashioned Summer Orange Meringue Pie
- 1 - 9 inch graham cracker pie crust
Custard:
- 5 eggs, yolks only, beaten
- 1 3/4 cups white sugar
- 4 tbs flour, all-purpose
- 6 tbs butter, melted
- 2 tbs grated orange zest (peel)
- 2 cups orange juice - fresh squeezed or store bought
Meringue:
- 3 eggs, whites only
- 2 drops vanilla extract
- 6 tbs white sugar
- 1 large orange, peeled and sectioned
Oven Custard Method:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
- In a medium bowl, beat together egg yolks and 1 1/4 cup sugar until mixture is thick and lemon-color.
- Add in flour, melted butter, grated orange zest and orange juice. Use ½ cup sugar remaining to bring flavor to preference.
- Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and let bake for 25 additional minutes.
Stove Top Custard Method:
- Add 5 tablespoons cornstarch to custard ingredients and remove flour altogether
- In saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch, mix until all lumps are gone and mixture is smooth. Slowly bring the saucepan to medium heat.
- In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks, orange juice and water. Stir the egg/juice mixture gradually into sugar/cornstarch.
- Stir constantly maintaining a medium heat until the custard thickens and boils. As a gentle boil begins, stir constantly and add in butter, lemon juice and zest.
- Pour into graham cracker crust.
Fast Meringue:
- In a large bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla to foamy. Gradually add in 6 tablespoons sugar, continuing the beating until the whites begin to form stiff peaks. Spread this meringue over pie, covering the edges carefully and completely.
- Return to oven for about 10 minutes to brown meringue to a golden hue.
- Let pie cool well on a rack in a still area before serving. Garnish individual slices with orange sections rolled in confectioners sugar.
A great variation is to gently fold coconut shreds into the raw meringue, then cover custard completely and bake for about ten minutes until meringue is golden brown. This pie is a great one to take along to a summer picnic, family reunion or poolside party. It can be covered with foil or plastic wrap and stored for two to three days in the refrigerator.
