I absolutely love the flavor of this pie. The grapefruit makes the filling not too sweet. After making this pie I realized that the crust would actually make perfect little meringue kisses. So, I’m going to give them a try this weekend. Look for a post about them coming up soon.
Hope you give this pie a try. It’s different and delicious.
Grapefruit Pie with Coconut Meringue Crust
INGREDIENTS
For the shell:
4 large Egg Whites, room temperature
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Cream of Tartar
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Coconut, sweetened flake
For the filling:
1 Tbsp Unflavored Gelatin
¾ cup fresh Grapefruit Juice
4 large Egg Yolks
pinch of Salt
½ cup Sugar
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Heavy Cream
2 cups fresh Grapefruit Sections (about 2 large grapefruits)
5 pieces of Grapefruit, for garnish if desired
METHOD
For the shell:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Butter a 9-inch pie pan.
Set aside.
Beat egg whites and salt on high until they are foamy.
Add the cream of tarter and continue to beat until light and hold soft peaks.
Continue to beat and add the sugar in, a little at a time.
Beat for about 5 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is shiny and stiff.
Fold in the coconut.
After 10 minutes of baking, I took my pie crust out of the oven and was able to put the meringue up the sides easier.
Wow! What a gorgeous meringue pie shell! ;)
Place meringue evenly around the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.
Bake for 90 minutes, or until it is light golden in color and firm.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
For the filling:
Peel grapefruit, and cut perfect pieces between the segments.
Supreme the grapefruits and set aside.
Pour ¼ cup of grapefruit juice in a small bowl.
Sprinkle in the gelatin and allow it to soften for a minute or so.
In a small saucepan whisk the egg yolks and sugar together.
Add the gelatin mixture, along with the remaining ½ cup grapefruit juice, and a pinch of salt.
Cook the mixture on medium heat, whisking until it registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Remove from heat and place saucepan into a larger metal bowl of ice water.
Whisk it for a few minutes and allow it to cool in the bowl of ice water.
Meanwhile, in a separate large bowl beat the cream cheese until it is light and smooth.
Add in the egg yolk mixture a little at a time, until it is completely combined.
In a separate small bowl beat the heavy cream until it is stiff and holds peaks. Whisk about half of it into the cream cheese mixture. Then gently fold in the grapefruit pieces and the balance of the cream cheese mixture.
Pour the filling evenly into the pie shell.
Allow the pie to set in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 hours, uncovered.
If desired, garnish the pie with grapefruit sections before serving.
Cook’s Note: Store pie in fridge, covered, after it has set.
