The Healthy My Ass Cookbook

Gooseberry Meringue Pie

A tart berry pie with a meringue topping.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Drain the Gooseberries, reserving up to 1 cup of the light syrup.  If you do not get 1 cup, add water to bring it up to 1 cup.

Combine the Sugar, Cornstarch and Salt in a medium saucepan.  Stir in the 1 cup of reserved light syrup.  Separate the Egg Yolks, saving the egg whites to reach room temperature for the meringue.  Beat well the yolks and stir into the saucepan.  Begin heating over medium heat.  Melt the Butter, stir into the saucepan and continue heating and stirring constantly and more quickly as it thickens until thickened and just begins to boil.

Remove from heat and stir in the Vanilla.  Gently fold in the drained gooseberries.  Set aside uncovered to cool completely.

Prepare and bake a 9" Perfect Pie Crust - No Top shell.  Set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.

Stir then pour the gooseberry mixture into the center of the cooled pie crust shell.  You do not need to level it out because if it is higher in the center, that will leave more side crust surface to which you can seal the meringue.

Prepare the Meringue Topping, spreading over the gooseberries and sealing to the crust.  Bake as directed and cool slowly out of draft.

Notes:

Originally the cans of Gooseberries were 16&1/2 ounces, but as of this writing are 15 ounces.  While that may continue to change, just use 2 cans.

This recipe is best prepared and eaten the same day.  Refrigeration can exacerbate beading, weeping and shrinking problems mentioned in the meringue recipe.

I've substituted 20 ounces, about 3 cups, or fresh or frozen gooseberries for the canned gooseberries and used one cup of water in lieu of the light syrup.