When my grandmother passed away she left me her recipe box, her collection of Norwegian spoons, other sentimental things from my childhood and her 1950s copy of the Betty Crocker cookbook. It is dog eared, written in, splattered on and the book’s spine is held together with nothing but flour and 60 years of determination.
As I was flipping through, I found a recipe for Angel pie. If you’ve seen my show, Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network, you will be familiar with this beauty from the pie master, Rachel Swan at Pie & Mighty. Rachel’s recipe was similarly connected to her grandmother, but her’s came with a whole new baking vocabulary. Anyone lucky enough to be in Minneapolis should try her pie, but if you don’t, you can find my version, Angel Pie with Lime Curd and Berries, below.
If you’re one of my Substack Extras subscribers, you have access to a Deep Dive on meringue with Rachel that includes an exclusive recipe for her pie crust. If you haven’t read it yet, don’t miss out!
Ingredients
Swiss Meringue Angel Pie Shell
- 1 cup (240ml) egg whites from about 5 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Lime Curd
- 12 large egg yolks
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) sugar
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice key limes, Meyer lemons, grapefruit, or passion fruit can also be used, but lemons are tarter and may require more sugar
- Zest of 2 limes
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter
- Pinch salt
Lime Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
Instructions
Swiss Meringue Angel Pie Shell
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Butter a 9-inch pie plate.
- Bring about an inch of water in a saucepan to a simmer. Combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over the simmering water and stir the egg mixture with a rubber spatula until it is hot and all of the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place the bowl onto the stand mixer, fit with a whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until very thick, glossy, and stiff peaks when you lift the beater, about 8+ minutes. The mixture will be just warmer than room temperature, but not hot. Beat in the vanilla.
- Spread the meringue into the prepared pie plate. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, turn off heat, and allow the pie shell to cool in the oven. This may take an additional hour.
Lime Curd
- Whisk the egg yolks and then add the sugar while you whisk the yolks. This is so the sugar doesn't sit on them and "cook" the yolks, which creates hard lumps. Once the yolks are smooth, add the lime juice, lime zest, and salt. Add the butter and set over a double boiler. Use a rubber spatula to stir the lime curd constantly until it starts to thicken. (to create a fluffier curd, whisk the mixture until it thickens). It should coat the spatula and cling to it before you remove it from the heat.
- Optional: Strain to get out any lumps and the zest. You can add fresh zest if you like, or leave it smooth. (Do not strain if you whisked the mixture into a fluffy curd).
- Cover with plastic directly to the surface of the curd. Cool in an ice bath until chilled. This can be made a couple of days ahead.
Lime Whipped Cream
- Whip together all ingredients on medium-high speed until soft peaks. The whipped cream should hold onto the whisk when lifted out of the bowl, but should still be very soft and smooth.
Assemble
- Spread the chilled lime curd into the cooled meringue pie shell. Top with lime whipped cream and berries. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving to get clean slices. Can be made several hours ahead or even overnight. If you cut the pie sooner, it will be a bit messy, but delicious, like an Eton Mess!
So delicious
One of our guests took a spoon and ate the platter clean.
I doubled the whipped cream
I made the baked citrus garnish, easier than other candied citrus recipes.
I forgot to remove bottom parchment before assembly.
Perfect balance of sweet tart.
Made it for Mardi Gras supper.
Thank you!
How many eggs would I need for one cup of egg whites?
Great question! I’ve updated the recipe. It’s about 5 eggs.