Blueberry Cherry Meringue Pie (Or, I Don't Have Any Lemons Lemon Meringue Pie)

So, Jesse started his new job, and well, I’ve been wanting to make something with blueberries, and I used a tin of cherries a while ago and have had that glorious leftover syrup biding its time in the fridge.

We had cause for celebration. It was time.

Let's be honest, this is basically a 'I-don’t-have-any-lemons-what-do-I-have-lemon-meringue-pie'. Or on Instagram - #didnthaveanylemons #dessertsmenlike.

And also, because I am exceedingly anti-pastry, for all the time and effort it demands (fancy cold butter, and freezing, and rolling, and ugh), this is a I-have-biscuits-honey-and-butter-always-in-my-cupboard pie crust.

FYI - This was way out of my league. I found out: filling is NOT easy to make - sieved twice, ended up in blender. Sugar syrup for meringue, also NOT easy to make - burnt on the stove, proceeded to go hard in three bowls and jam the whisk on the electric beater and send sugar spirals all across the sink, stove, bench and my dress.)

But we made it. Literally.

Blueberry Cherry Meringue Pie (Or I-Don't-Have-Any-Lemons-Lemon-Meringue-Pie) Recipe

What you'll need:

For the Pie Crust:

1 1/2 cups biscuit crumbs (crush biscuits in a bag with a rolling pin, or blend/food process)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup honey

For the Pie Filling:

2 cups milk (split into x2 1 cups)
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup flour
50g butter
4 egg yolks
Handful of blueberries (or any other fruit)

For the Meringue:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup (or vinegar, or a teaspoon of cream of tartar)
4 egg whites
Tinned cherries syrup (or any other tinned fruit syrup you might have lying around - peaches? apricots? pineapple? fruit syrup you have made/bought?)

How to whip it all together:

Pie Crust:

Grease 20cm pie dish or spring form cake pan. Melt butter and honey, add to biscuits and stir well. Tip into pie dish and press down firmly into a crust. Put in the fridge.

Pie Filling:

Pour 1 cup milk into a bowl and sift in the flour. Whisk until completely combined (or blend if you want save time and eliminate lumps quickly - note: ELIMINATE LUMPS, do whatever it takes). Pour the other 1 cup milk and sugar into a saucepan on a medium heat, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Whisking RAPIDLY, add the milk/flour mix, and whisk to combine (if you have an emergency, blend it). Add the butter and whisk till combined.

Take your pie dish from the fridge and place it near you. Add the egg yolks to your mixture on the stove and whisk continuously until cooked and thickened (about 2-3 minutes). Pour into the pie dish. Refrigerate for 1 hour+.

Pull your pie out of the fridge and check set (filling should be soft to touch, but not runny - so that you can place blueberries on top without them sinking all the way in). Lightly place your blueberries (or other fruit) so that it sits on top of the pie filling.

Meringue:

Whisk egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Boil sugar, water and corn syrup, letting it bubble for a minute or two. Pull off the heat but keep warm (if it cools it will harden). Reduce mixer speed to low speed, pour sugar syrup into the egg whites (away from beaters). Increase speed to high and beat for another 3 or 4 minutes, until egg whites are glossy.

Drizzle some fruit syrup in, and fold through well until you have coloured swirls you are happy with. Spoon the meringue over the pie filling and grill under a hot broiler for 30-60 seconds, or until golden (not too much longer than 1 minute, to avoid pie filling softening).

+ Note: Make the meringue around when you are ready to serve for best effect.