Raspberry Pistacho Meringue Pie

For my American friends I am going to have to work out the conversions for this pie!! Sorry if they are not exact!

This recipe comes from Sophie Mitchell- from cook yourself thin. It was in my Grazia magazine that I got through the door yesterday morning. I have cooked loads of the cook yourself thin girls recipes from the first series of their show. The idea is that you don't have to deny yourself the dishes you really enjoy; simply adjusting or swapping a few ingredients can make them weight friendly.

http://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/cook-yourself-thin/

Lemon Meringue Pie is an old favourite, but she's made it super easy by pilling fresh raspberries high into the case, instead of lemon curd. She says the secret to good meringue is fab ingredients like organic eggs (I just used free range) and making sure your mixing bowl is clean and cool. Be careful not too over whip either. Stop when you can drag the spoon across the surface and it leaves a trail.

• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Serves: 8
  

• 1 pack ready made sweet pastry (I think you could prob also buy a ready made pie crust)
• 500g raspberries (Approx 4 cups)... the more the merrier!! ..but maybe not quite so many as the photo above!! So there is a flat surface for the meringue!)
• 6 egg whites
  
• 300g caster sugar (Approx 1 & 1/3 cups of sugar)
  
• 1 tsp cornflour
  
• 2 tsp finely chopped pistachos

1.Preheat the oven to 170'C/ 325'F/ Gas Mark 3
Bring pastry to room temperature and roll out thinly
Then line an 20cm tart case with it.
2. Bake blind (She lined the inside of the tart case with greaseproof paper, then fill with dry
beans or lentils) for 20 minutes or until it turns golden around the edges. Remove the beans and bake for 5 minutes, until the bottom of the tart is cooked.

If you bought a ready made cooked pie crust then start here!

3. Cool the tart and then pile the raspberries into it.
4. Take a clean mixing bowl and crack in the egg whites. Whip until they form soft peaks, then gradually add the sugar spoonful by spoonful, until the mixture is thick and glossy. Add the cornflour and whisk for a further 3 minutes.
5. Turn the oven up to 200'C/ 400'F/ Gas Mark 6. Spoon the meringue over the raspberries and sprinkle with pistachios.
6. Place in the oven on the middle shelf, cook for 15 minutes or until golden brown, then take out and cool.

The tart raspberries with the sweet meringue and the thin pie crust are so good together!! And if you do what I did and forget to sprinkle the pistachios on before they go in the oven you can always sprinkle them before serving (although it looks more impressive if done properly!)

I tried to look on the web for a picture but it's nowhere to be found and my pie is pretty much gone!! Nathan took a big slice to work along with the left over paella! Tasty!