Tony’s Chocolonely Meringue Gingerbread Pie
GINGERBREAD PASTRY ⅓ Hakanoa Gingerbread recipe2 T soft butter for the pan and rubbing into the gingerbread70 g crystalized ginger, finely chopped THE FILLING 170 g Tony’s Chocolonely 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped120 g soft butter45 g caster sugar2 eggs2 egg yolks1 T vanilla essence or a splash of rum if that’s your thing!60 g sifted flour THE MERINGUE 3 egg whites200 g caster sugar1 t corn flour1 t ginger powder, sifted1 t vanilla essence½ t white vinegar1 T cacao powder, sifted TO SERVE A large handful of Fresh As freeze dried raspberriesSifted cacao powderCream if you wish! METHOD Press the ginger bread into your well greased Lil’ Legacy Pan. Push the gingerbread up a little higher than the pan’s rim. Rub the gingerbread liberally with soft butter then prick with a fork and chill for 20 minutes. Cut out a circle of baking paper larger than the pan, crumple it up and place on top of the gingerbread. Fill with rice or baking beans and bake at 180C for 12 minutes. Remove paper and rice/beans and return to oven for 5 minutes. The ginger bread should feel dry to the touch. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the crust with crystallised ginger. Trim excess pastry by running a knife around the rim of the pan. And leave to cool as you make the filling. Melt the butter and chocolate together over a bain marie (bowl over boiling water) and set aside to cool a little. Beat whole eggs and egg yolks with sugar and vanilla or rum until frothy and pale. Fold in the flour then the melted chocolate and butter and mix well. Pour batter into your prepared cool gingerbread pastry case and bake for 15 minutes at 180°C. When you remove it from the oven, lower the temperature to 160°C. To make the meringue, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Whisk the sugar in a tablespoon at a time and when it’s all incorporated, beat for a further minute. Fold in the corn flour, vanilla and vinegar. Finally sprinkle the cacao powder and ginger powder on top but don’t mix it in. If you mix it in, the meringue will go brown. If you don’t mix it in you’ll end up with cacao/ginger layers amidst the white meringue. Pile, peak and swirl the meringue on top of the hot pie, making sure it connects with the inner edge of the pastry. Bake in the lower level of your oven for 25 minutes at 160°C. Or until just crunchy to the touch. Run a knife around the edge of the pastry when the pie is still hot so it’s easier to cut later. Leave to cool, then chill. Dust in cacao powder, a big sprinkle of crumbled freeze dried raspberries and serve with lashings of love and gratitude.
