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Peach meringue pie
Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 1 hr 40 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Danielle Wood
Peach meringue pie
Recipe by Sarah Cook
It may seem like overkill, but a little single cream cuts through the sweet meringue. True soul food has never been about restraint
Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 1 hr 40 minsTotal time:
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Nutritional information (1 of 8 portions)
Calories
450Kcal
Fat
14gr
Saturates
9gr
Carbs
72gr
Sugars
47gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
7gr
Salt
0.4gr
Sarah Cook
Sarah, a former food editor, has now been writing and styling recipes for over 10 years. Born in NZ, to Irish-English immigrants, and married to a Polish-Scot, her food is as diverse as her family, with a particular passion for baking mash-ups.
Sarah Cook
Sarah, a former food editor, has now been writing and styling recipes for over 10 years. Born in NZ, to Irish-English immigrants, and married to a Polish-Scot, her food is as diverse as her family, with a particular passion for baking mash-ups.
Ingredients
- 600g ripe peach flesh (about 6 peaches), cut into small chunks
- 85g golden caster sugar
- 4 tsp ground arrowroot
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- single cream, to serve
For the pastry
- 125g cold unsalted butter, diced
- 250g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 medium egg yolk
- 1 ginger nut, digestive or hobnob biscuit, crushed to crumbs
For the meringue
- 6 medium egg whites
- 2 tsp ground arrowroot
- 125g golden caster sugar
- 75g light brown sugar
Step by step
Get ahead
The meringue is best added on the day you want to serve the pie, but you can bake the pastry and prepare the peaches the day before, keeping them separate to avoid a soggy bottom. Warm the filling gently before adding to the tart case.
- To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour until crumb-like, then stir in the icing sugar, cinnamon and a good pinch of salt (or whizz in a food processor). Mix the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of very cold water, then stir in with a knife (or pulse together), adding extra water if needed until it starts to clump together. Bring together into a ball with your hands, flatten into a disc, then wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out the chilled pastry on a floured surface and use to line a 22-23cm loose-based tart tin. Scatter the biscuit crumbs over the base and press in lightly. Trim the excess pastry and chill for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Line the pastry case with crumpled baking paper, add baking beans and bake blind for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the pastry is brown and crisp. Cool.
- Add the chopped peaches and caster sugar to a pan with 2 tablespoons of water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Spoon a third of the peaches into a bowl and mash roughly then mix in the arrowroot to make a paste. Stir back into the pan and cook, stirring, for a minute until the mixture is thick, jammy and clear. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice.
- Spoon the peach filling into the cooled pastry case, smooth out then leave to cool before putting into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before adding the meringue.
- Turn the oven to 170°C, fan 150°C, gas 3 ½. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, slowly at first and then increasing the speed. Whisk in the arrowroot followed by the caster sugar, a spoonful at a time. Keep whisking until the meringue is shiny and stiff, then whisk in the brown sugar. Spoon the meringue on top of the cooled peaches, making sure it spreads to the tart case edges, sealing in the filling. Pile the meringue up towards the middle, swirling or spiking the top as you wish, using a palette knife.
- Bake on a baking tray for 25-30 minutes until the meringue is set and crisp but still pale. Cool completely before serving, with single cream to pour over.