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Pies and Tarts
Meringue Pie (using milk, sugar, flour and eggs)
Originated from: Italy
Occasion: Any time & special times
Contributed by: Taken from "Italian Cook Book" by Pellegrino Artusi (1945)

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Ingredients

For crust (No. 341 A)
Flour, 17 oz.
White sugar, a little over 7 oz.
Butter, less than 6 oz.
Lard, less than 2 oz.
Eggs, 2
Egg yolk, 1

Sponge cake dipped into orange cordial

For filling
Milk, 1 pint
Sugar, 2 ounces
Flour, 1 ounce
Eggs, 3 [separated]
Flavor of vanilla

4 ounces of confectionery sugar



Directions

For crust

Grind the sugar finely mix it with the flour, and soften the butter by working it with a wet hand. Now make a loaf of all the ingredients by using the blade of a large knife in mixing them. Do not work it too much for too long. Whenever possible, it is advisable to prepare this crusting the day before, as time is in its favor, and when baked, it is softer and mealy.

When about to use the crusting for the pastry, flatten it to the desired thickness with a rolling pin. If you wish to give it the appearance of fancy pastry, use the grooved rolling pin on the side of the crusting which goes outside in your last touches. The use of powdered sugar in stretching the dough will make it easier to handle. Adding a few drops of white wine or Marsala wine to the leavings and mixing them with the main loaf will make the crusting softer.

For filling

Cut about 3 1/2 ounces of very fine grade sponge cake into 1/4 inch slices.

Cover the bottom of a medium sized copper cake dish, smeared with butter, with soft crusting and with a finger (wet with water) make a wall of the same crusting around the dish, about 1/4 inch thick and 1 inch high.

Make a layer with half of the slices of sponge cake dipped into orange cordial.

Spread the cream evenly and cover it with the remainder of the sponge cake slices, also basted with orange cordial (rosolio d'arancio).

Beat the three egg whites left over from the cream, and when thick, add slowly 4 ounces of confectionery sugar.

Stir the egg whites and sugar slowly, and cover the surface of the pie with it evenly, leaving the edge of the crusting untouched.

Gild the edge crusting with egg yolk.

Bake in oven, and when the meringue has become solid, cover it with a sheet of paper to prevent it from becoming too dark.

Let the pie cool off before removing it from the dish, and sprinkle it lightly with confectionery sugar.


Notes

This recipe (#335) was taken from "The Italian Cook Book" adapted from the Italian of Pellegrino Artusi by Olga Ragusa. It was published by S.F. Vanni in New York in 1945. For the complete copyright cook book see www.archive.org. Photo: Mary Melfi.

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