Papaya Lemon Meringue Pie celebrates the combination of papaya and citrus. Previously, in my opinion, the best way to enjoy perfectly ripe papaya was halved and doused with a good squeeze of fresh lime juice. That's a spoonful of heaven.
Still, when you have eaten the best over and over, you start to look for variation. You know that old saying too much of a good thing? We are so fortunate to have all the papaya we want in Hawaii. Imagine having to dream up a new way to eat it!
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Well, this abundance nudged me into looking for more ways to enjoy this beautiful fruit. I already had made salads and raw preparations with brilliant results. So, I started experimenting with desserts.
But, to my surprise, my first attempts at papaya cakes, puddings, and cookies fell flat. Spices and flours overwhelmed papaya's mellow, sweet tropical taste. Naturally, the supple, juicy texture of this gorgeous fruit was transformed in cooking. But saddest of all was watching that vibrant sunset hue vanish.
That's when I realized why salads and raw preparations were fitting ways to feast on papaya. They kept the enticing freshness intact and frequently involved citrus in the recipes. Of course, bingo! Remember that squeeze of lime over a glistening half of papaya?
Well, then it was just a hop and skip to papaya meringue pie. I only needed to make sure the lemon papaya filling jiggled ever so gently under a fluffy cloud of light meringue and rested in a perfectly crisp pie shell. Now everything wonderful about papaya could shine in a cooked dessert, with citrus bringing out the best in this fruit.
Speaking of meringue, you'll be glad to know the recipe has been perfected so that the meringue holds well and doesn't weep. These lovely little Papaya Lemon Meringue Pies are just waiting for your kitchen hand.
More recipes with papaya
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📖 Recipe
Papaya Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients
Lemon Papaya Filling
- 2 cups packed papaya, from 2-3 ripe papayas
- ½ cup strained lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup raw sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp. agar powder, measured carefully
Meringue
- ⅓ cup cold water
- 1 TB cornstarch
- ½ cup strained aquafaba from 1 can of chickpeas
- ¼ tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
- ¾ tsp. vanilla
Tart Shells or 9-Inch Pie Shell
- 6 pre-baked 4 inch tart shells or 1 pre-baked nine-inch pie shell
Instructions
Lemon Papaya Filling
- Cut papayas in half and scoop out seeds. Rinse and dry the seeds on a paper towel if saving to use in salad dressing.
- Scoop the flesh from papayas into a measuring cup and press down to flatten. Measure 2 cups into a blender jar.
- Add lemon juice, salt, water and sugar. Blend on high speed until very smooth. Turn speed down and sprinkle agar powder into center of moving mixture. Blend a minute to thoroughly mix in agar powder.
- Pour papaya filling into a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring. Cook at a gentle boil for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover with a plate. Let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Pour filling into 6 pre-baked tart shells. Or, pour into one pre-baked 9-inch pie shell. Chill in refrigerator until set, about 4 hours.
Meringue Topping
- Place aquafaba in a mixing bowl with cream of tartar. Whip until foamy and double in volume. Slowly begin adding powdered sugar and continue whipping until meringue reaches fluffy peaks. Turn off mixer and let sit while cooking cornstarch mixture.
- Whisk water and cornstarch together in a small pan. Bring to a boil while stirring and cook until very thick and translucent. Pour into a small bowl and set aside to cool slightly. You want cornstarch mixture to be warm and still soft, but not hot, when you add it to whipped meringue.
- Begin whipping thickened meringue again. Add cornstarch mixture one teaspoon at a time while whipping meringue. Finish whipping meringue to stiff peak stage. A knife cut should hold in meringue. Whip in vanilla.
Assemble Tarts
- Preheat broiler and adjust oven rack 6 inches below broiler.
- Spoon or pipe meringue on top of each tart. Place tarts on a baking tray. Put tarts under broiler and watch while tops brown. Browning takes place really quickly!
- Tarts are ready to eat, but refrigerating 30 minutes before slicing is recommended with a large pie. Store tarts or pie up to 3 days in refrigerator.
Notes
- Aquafaba is like egg whites in that any grease in a mixing bowl or on utensils will defeat the fluffing of the mixture. Extra meringue can be frozen and enjoyed as a dessert topping if eaten immediately after being taken from the freezer.
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