This past Thanksgiving, our 8-year-old decided she wanted to make a pomegranate pie. Pomegranates are one of her favorite foods ever, and she could easily eat them daily. We decided on creating a pomegranate curd pie with a flavorful gingersnap crust and a fluffy, marshmallowy meringue topping. I helped develop and test the recipe, and then come Thanksgiving, she made it as we walked through the steps together. It now might have to be a tradition around the holidays, because it was a favorite for all of us.
A few notes about this recipe. It can be prepped in stages, as the crust, curd, and meringue can all be made separately. The crust and curd can be made the day before to set up overnight. I would recommend making and toasting the Swiss meringue the day you are going to serve it. It will hold up refrigerated for a day or so if needed, but the texture will be best the day of. Once you separate the egg yolks for the curd, keep the egg whites in an airtight refrigerated container until ready to use.
Pomegranate Curd Pie
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 2 cups (250 grams) ground gingersnaps
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoons salt
- Pomegranate Curd:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 large egg yolks (save and refrigerator the whites to use for the swiss meringue topping)
- 1 whole egg
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1¾ cups pomegranate juice
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- Swiss Meringue Topping:
- 5 egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together ground gingersnap crumbs, butter, and salt. Pour mixture into a 9 inch pie pan, and firmly pack the mixture on the bottom and sides of the pan (using a flat bottomed glass or measuring cup can help pack the mixture firmly). Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Make the pomegranate curd:
- In a heat safe bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, egg yolks, and whole egg. Beat with a whisk until slightly fluffy and pale. Add cornstarch, and whisk until combined.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add pomegranate juice. Cook over medium-high heat until hot and starting to simmer. Remove from heat.
- Carefully remove about ¼ cup of the hot pomegranate juice and slowly pour into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent eggs from curdling. Repeat this step until all the remaining pomegranate juice is incorporated.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Over medium heat, cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling, then cook for about 1-2 minutes longer until thickened (this should be a pudding consistency). Remove from heat. Stir in butter, mixing until melted. Strain mixture into prepared crust, smoothing into an even layer. Place in refrigerator and let chill at least 1-2 hours or overnight to set.
- Make the Swiss meringue:
- Combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a heat-proof bowl placed above a pot of simmer water so that the bowl is not touching the water but a few inches above. Whisking constantly, gently heat the mixture until sugar is dissolved and mixture is 160ºF.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or a large bowl if planning to use hand beaters, as mixture will expand greatly in volume). Turn mixer (or hand beaters) on high and beat until mixture is cooled, very light and fluffy, and stiff peaks form.
- Spoon the Swiss meringue on top of the chilled pomegranate curd filling and spread evenly using the back of a spoon to create some texture on top with swirls of meringue.
- Using a kitchen blow torch, carefully toast the Swiss meringue then serve.
