banana, chocolate & meringue pie

All I can think about is Montreal.

When my sisters & I were little, our grandfather had this beautiful farm in Montreal that was our little slice of heaven. We used to go every summer & spend the entire time outside & dirty. If we weren’t in a riding lesson, or competing at a competition, we were in the fields hunting for wild blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, climbing up trees, exploring in the woods looking for abandoned tree-houses built by hunters, or swimming.

Our bedroom was located in the barn directly above our horses. We originally used to sleep in the main house, but eventually everyone caught on that we wanted to be as close to our four legged friends as possible, & my grandfather had the attic in the barn converted into one large room. Andy, our resident handy man & grounds keeper (also the sweetest, kindest man one could ever meet) had even build us a balcony overlooking the fields. On a clear night, we had the best view anyone could ask for.

This is a painting someone once did of the farm, just so you get a sense of the magic: I tell you all this because my sister Amyra & I were once again reminiscing about the magic & missing it terribly.

More often than not, when I miss a time or place, I remember the food & the smells that were associated with it. For the farm, chocolate & meringue pie is always the first thing that comes to mind. Rich, creamy, & delicious.

I told you, pie for me embodies love. If you don’t feel overwhelmed by love when you’re making it, it wont be amazing. Good, but not amazing.

So, feeling completely nostalgic & romanticizing the past, I decided it was time I posted up my very own recipe. I made a small adjustment by adding in bananas, but the rest of the pie is as close to the original as I could make it. Every single bit is bliss. Every single mouthful makes me feel all warm & fussy inside.

I miss my sisters. & I miss our paradise.

Ingredients, shortcrust pastry: -130g gluten-free all purpose white flour – 80g unsalted butter, melted – 40g almond flour – 1 tsp xanthan gum – 1 egg yolk – 0.5 tsp salt – 2 tbs vodka

Directions, shortcrust pastry: 1. combine all the ingredients & mix well. 2. wrap the dough tightly in clingfilm & refrigerate for 2 hours. 3. brush your pie tin with melted butter & place in the fridge. 4. roll out your dough & line your pie tin with it. Place the pie tin in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to baking. 5. preheat your oven to 175C. Blind bake your crust for 15 minutes, remove the weights & bake for a further 15 minutes or until your crust is a nice golden colour. Remove from the oven & fill.

Ingredients, chocolate filling: – 40g cocoa – 150g sugar – 60g coconut flour – 0.25 tsp salt – 375 ml milk – 1 tsp vanilla – 3 egg yolks – 20g unsalted butter, melted – 2 ripe bananas

Directions, chocolate filling: 1. combine all your ingredients except the banana in a pot & cook over medium-low heat. Make sure to stir the mixture continuously with a whisk. Cook your filling until it is nice & thick, this should take about 15 minutes. 2. cut the banana up & put it inside of your baked crust. Pour the chocolate filling on top & smooth out with a spatula. Bake your filling for 15 minutes @ 175C.

Ingredients, italian meringue: – 2 egg whites – 0.12 tsp salt – 50g sugar – 50ml water

Directions, italian meringue: 1. combine the sugar & water in a very small pot & boil on high heat until it reaches soft-ball stage (115C). 2. whilst your sugar is cooking, combine the egg whites & salt & beat until soft peaks have formed. Once your sugar is at the right temperature, slowly pour it into the egg whites in a thin stead stream, make sure to beat your egg whites whilst you are doing this so that the sugar incorporates. 3. when the chocolate filling has finished its baking time in the oven, remove your pie & spread your meringue on top using a spatula. Place your pie back in the oven @ 175C & bake for a further 10 minutes until your meringue has gotten a touch of colour. 4. remove your pie from the oven & allow to cool before serving. You can eat if hot if you like, but it will not hold its shape.

Tools:

Ceramic Pie Plate

Stand Mixer

Electric scale