Pear and lime meringue pie
A layer of light lime cream and caramelized pears in a crisp pastry case, topped with Italian meringue, which is browned under the grill or with a flame.
2 hours 40 min.
Average
1 tart
10 IngredientsLast modified on: February 21th 2011
For 1 tart, you will need:
- 1
300 g confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream) - 2
30 g cornflour - 3
30 g caster sugar - 4
1 lime - 5
3 drops food colouring (optional) - 6
300 g sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée) - 7
200 g italian meringue - 8
5 Pears - 9
30 g clarified butter - 10
1 lemon - Total weight: 2,030 grams
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 2 hours 15 min.
Cooking: 25 min.
All in all: 2 hours 40 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 30 min.
Make lime crème pâtissière (confectioner's custard) as for 300 g confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream), but with these special proportions: 30 g caster sugar and 30 g cornflour, and infuse milk with finely chopped zest of 1 lime before boiling.
Then, when cream is cooked, beat into it juice of 1 lime, and if desired 3 drops food colouring (green).
Leave to cool covered to prevent skin forming, or whip during cooling from time to time.
Set aside your lime crème pâtissière.
Then, when cream is cooked, beat into it juice of 1 lime, and if desired 3 drops food colouring (green).
Leave to cool covered to prevent skin forming, or whip during cooling from time to time.
Set aside your lime crème pâtissière.
Stage 2 - 40 min.
Stage 3 - 20 min.
Peel 5 Pears, cut in four, discard core and sprinkle with juice of 1 lemon .
Stage 4 - 3 min.
Melt 30 g clarified butter in a frying pan, then tip in pear quarters (and lemon juice).
Stage 5 - 20 min.
On high heat, cook until they begin to brown.
Note: Clarified butter is preferable, to avoid the little black bits visible in this photograph, due to overheating ordinary butter.
Set pears aside.
Note: Clarified butter is preferable, to avoid the little black bits visible in this photograph, due to overheating ordinary butter.
Set pears aside.
Stage 6 - 20 min.
Prepare 200 g italian meringue.
Stage 7 - 2 min.
Lighten the cream by folding 2 large spoonfuls of meringue into cold lime crème pâtissière,.
Stage 8 - 5 min.
Continue gently, by tilting the pan, until you have a light cream.
Stage 9 - 3 min.
Put a layer of this cream in the cooked pastry case.
Stage 10 - 5 min.
Arrange pears quarters on cream.
Stage 11 - 5 min.
Spread the rest of Italian meringue on top of the tart.
You can use a forcing bag as in the photograph, or a spatula and then draw patterns with a fork on the surface.
You can use a forcing bag as in the photograph, or a spatula and then draw patterns with a fork on the surface.
Stage 12
For best results, meringue should cover the whole surface of the tart.
Stage 13 - 3 min.
To finish, brown the meringue gently with a blow lamp, or by putting under the grill for just a few seconds.
Stage 14
It's ready, refrigerate until serving.
Remarks
If you want to simplify the recipe, use French meringue (with caster sugar, not cooked) instead of Italian.
Keeping: 1 or 2 days in the fridge, folded in a plastic film.
Source: Home made, this recipe is warmly dedicated to Christel.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 430 RDI=170 % | 2,520 RDI=240 % | 1,400 RDI=210 % | 19,840 RDI=990 % | 83,070 RDI: 990 % |
| Per 100 g | 20 RDI=8 % | 120 RDI=10 % | 70 RDI=10 % | 980 RDI=50 % | 4,090 RDI: 50 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 1 tart : £4.85
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Puits d'amour, Paris-Brest, Pear and chocolate tart with a hint of mint, Yvetot Douillons, Chinois, ... See them all 19
Sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Hazelnut and chocolate biscuits, Pear, grapefruit and pistachio tart, Tarte Bourdaloue, Lemon Tart / Meringue Pie, Cherry and pistachio tarts, ... See them all 43
Italian Meringue
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Rhubarb mousse, Frozen nougat, Lemon Meringue Pie Verrines, Lemon Tart / Meringue Pie, Lime meringue tart, ... See them all 5
Clarified butter
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Sautéed pears with custard and orange syrup , Sweet pancake rolls from Brittany, Comtoise apple charlotte, Pain perdu, Celeriac in cream and mustard sauce, ... See them all 33
Other recipes you may also like
Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream)
Quite similar to crème anglaise but much thicker. It is used in many pastries like choux pastry (pâte à choux) or millefeuille.January 27th 2017766 K 313.7 40 min.
Sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée)
Sweetcrust pastry is one of the basic pastry of French patisserie, used in many tart and cakes recipes, but it can also be rolled out and cut into biscuits, delicious with tea or coffee. This recipe is given for those who have a mixer (Kenwood, KitchenAid or other), but it can also be done with your...July 1st 2019490 K 23.8 35 min.
Foie gras cured in salt
This a quite different preparation from the terrine of foie gras, this time it does not go in the oven, the liver is salted for 48 hours and it "cooks" (or cures) in this way.December 23th 2017570 K5 2 days 16 hours 30 min.
How to bake blind
This method allows you to cook a tart case, and then fill with a preparation which may or may not need further cooking (fruit, chocolate, crème patissière , etc...).May 6th 2017927 K5 1 hour 40 min.
Italian Meringue
Italian meringue is made with sugar cooked to 120°C or 248°F. This is different from the French, which is made from caster sugar. The cooked sugar gives a softer meringue which can be added to other preparations or use as it is.June 2nd 2015478 K4.3 30 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-08-10)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 2 comments already posted on this recipe
I don't know exactly how to make filling with sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks, but I'm quite sure that it will not be easier or smoother, than a good old tasty French pastry cream mixed with Italian meringue.
I guess the restaurant you try, do it in that way too...