Baking| Apple Brown Sugar Meringue Pies for BBC Good Food India … Life is sweet!
“Good food ends with good talk.”
Geoffrey Neighor
When BBC Good Food India wrote to me saying they would like to feature Passionate About Baking as their blog of the month, my heart skipped a beat! BBC Good Food UK is one of my favourite magazines, and their newsletter is one I eagerly await in my mailbox. This time around BBC Good Food was all set to enter the Indian market. I created these Apple Brown Sugar Meringue Pies for the feature!
I love the way BBC Good Food follows seasons, is full of refreshing new takes on meals and recipes while offering you traditional fare alongside. The first issue of the India edition is pack to the gills with FOOD … ♦ eat in ♦ eat out ♦ eat away ♦.
The inaugural issue has over a 100 triple tested . Turn the pages to find mouthwatering standout Pan Asian, no fuss Mediterranean, stunning desserts, delicious one pots {veggie}, everyday value meals … and Gordon Ramsay’s panna cotta’. The cover tempts you with the words … Life is Sweet!
To learn more about BBC GoodFood India you can stop by here and here. Also do join the BBC Good Food India survey which comes with the promise of great rewards. One lucky participant stands to win a culinary holiday to the Fontana fredda vineyards in Italy. Other prizes include a gift pack containing a voucher for two for a great dining experience at any of three fabulous restaurants in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore – Olive Bar & Kitchen, Manchester United Café and Aromas of China.
Not so long ago I made an Upside Down Mango Quark Cheseecake inspired from a recent issue of the BBC Goodfood newsletter. For my feature in the magazine, I decided to go with apples since they spell the essence of the season for me. I made these little pies, topping them with brown sugar meringues because I find meringues entirely charming!
Apples suddenly seem to offer me never ending inspiration and each time I look at them, I think of the million possibilities. I had some whites on hand {waiting for macarons that didn’t take shape}, so I toyed with an apple version of the lemon meringue pie. The pies were fun, delicious fun!
Each bite was full of autumnal warmth … apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, walnuts. Can’t go wrong with those flavours this season, can you? The brown sugar meringue reminded me of little Cocos tufts on her head. She’s always around … always curious!
Ingredients
Filling:
- 3 tart green apples, peeled, cut into 8 slices each, finely sliced
- Juice of 1 lime
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- ½ tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tbsp low fat cream
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped fine
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter {to dot the filling}
Pie shell
- 150gms digestive biscuits {ground into crumbs}
- 50gm unsalted butter, melted, cooled
Brown Sugar Meringue Topping
- 2 egg whites
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 4 tbsp demerera sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Keep 6 3” loose bottom tart tins ready.
- Toss all the filling ingredients except the butter in a large bowl, making sure the apple pieces are coated well. {The apple pieces should be small and thin as we are making small pies}. Reserve.
- Mix the cookie crumbs with melted butter, and divide between the tart tins. Press halfway up the sides and cover the bottom, pressing gently but firmly into place.
- Divide the filling equally between the 6 tart tins. Dot with butter, cover the tins with foil, place on a cookie tray and bake for 35 minutes at 190C.
- When there are 5 minutes to go, prepare the brown sugar meringue topping.
- Beat the whites with the cream of tartar until they hold soft peaks. Gradually add the brown sugar, a tbsp at a time, and continue to beat till the meringue holds stiff peaks and is very firm.
- Take the tray out of the oven, and remove the foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C.
- Divide the meringue filling equally between the tart tins, making sure it seals the hot filling completely to the edges. Make peaks with the back of an offset spatula and return to the oven.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown {watch closely to ensure the brown sugar meringue doesn’t burn}. Cool the pies on a rack, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This recipe is off to “Cook.Eat.Delicious-Desserts!” @ Simply Food where the month’s theme is Apples .
Don’t miss a post 
Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India
Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
26 Comments
Ameena
What a huge honor Deeba! And very well deserved…these look fantastic. Unique, delicious, and the presentation is gorgeous.
Rosa
Heavenly pies! Really dreamlike. This version is just fabulous.
Cheers,
Rosa
Meatloaf
What a delicious pie recipe! It’s really good one. I will try this soon. Thanks for sharing.
Suma
Wow! What an honor Deeba! Congrats , very well deserved, proud of you! Wish you many many such more to come!
The pies look charming, the dusting of powdered sugar reminds me of Christmas!
Renata
I don’t even know where to start… you are so amazing, Deeba! Congratulations on your blog being featured at BBC Good Food India! You really deserve to be there, as everything you do is indeed “passionate”. These little apple pies are to die for, I’m sure! Coco is so cute, as always 🙂 Congratulations!
Suma
Congratulations Deeba, very well deserved, proud of you! Its truly an honor to have your blog featured on BBC Good Food India, wish you many many more such to come!
The pie looks charming, powdered sugar rained on it looks Christmassy…
Lavi
i checked bbc gf india issue a week back, i was jumping on seeing your blog snapshot, glad for you, you deserve, i like your unique photo styling!!
Miriam/The Winter Guest
Wow, congrats! Well deserved, Deeba.
Happy Cook / Finla
Wowo congragulations Deeba. I am sure soon one of these days you will get to have your own TV Baking show. I do hope you will get there as you are one passionate baker sweetie.
Jesica @ Pencil Kitchen
apples give me inspiration too! I’m actually mesmerised by the filling you used… 🙂
Indu
Wow, wonderful (though not surprising) that you made it to BBC Good Food! Congrats!
The pies are indeed charming!
shaz
Well done Deeba! You definitely deserve the honour. And I like the sound of these pies, they are very autumnal.
chinmayie @ love food eat
Congrats Deeba! You totally deserve it 🙂
I saw your feature in the magazine and was so happy! Yours according to be is one of the BEST blogs of India! You should consider opening a baking school really… I would be so happy to join 😉
Barbara
Kudos, Deeba! You deserve it!
These individual pies look divine. I love the crust and the idea of the brown sugar meringue on top is perfect!
Lora
Congrats Deeba and what a luscious dessert!
Helene
Congratulations I am so excited for you. What a beautiful pie you made. So glad many people in India will get the chance to discover your blog.
Anshuman
Woohooo!!! What an honor and a well earned one! Congratulations Deeba!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen
Congratulations and so well deserved, you do such amazing things! Love those warm fall flavors!
vandana rajesh
Congrats Deeba, you truly deserve every bit of it. Love the apple pies…beautiful delicious looking creations indeed as always.
Marian
Those look so delicious I would like to run back home to my kitchen to try them out.
Compliments on your beautiful impressive blog!
Greetings from Belgium,
Marian
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
Gorgeous little pies, super reinvention of lemon meringue. My dad would love these!
Avanika {Yumsilicious Bakes}
Congratulations, D! Certainly well deserved. Making apple meringue pies is just genius 🙂
foodlovers
lovely clicks
simply.food
Beautful dessert awesome clicks. Please do send this to C.E.D.D Apples an event I am currently guesting hosting.
Paulina Maria
After reading your blog post I browsed your website a bit and noticed you aren’t ranking nearly as well in Google as you could be. I possess a handful of blogs myself and I think you should take a look here: http://dominateseowithwordpress.com You’ll find it’s a very nice tool that can bring you a lot more visitors. Keep up the quality posts
photography tutorials
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Perfectly written!