Goji Berry & Pistachio Meringue Pie (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Goji berry, and pistachio, and meringue? Oh my! Treat yourself to a taste of spring, with this ruby red curd, buttery pistachio crust, and pillowy citrus meringue.
It’s officially Springtime! You know how I know? Because my allergies are BACK WITH A VENGEANCE, BABY. Shout out to off-brand Claritin, woo! (This recipe not sponsored or affiliated with off-brand Claritin.)
Servings: 12 to 16 | Prep Time: 2 h 5 m to 2 h 13 m | Cook Time: 20 to 27 m | Chill Time: 5 h 10 m to 7 h 10 m
Two large air-tight containers
Hand-mixer / Stand-mixer with whisk attachment
Spice grinder / Food processor
Parchment paper
11” removable-bottom tart pan
Aluminum foil
Pie weights (ceramic, rice, flour)
Blender / Food processor
Fine-mesh sieve
Heavy-bottomed saucepans
Offset spatula
Large piping bag
Large petal piping tip
Blowtorch
Goji Berry & Cranberry Curd:
1 cup dried goji berries
⅔ cup dried cranberries
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup cornstarch
1 cup coconut milk
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup cranberry juice
¾ cup vegan butter
Pistachio Pie Crust:
½ cup vegan butter sticks, room temp (I used Earth Balance)
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp gluten-free egg replacer (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 tbsp water
½ cup (80 g) unshelled pistachios
2 ¾ cups (220 g) almond flour
Aquafaba Meringue:
1 (400 g) can low-sodium chickpeas
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp clear vanilla extract
¼ tsp orange extract
Goji Berry & Cranberry Curd (10 minutes + 2 hours chilling)
Place the dried berries in two separate air-tight containers.
Cover the berries with boiling water until completely submerged with some room to expand.
Cover and transfer to the fridge to rehydrate for at least 2 hours while you prepare the crust.
Vegan Pistachio Pie Crust (45 minutes + 20 to 27 minutes baking + 40 minutes chilling)
In a large glass bowl, with a hand-mixer or stand-mixer, beat together the vegan butter, sugar, and salt, until pale and doubled in size, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg replacer and water and let sit for a minute to firm up.
Once firm, add to the butter mixture and beat until combined, about 1 minute.
In a spice grinder or food processor, pulse the pistachios into a fine powder. Do not over blend or the oils released will turn the powder to a paste.
Sift the almond flour and finely ground pistachios into the butter mixture and beat until a dough just starts to come together.
Between two pieces of parchment paper, roll out the dough to ⅛” thickness, making a circle at least a couple inches larger than your pan.
Transfer to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.
Carefully transfer the dough into an 11” removable-bottom tart pan and gently press it into all the crevices. If any tears form, patch them with excess dough and press together with your fingers.
Carefully roll your rolling pin over the edge of the pan to cut off any excess dough.
Dock the bottom of the crust 10 to 15 times and return to the freezer for 10 minutes while the oven preheats.
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Once the oven is preheated, crumple up one or two large pieces of aluminum foil, making sure there is enough to cover the entire crust.
Line the crust with the foil and fill with pie weight of choice, such as rice or flour, making sure to fill all the crevices.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through.
Remove the pie weights, keeping crust completely covered with foil, and return to the oven for 5 to 7 more minutes, or until bottom of the crust is golden brown. The dough may still look soft and doughy when removed from the oven, but will crisp up once removed, so be careful not to overbake!
Let cool completely in the pan to room temp.
Goji Berry & Cranberry Curd Cont’d (25 to 28 minutes + 2 to 4 hours chilling)
Place the rehydrated goji berries and cranberries in a blender, or food processor, and blend until smooth.
Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any skins or seeds.
Transfer the pureed berries to a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch and add to the berry mixture. Whisk to combine.
Add the coconut milk and lemon juice.
Whisk the mixture over medium-low heat until warm, then stir in the butter, one tablespoon at a time.
Whisk until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
Pass the curd through a fine-mesh sieve and pour into the prepared pie crust.
Spread into an even layer with an offset spatula.
Cover and chill in the fridge until curd is firm, about 2 to 4 hours.
Aquafaba Meringue (45 to 50 minutes + 30 minutes chilling)
Separate the chickpea liquid (also called aquafaba) from the beans and discard the beans. You should have approximately ½ to ¾ cup liquid.
Transfer the aquafaba into a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the liquid, stirring frequently, until it measures ½ cup, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, cover, and transfer to the fridge to chill until completely cool, about 30 minutes.
Just before serving, combine all ingredients in a stand-mixer with a whisk attachment and whip at high speed until glossy and stiff, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Transfer the meringue to a large piping bag fitted with a large petal piping tip.
Starting from the center, pipe petals of meringue on top of the curd, all the way to the crust, creating a rose shape.
Lightly brown the meringue with a blowtorch.
Serve immediately. Store leftovers covered in the fridge up to 3 days.
Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my Best Practices page for tips on how to make this recipe yourself. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and feel free to tag me on Instagram @made.by.shade if you make it!
-Shade