Guava Meringue Pie

This is a recipe that I dreamed up, but was a bit hesitant to make because at the time guava season was long over and I did not have any frozen guavas. I reluctantly purchased a can of guava shells from the local supermarket thinking it would be flavorless at best.

To cut a long story short, when my pie was completed, I was completely blown away! The guava flavor was impressive; it tasted just like fresh guavas and the crust wasn’t too bad either. If you want to give it a try, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

Crust

• 1 stick cold unsalted butter (cubed)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tbsp. ice water

Filling

• 2 cups guava shells in syrup
• 2 tbsp. guava jam
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup corn starch
• 3 egg yolks
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter

Meringue

• 3 egg whites
• 5-6 tbsp. sugar
• 3-4 drops red food coloring

Directions:

Crust

• Place flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and mix.
• Add the butter and use fingertips to rub flour into butter until mixture resembles bread crumbs. (A food processor may also be used).

• Add ice water one tablespoon at a time and mix until the dough begins to form a ball.

• Place on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about half an hour.

• Remove dough from refrigerator and roll on a well-floured board. Roll from center to edge until a 10” circle is formed. Be sure to turn and flour the dough so that it doesn't stick to the board.

• Place dough in pie shell, trim off any excess. Design edge of crust with fork impressions or finger pinches.

• Prick holes on the bottom of the pie crust to prevent it from bubbling up as it bakes. 
• Bake pie crust at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, until it starts to turn light brown.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool before pouring in filling.

Filling

1. Puree guava shells and jam.
2. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, pureed guava and lemon juice in a heavy pot. Stir in the egg yolks, and then add the water. 
3. Heat these ingredients until they are just barely boiling. Then let them simmer over medium heat for about five minutes, stirring constantly. 
4. Remove the mixture from the heat, and stir in the butter. Pour this into the baked pie shell.

Meringue

• Beat the egg whites until they are stiff, and then stir in the sugar. 
• Fold in food coloring.

• Spread meringue over the guava filling, using a spatula to form peaks.
• Bake the pie at 400 degrees until the meringue begins to brown.
• Allow the pie cool before serving. 

Note: Refrigerate uneaten portion