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TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - This recipe is inspired by both Valentine's Day, and also the glorious abundance of strawberries this season.
Vanessa created this recipe for strawberry-chocolate meringue pie for two -- or just a "hungry one." There are no judgments here. It's a sweet dessert that is pretty easy to make.
Watch the video above for directions; here's what you'll need to make it:
INGREDIENTS:
Filling
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
3/4 cup sugar (may need more or less, depending on sweetness of berries)
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. gelatin
2 tbsp. water
Crust
1/2 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp. melted butter
Meringue
2 egg whites
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Start with the filling. Blend the strawberries together with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and egg yolks.
2) Place the mixture in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and continue cooking until the puree reduces down to about half (close to, but not quite at jam consistency). Stir frequently so the puree doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.
3) While the puree is cooking, bloom some gelatin in a bowl with water. Let the gelatin stand for a couple minutes.
4) Whisk together the reduced puree and the gelatin and let cool to room temperature.
You can work on the chocolate crust while the strawberry mixture is cooling. Preheat the oven to 350°F and make sure the rack is in the center position.
5) Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, salt, and sugar. Lightly pack it into the bottom of your ramekin. Bake for around 10 minutes.
6) Layer the strawberry filling onto the baked crust and cool in the fridge until filling firms up (could take a couple hours).
7) Save the meringue to as close as possible to serving time. Beat together the egg whites, cocoa powder, cream of tartar and sugar until stiff peaks form (electric mixer recommended for this!).
8) Layer the meringue on top of the strawberry filling. Bake under the broiler on the "low" setting, with the rack close to the top position. Watch closely--you just want the meringue to brown (but not burn!). This should take less than five minutes.