Ingredients

Crust:
1, 9” (23 cm) unbaked pie crust

Filling:
3/4 cup (175 mL) sugar
1/3 cup (75 mL) cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 3/4 cups (425 mL) freshly squeezed orange juice
4 egg yolks (reserve egg whites)
1 tbsp (15 mL) grated orange zest
1/2 cup (125 mL) canned mandarin orange segments, drained and chopped

Meringue:
Reserved egg whites
1/2 cup (125 mL) white sugar
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cream of tartar
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Directions

Crust:
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Line pastry with aluminum foil and a layer of pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the preheated oven until edge of crust is golden, about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and weights; bake about 5 minutes more.

Filling:
Preheat the oven to 350 F (170 C). In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt, stirring to mix. Slowly whisk in orange juice, then egg yolks, one at a time, then zest. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped oranges. Pour into the crust.

Meringue:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, and then the vanilla bean seeds, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. When you lift the beater out of the bowl, the egg whites should make a sharp peak that holds its shape. Spread meringue evenly over the entire pie making sure it attaches to the crust edge to prevent shrinking while baking. Place in preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.

Serves 8

Recipe by Miles Thatcher