Cranberry -Rasberry Meringue Pie

This meringue pie swaps the usual lemon for cranberry-raspberry juice concentrate, and the result is a filling that’s deeply fruity with a gorgeous ruby-pink color you won’t get from any other pie on the table.

The filling is a proper stovetop custard: egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch cooked together until thick, then finished with butter and a hit of lemon juice. That lemon isn’t there for flavor so much as balance. It sharpens the cranberry-raspberry sweetness and keeps the filling from tasting one-note.

Seal the meringue to the crust edges before piling the rest in the center. This prevents the topping from shrinking away from the sides as it bakes, which is the number one complaint with meringue pies.

Pro Tips

• Stir the cornstarch mixture constantly as it comes to a boil. Cornstarch thickens rapidly and will scorch on the bottom if you walk away.
• Cook for a full minute after it reaches a boil. Undercooked cornstarch can break down later and turn your filling runny.
• Spread the meringue while the filling is still hot. Hot filling helps cook the bottom of the meringue from beneath, preventing that weepy layer between filling and topping.
• Serve within a few hours of baking. As the recipe notes, the meringue weeps over time, so this is a same-day pie.

Variations

• Use pure cranberry juice concentrate for a more tart, less sweet filling.
• Top with a Swiss meringue (cooked over a double boiler before spreading) for a more stable topping that holds up longer.
• Add a teaspoon of orange zest to the filling for a cranberry-orange-raspberry triple-berry twist.