Vegan blueberry meringue pie

Method

• step 1

  Put the flour, sugar and ¼ tsp of salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and toss to coat. Using your fingertips, rub the flour into the butter but don’t overwork the mixture – you’re not aiming for a sandy texture.

• step 2

  Put the bowl in the freezer for 10 mins. Once chilled, remove and stir in 4-5 tbsp of ice-cold water, 1 tbsp at a time. You may not need all the water, but keep adding until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a clean worktop and work the dough into a ball briefly with your hands.

• step 3

  Lightly flour the work surface and place the dough on top. Lightly flour the the dough and roll it out into thick, flat disc about 15cm in diameter. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hr.

• step 4

  Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap and return to the floured worktop. Using a 24cm pie dish or tart tin as a guide, roll out the dough until it’s large enough to overlap the edges of the dish by a few centimetres. Carefully wrap the pastry around the floured rolling pin to transfer it to the pie tin. Gently press the dough into the corners of the tin and trim the pastry, leaving a 3cm overhang around the edges of the tin.

• step 5

  Line the pie tin with baking parchment and fill with baking beans, making sure to keep the edges exposed. Brush the edges of the pastry with the vegan cream or milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 mins, then remove the paper and baking beans. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 mins until golden. Trim the edges of the pastry with a serrated knife, and leave to cool a little. Remove from the tin and cool completely on a cooling rack.

• step 6

  In a large pan, heat half of the blueberries, the lemon zest and the sugar over medium heat, stirring to combine, for a few minutes. Once the blueberries are soft and the sugar has dissolved, use a masher to mash the blueberries. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the cinnamon and a pinch of fine sea salt, and simmer for 5-8 mins or until mixture has thickened and reduced by about half. Remove 4 tbsp of the mixture from the pan and reserve in a separate bowl.

• step 7

  Add the remaining blueberries to the pan, along with the butter, and stir well. Allow to simmer for 1-2 mins, stirring constantly. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, tapioca starch or cornflour and 2 tbsp of water. Tip the lemon juice and starch mixture into the blueberries and stir well – the mixture should thicken up quickly. Turn off the heat.

• step 8

  Let the mixture cool for 5 mins before spooning into the pie case. Cover and put in the fridge to set for at least 2 hrs.

• step 9

  To make the meringue layer, rub the lemon wedge around the inside of your mixer bowl and whisk. Wipe off any excess juice with a piece of kitchen roll. Put the chilled aquafaba in the bowl and fit the whisk attachment, or use a pair of electric beaters. Whisk on a high speed for 2 mins until the aquafaba is foamy. Turn the speed to low and add the remaining ingredients. Gradually turn the speed back up to full for around 5-8 mins or until stiff, glossy peaks form.

• step 10

  To assemble, spoon the whipped aquafaba onto the centre of the pie, leaving a few centimetres of blueberry filling visible on all sides. Loosen the reserved blueberry mixture with a little water if it’s thickened. Use the back of the spoon to spread the meringue over the pie decoratively, dipping back into the blueberry mixture as needed to make purple swirls in the meringue. Serve as it is, or blowtorch or grill the meringue until its peaks are golden.