8tablespoonsunsalted buttercut in cubes and frozen
3 - 3 ½tablespoonsice cold water
Pie Filling
2 ½lbscape gooseberries
3tablespoonscornstarch
¾cupgranulated sugar
¼teaspoonsalt
zest and juice of one Meyer lemon
½teaspoonsvanilla extract
Meringue Topping
6egg large egg whitesroom temperature
1 ½cupsgranulated sugar
½teaspoonvanilla extract
zest of half a Meyer lemon
Instructions
Pie Crust
Mix together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl, or a food processor. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or a few pulses in the food processor. The mixture should have bits of butter about the size of peas or coarse breadcrumbs.
Slowly add the ice cold water a tablespoon at a time. If you are using a food processor, leave it running and you drizzle the water in. The dough should just come together when you press it together. It shouldn't really feel wet to the touch, but not so dry that crumbs keep falling off when you press the dough together.
Turn the dough onto plastic wrap and lightly flatten into a disc. Cover and chill for at least an hour (I have the best results when I leave it overnight).
Preheat the oven to 340 degrees F. Roll out the dough until it is a large circle about ¼ inch in thickness. Place in the center of pie plate and fold in the overhang. Crimp the edges to your desired design. Place pie weight in the middle of the pie (I covered the center of mine in aluminum foil and filled with dried beans). Blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Keep the oven on.
Pie Filling
In a saucepan, add the ⅔ of the cape gooseberries, cornstarch, sugar, salt, zest, and juice of the lemon together along with ¼ cup of water. Heat until the berries begin to pop and form a thick syrup - about 15 minutes. Fold in the rest of the berries (you can save a few to garnish the finished pie) and cook just until they begin to pop.
Fill the pie crust with the filling. Cover the edges of the pie crust and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Meringue Topping
Place about an inch or two of water into a small saucepan and heat until it is steaming, but not boiling.
Put the eggs and granulated sugar into a heatproof mixing bowl and place over the small saucepan. Make sure the mixing bowl does not directly touch the water in the pan. Mix together the egg whites and sugar until well combined and the sugar dissolves. Beat the mixture constantly while it is over the heat to prevent the eggs from cooking.
Put the mixing bowl in your stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to beat the egg white mixture until it forms stiff peaks. Add in the vanilla and lemon and beat until combined - about another minute.
Place the meringue over the cooled pie and use a spoon to swirl. Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue.
Notes
Best stored at room temperature for up to three days