Pineapple meringue pie
Ingredients:
1 Graham cracker pie crust (baked for ten minutes)
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
½ cup of Splenda
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 ounce can of crushed pineapple
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of lime juice
3 eggs, separated (the egg yolks are for the pineapple mixture, reserve the egg whites for the meringue)
¼ cup of Splenda (for the meringue)
¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar (for the meringue)
½ teaspoon of pure vanilla (for the meringue)
Chocolate Graham cracker crust:
Ingredients:
24 Graham crackers, crushed (1 ½ cups)
1/4 cup of Splenda
1/3 cup of melted butter
Instructions:
Crush the Graham crackers in a food processor, or with a rolling pin. Place the crushed Graham crackers into a medium bowl. melt the butter in a microwave oven for about 10 seconds. Now, add the melted butter, and Splenda to the Graham cracker crumbs and stir well. Next, add this mixture to a buttered pie pan with a removable bottom. With your fingers, press the graham cracker crumbs firmly to the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
Normally, this type of crust doesn't need to be baked before adding a pie filling. However, for this recipe, the crust needs to be baked. If not, the crust tends to get soggy.
Note:
I use chocolate Graham crackers for this pie recipe. However, regular Graham crackers work well too. You can also use a regular pie crust if you prefer.
I use a fluted pie pan with a removed bottom so that the pie can be removed. The pie turns out beautifully.
Instructions:
First, preheat the oven to 325° F.
Then in a saucepan; combine cornstarch, 1/4 cup Splenda, salt, and pineapple, with the pineapple juice. Stirring continuously, cook over medium heat, until the mixture is clear and has thickened up.
Next, in a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with ¼ cup sugar together. Then add the egg mixture to the pineapple mixture.
Cook for another minute. Allow this mixture to cool.
Now, add the lemon and lime juice into the pineapple mixture, stir well. Pour this mixture into the baked Graham cracker pie crust.
For meringue:
To make the meringue; take 3 egg whites, ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, and beat with a mixer, until stiff peaks form. Slowly whip in a ¼ cup of Splenda and ½ teaspoon of vanilla. Now, immediately pipe the meringue, or use a spatula to swirl the meringue on top of the pie, then bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven.
Note: You can double the meringue recipe to make the pie fuller if desired.
When the pie has completely baked, allow it to cool on a wire rack. After the pie has completely cooled, remove the rim of the pie pan (before sliding the tart off the bottom disk base). Next, slide the pie onto a serving plate.