Cranberry Meringue Pie

A big, billowing cloud of meringue tops this crimson beauty and acts as a sweet reprieve from the tart cranberry curd. The vibrant filling is made even more sour with a generous amount of lime juice. Think lemon meringue pie but holiday-ified. Use our Perfect Pie Crust as the base to create a sturdy-flaky foundation, and be sure to start the pie the day before you plan to serve it, as the curd requires several hours of chilling to set into a sliceable texture. Cut into it too soon and it will run onto your plate, creating a messy—albeit delicious—slice.We never make pie dough without a metal bench scraper. Our favorite is from Gestura. Use the scraper to cut butter, fold dough and nudge it into shape, transfer it from counter to plastic wrap, trim edges, cut strips, and, sure, scrape flour off your counter.Welcome to Bon Appétit Bake Club, a community of curious bakers. Each month senior Test Kitchen editors Jesse Szewczyk and Shilpa Uskokovic share a must-make recipe and dive deep on why it works. Come bake and learn with us—ask questions, share pics, listen to our podcast, and lots more here. And don't forget to join the Bake Club Group chat over on Substack.Recipe informationTotal Time3 hours (plus 30 minutes for freezing and 5 hours for chilling)IngredientsCrust1⅔cups (208 g) all-purpose flour1tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt¼tsp. baking powder2oz. chilled cream cheese, cut into 1" pieces10Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, sliced ½" thickRice flour or all-purpose flour (for surface)Filling and Assembly1lb. fresh or frozen cranberries2¾cups (550 g) granulated sugar, divided⅔cup fresh lime juice¼cup (32 g) cornstarch3large eggs2large egg yolks1Tbsp. vanilla extract1½tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided¾cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces6large egg whites, room temperature¼tsp. cream of tartarNeed to make a substitution?PreparationCrustStep 1Whisk 1⅔ cups (208 g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. baking powder in a large bowl to combine. Add 2 oz. chilled cream cheese, cut into 1" pieces, and rub into dry ingredients with your fingers until incorporated (mixture will look very shaggy). Add 10 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, sliced ½" thick, and toss to coat in flour, then smash with your fingers into smaller, flatter pieces (about chickpea-size).Step 2Make a well in the center of mixture and pour in ¼ cup ice water. Toss with a fork or your hands to distribute, then knead in bowl a couple of times to bring dough together (some dry bits may remain).Step 3Turn out dough onto a surface lightly dusted with rice flour or all-purpose flour and dust top of dough with flour. Roll out to a ½"-thick rectangle. Fold dough in half, rotate 90°, and fold in half again. Roll out again to a ½"-thick rectangle and repeat folding process, dusting with more rice flour as needed to prevent sticking. Pat into a ½"-thick disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill at least 2 hours and, preferably, up to 12 hours.Step 4Let dough disk sit at room temperature 5 minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12" round, about ¼" thick. Brush excess flour from dough and wrap around rolling pin. Transfer to a 9"-diameter pie pan (such as East Fork Spun Iron Pie Dish). Unfurl into pan, then lift edges and allow dough to slump down into pan. Trim, leaving about a 1½" overhang. Fold overhang under so crust is flush with edges of pan and crimp as desired with lightly floured fingers. Set pan on a rimmed baking sheet and prick bottom and sides of crust with a fork in several places. Freeze, uncovered, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.Step 5Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400°. Line crust with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake crust, tenting edges with foil if browning too quickly, until edges are set and look dry, 20–25 minutes. Carefully lift out parchment paper and weights and continue baking crust, gently pressing bottom and sides occasionally with a flat-bottomed measuring cup if puffing up, until bottom looks dry and is golden, 20–25 minutes more. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let crust cool.Do Ahead: Dough can be made 1 month ahead. Wrap disk in 2 layers of plastic and freeze instead of chilling. Thaw in refrigerator 12 hours before using.Filling and AssemblyStep 6Bring 1 lb. fresh or frozen cranberries, 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a large saucepan, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring often, until cranberries soften and burst and most of the liquid has evaporated, 10–15 minutes. Let cranberry mixture cool.Step 7Transfer cranberry mixture to a blender; reserve pan. Add ⅔ cup fresh lime juice and ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch and blend on high speed until smooth. Scrape purée back into pan (not over heat) and add 3 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks, 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens to a pudding-like consistency, about 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, and whisk until melted and combined. Strain curd through a fine-mesh sieve, pushing with a rubber spatula, directly into crust. Smooth into an even layer and cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto surface. Chill pie at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.Step 8Just before serving, beat 6 large egg whites, room temperature, ¼ tsp. cream of tartar, remaining 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar, and remaining ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until foamy and sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Increase speed to high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes more.Step 9Spoon meringue over filling and swirl decoratively as desired. Using a kitchen torch, toast meringue if desired.Recipe notesBack to topTriangle