Have you ever wondered how a recipe ends up on the cover of BHG? Creating the pie for this issue’s cover was a creative rollercoaster, going from soggy-pastry disasters to triumphant meringue glory.
The initial concept started more than four months before it hit shelves! Our editor Megan, creative director Scott and myself had a meeting and put on our thinking caps. What’s in season? What will you, our BHG audience, connect with and love the most? And what’s totally delicious?
After much to-and-fro on various concepts, an idea floated to the top – a sweet pie with a cheeky nod to a classic Arnott’s Iced Vo Vo bickie. With our pie dreams locked in, I rolled up my sleeves and went straight into planning. The mission? Create a show-stopping pie that looks impressive but is totally doable, with ingredients you can find at your local supermarket.
My secret weapon when cooking up new ideas is an old-fashioned sketch. I grabbed a pencil and some watercolours and mocked up a quick concept. It was no masterpiece (as you can see – right), but it was perfect to visualise before moving to the kitchen.
From there, I called on my many years of recipe testing knowledge to write out the fundamental steps. Armed with my carefully planned draft recipe, I headed into the BHG Test Kitchen, got cooking … and Version 1 was a flop. The pastry was tragically soggy, the filling barely there, and it went straight to the reject pile. I powered through Versions 2, 3, 4 and 5 over the next three days, with team members tasting and providing suggestions for improvements.
Each version brought me a little closer – workshopping undercooked, then overcooked apples, then not enough raspberry zing. And just when I thought our pile of dense, marshmallowy Italian meringue was going to totally look the hero, it collapsed dramatically and took out the whole middle of the pie.
By day four and Version 6, I was cautiously optimistic that I was finally there. The meringue had been reimagined: lighter, simpler, with just the right amount of fluff to sit proudly.
At exactly 3pm on Friday (yes, I checked), I gave the meringue its final golden torch and sliced in. The pastry was crisp, the filling bright and well structured, with clear layers, and the taste was sweet and unique– everything stacked up like a dream. With team taste tests to follow the next week, I was confident we’d landed on a winner.
I fired off a text to Megan and Scott with a very proud pie pic.
“WOW! This looks sensational! You are a wizard, Sarah!” said Megan.
“You did it! Perfect!” added Scott.
Cue happy dance in the BHG Test Kitchen!
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line base of a 20cm springform pan with baking paper. Using pan as a guide, cut a round from one pastry sheet and place in pan. Slice remaining pastry sheet into three equal strips.
Make small slits along the long edge of each strip, 2cm high and at 2cm intervals (this creates pleats and helps the pastry sit in the pan more easily).
Brush pastry in pan with a little egg. Arrange pastry strips in pan, overlapping slightly, to form the sides of the crust. Press the cut edges onto the base of the pan to stick (you will need to trim the last sheet to fit). Press firmly on the pleats and pastry overlaps to seal. Brush inside of pastry case with egg wash.
Chill for 15 minutes, then trim pastry to sit slightly above the top of the pan. Crumple two sheets of baking paper, then press into the pastry case. Fill with baking beads, raw beans or rice. Bake 25 minutes. Remove paper and weights.
Bake a further 20 minutes, until deep golden. Cool in pan.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine apple, raspberries, brown sugar, jam and vanilla. Heat on medium heat for 5 minutes, until the raspberries thaw and the mixture is a deep red. Remove from heat and cool completely. Stir in flour. Fill pastry case with cooled apple mixture. Place pan on a baking tray, then bake 45 minutes.
Reduce oven to 160°C/140°C fan-forced. For coconut macaroon, beat egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating to dissolve after each addition. Stir in combined coconuts and flour. Dollop mixture over filling, then spread to cover. Bake 15–20 minutes, until pale golden. Cool at room temperature, then refrigerate for 3 hours, until chilled.
For meringue, just before serving, in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating to dissolve after each addition, until stiff peaks form.
Carefully remove pie from pan and transfer to a serving plate. Pile meringue on top of pie and use a blowtorch to crisp the meringue until lightly coloured (or place under a hot grill). Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
Serve with raspberries and extra coconut.
