Pinch pie, says Barb, is what her mother called a meringue. She served it, recalls Barb, with quartered strawberries and a zabaglione (zabaione, or sabayon in French) sauce, a combination of egg yolks, sugar and Madeira. "This is a lovely springtime sauce that can be made with other liquors, including wine, champagne, or even Amaretto, but I wouldn't mess with the classic," Barb warns, adding that the zabaglione is also a "great use of the egg yolks left over from the meringue."
Meringue ingredients
1/4 teaspoon salt 4 egg whites, brought to room temperature 6 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 container strawberries, rinsed and quartered
Directions
Using a dry and clean mixing bowl, add the salt to the egg whites and beat on low speed until stiff. Gradually fold in the sugar and add the almond and vanilla extracts.
Meringue shell
1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. 2. Drop the meringue on a greased baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 3. Mash out with back of a spoon and make a hollow in the middle to hold the filling. 4. Bake for 1 hour, turn oven off and let cool in oven. 5. Fill with berries.
Zabaglione
Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar 3 large egg yolks 1/4 cup Portuguese Madeira
Directions:
1. In a metal bowl, whisk together sugar, yolks and Madeira until combined. 2. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and heat mixture, whisking, until frothy and pale golden (each whisk stroke should leave a clean path) for about 3 minutes, or until eggs are safely cooked. (An instant-read thermometer should register 140°F.) 3. Pour over berries and meringue.
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