Blood Orange and Rhubarb Meringue Pie

This spring is seeing a bumper crop of new cookery books of which Catherine Phipps' Citrus is one of the most enticing ...

If you want to take advantage of the rhubarb and blood oranges that are in the shops at the moment you couldn't find a better way to use them.

Cat writes: "Most meringue pies use a sweet pastry, but as I find the meringue so sweet, I think it is better served with a very buttery shortcrust (pie dough), so I take out the sugar.

The butter in the filling is optional – it’s not always used and I think it adds a richness, making the filling more like curd and less like custard."

Blood Orange and Rhubarb Meringue Pie

Serves 6

For the pastry

225g/1 ¾ cups plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting

150g/2/3 cup butter, chilled and diced

1 egg yolk

A pinch of salt

For the filling

400g/14oz rhubarb, preferably the pink forced kind, cut into short (2cm/ ¾ -in) lengths

60g/1⁄₃ cup caster (superfine) sugar

Finely grated zest of 2 blood oranges and juice of up to 4 blood oranges

1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)

3 egg yolks

30g/1 tbsp butter (optional)

For the meringue topping

4 egg whites (left from pastry and filling)

225g/1 ¼ cups caster (superfine) sugar

½ tsp cream of tartar

First make the pastry. Either whiz the flour and butter in a food processor or rub in by hand until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then add the egg yolk and salt. Mix briefly, adding a little chilled water if necessary, until you can bring the pastry together into a ball – it should need no more than a tablespoon. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and use to line a pie dish (between 21 and 23cm/8 and 9in in diameter). Prick all over with a fork, then line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the beans and bake for a further 5 minutes or so until the pastry is a light golden brown. Remove from the oven.

To make the filling, put the rhubarb into a baking dish, sprinkle with the sugar and orange zest and roast in the oven for 30–35 minutes, stirring every so often – if youare organized you can cook this at the same time as you are blind baking the pastry. Strain the rhubarb juice into a measuring jug and set aside the solids. Add enough blood orange juice to make up the rhubarb juice to 250ml/1 cup plus 1 tbsp.

Use a small amount of the liquid to whisk the cornflour (cornstarch) into a thin paste in a bowl, and heat the rest in a medium saucepan. When the liquid is hot, pour some of it over the cornflour mixture, whisking constantly, then pour this back into the saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the mixture thickens – this is likely to happen very suddenly. Add the egg yolks and butter, if using, and continue to whisk. Remove from the heat and stir through the reserved rhubarb. Pour into the cooked pastry case. If you have time, leave it to cool and chill down completely as it will help the texture enormously and prevent possible separation.

To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until well aerated and just starting to form stiff peaks. Continuing to whisk, add the sugar a tablespoon at a time until the meringue is beautifully stiff and glossy, then add the remaining sugar all at once, and sprinkle in the cream of tartar. Pipe or pile the meringue over the filling.

Bake in the oven for around 15–20 minutes until the meringue is a dappled golden brown. I love this both hot and cold and I don’t think it needs any embellishment.

What to drink: You want a really sweet wine with good acidity with this delicious pie. I suggest a young late harvest riesling or a Canadian ice wine. FB

From CITRUS: Recipes that celebrate the sour and the sweet by Catherine Phipps (Quadrille, £20.00) Photography: Mowie Kay

Devilled eggs

They may be retro but who doesn't secretly love a devilled egg? Here's how I make mine and some variations ...

Serves 8 as a starter

8 large eggs at room temperature

4 tbsp mayonnaise

1/4 tsp curry powder or a 1/2 tsp curry paste

1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce

a few drops of Tabasco or a pinch of cayenne or chilli powder

2 tbsp finely snipped chives plus a few longer ones for decoration

2 Little Gem lettuces or the inner leaves of a round lettuce

Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and carefully lower in the eggs. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes then drain the eggs and run cold water over them. Leave until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile separate the lettuce leaves and wash in cold water. Drain and dry.

Crack the eggs and carefully peel off the shell. Cut the eggs in half lengthways and ease the yolks into a bowl. Mash them and add the mayonnaise then season with a little curry powder or paste, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco or cayenne pepper and a little salt. Mix in the chopped chives.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on individual plates and arrange the halved egg whites on top. Spoon the seasoned egg yolks into the hollows in each egg white. Scatter a few longer lengths of chives over the top and serve as soon as possible. (The egg yolk mix will discolour if you leave it too long.)

There are a number of different ways of doing this depending on what you have to hand. Anything fishy works well with eggs so you could mix the yolks with a little anchovy paste, crab paté, mashed sardines or tuna or that Scandi-style salmon paste in a tube. (If you wanted to jazz it up you could top the eggs with a bit of salmon roe.) Or you could mix in some finely chopped ham and spike it up with a bit of English mustard. Good party eating too if you use smaller, medium-sized eggs

What to drink: A drier style of prosecco would work pretty well or try a Gavi di Gavi

Quick tiger prawns (shrimp) with pinot grigio, fresh tomato and basil sauce

It's always a struggle to think of something quick and delicious to make for a mid-week supper. This easy Italian-inspired recipe from my book Cooking With Wine solves the problem.

Serves 2

3 tablespoons of olive oil
200g/7oz raw fresh or frozen tiger prawns (shrimp)
1 small onion or 2 shallots, peeled and very finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
A small glass (about 100ml or half a cup) Pinot Grigio or other crisp dry white wine
4 medium sized or 2 large vine-ripened tomatoes (about 350g/12oz), peeled* and roughly chopped
6-8 basil leaves
Salt, sugar and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan or wok, add the prawns/shrimp and fry briefly until they turn pink. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the chopped onion for a couple of minutes without browning. Add the garlic, stir then pour in the white wine and cook until it has almost evaporated. Add the tomatoes and their juice and cook for about 4-5 minutes, breaking them down with a fork or spatula to make a thick sauce.

Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a small pinch of sugar. Roughly tear the basil leaves and stir them into the sauce. Return the prawns and any accumulated juices to the pan and heat through. Serve with rice and some peas or courgettes/zucchini.

Recommended wine match: the same wine you use to make the dish - a Pinot Grigio or other crisp dry white.

See also: Wine and seafood: the best pairings for prawns or shrimp

* to peel tomatoes make a cut in the skin with a small, sharp knife, put them in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them stand for a minute then drain and refresh with cold water. The skins should slip off easily.

A Caerphilly and leek toastie for St David's Day

Anyone who's lived around or visited Bristol in the last few years will know of the legendary Trethowan's Dairy toasties they used to sell* at St Nick's market. Here's the secret . . .

• 15g butter

• 1 finely chopped small leek

• 1 clove of garlic

• 1 finely chopped spring onion

• a scatter of finely chopped red onion

• 50g grated Gorwydd or other artisanal Caerphilly (use the rind too)

• 2 thin slices of sourdough (best when a couple of days old. The Trethowans used to use Tom Herbert's Shepherd's Loaf)

• a pinch or two of salt and a good grind of pepper

There are two ways of making this depending whether you've got a contact grill or not. Jess of Trethowan's Dairy suggests pre-cooking the leeks and onions:

Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat, add the leeks and onions and soften. Take off the heat, mix in the cheese and season to taste. Grill the bread, rub over the the garlic then spread the cheese and leek mixture over each piece of toast. sandwich together.

An alternative way which keeps the veg slightly crunchier is to butter the outside of the two slices then fill them with the leek, onion and cheese mixture. Place the sandwich in a sandwich toaster, panini grill or other contact grill and cook until the cheese has melted.

I have also made them in a frying pan, browning the buttered sides of the sandwich then transferring the pan to the Aga to let the onion soften and the cheese go gooey.

* sadly they don't any more. But now you can make your own!

What to drink with a Caerphilly and leek toastie: A cider would be perfect!

For other leek pairings see here.