Banting and Gluten Free Lemon Meringue

This week I had a visit from a very special friend from Durban.  She is banting and loves lemon meringue.  I have never tried banting baking before but after some searching chose a recipe on The Banting Chef.  My first attempt was not a success, the recipe didn’t say what size pie dish to use and my tin turned out to be too big.  What I made looked more like a large lemon meringue cookie.  The meringue topping also collapsed a bit and was very thin.  I made a few changes and made another, my friend loved it.

BANTING LEMON MERINGUE

CRUST

50 grams coconut flour

2 Tbs (30 ml) Xylitol

25 grams butter

¼ tsp Xantham gum (* I’m wondering if this can be left out and think maybe it can)

¼ tsp salt

1 egg

FILLING

1 Cup Xylitol

85 grams butter

1 whole egg

3 egg yolks

110 ml lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

MERINGUE TOPPING

3 egg whites

¼ tsp cream of tartar

2 tsp Xylitol

METHOD

CRUST

Combine the coconut flour, xylitol, xanthan gum and salt. Rub the butter through with your fingers. Add the egg and make it into a dough. Press into a small foil pie dish. Bake for 15 minutes at 180°C.

FILLING

Beat the xylitol and butter with an electric mixer, for about 2 min. Add the egg and yolks. Beat for a further minute. Mix in the lemon juice and zest. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks. In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 min. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon. Don’t let the mixture boil. Pour into the pastry crust.

MERINGUE TOPPING

Reduce oven temperature to 170ºC.  Whisk the eggs, xylitol and cream of tartar until they form stiff peaks. Do not worry about over beating as the egg will not seperate.  Spoon on to the top of the pie. Return to the oven for roughly 13 mins allow to brown on top, keep an eye on it and take out when evenly brown.

*Xantham gum – The reason why I think that this can be omitted is that the butter and egg should be sufficient to bind the coconut flour.  I had great difficulty finding xantham gum and eventually asked on our community what’s app group.  Since only ¼ teaspoon is used it probably doesn’t do very much.  Also many pies and cheesecakes have a crumb base and the topping which covers them should also play a part in binding.  I shall test this theory if I make it again

Even as a non banter I really enjoyed this.  If you try the recipe I would love it if you come back and comment.

 

 

 

 

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