No Crust Raspberry and Apple Pie

 

I'm having one of those months where there really just isn't enough time in any day to get things done. I've been traveling, working, writing here and there, and in all of this no time has been found to clean the bathroom or do my laundry.

Tomorrow, my gorgeous Stunt Guy gets here and will spend twelve days in the Valley. I'm exceptionally excited that I'll get to see him, though mildly nervous that absolutely nothing will get done either before he gets here, or while he is here.

I'm working on just letting all that go, though, because I'm just so gosh darn mushy about the whole thing! Besides, I feel that it is unlikely that my guy will actually notice the cleanliness level of the bathroom. It's probably not his number one priority.

I'm excited that I'll have someone to cook for, though. It's one of the things that makes me saddest about living away from him. I love making him food.

Since he left, I feel like everything I've made ends up as a single serving in a little ramekin. This little Apple and Raspberry "Pie" is no exception. It came, as many of my recipes do, out of necessity. Too many apples that needed eating and a deal on raspberries that I couldn't pass up. I wanted something light, so instead of crusting it I just topped it with meringue, something else I've been playing around with a lot recently. The meringue topping here is soft and yielding, more like the meringue on a key lime pie than anything else. The sweetness of it balances the tartness of the raspberries. It's a really delicious spoonful.


No Crust Raspberry and Apple Pie

For the Filling

1 Apple
1/2 Cup Raspberries
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
Dash of Salt

For the Topping

2 Egg Whites
1/3 Cup Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon White Vinegar

Preheat your oven to 350F. 

Peel the apple and dice it into small cubes. In a skillet over medium heat, mix the butter, brown sugar and apple together with a dash of salt and cook until the apple is pretty soft. Probably about 10 minutes.

While the apple is cooking, whisk the egg whites with the vinegar until stiff and forming peaks. Whisk in the sugar a tablespoon at a time until it is glossy and the peaks don't fall back when you take the whisk out.

Divide the apple and the raspberries between two medium ramekins. Mix together and top with the meringue mixture. Bake in the oven until the meringue has turned a light brown, about 8 minutes. You want the meringue soft and airy, not crunchy.

Allow to cool a little before serving, as the filling will be a bit too hot. The meringue might collapse a little as it cools, but it should mostly be firm.

Eat with a spoon at two in the afternoon and try and justify it to yourself as "lunch".

Makes two.