Cantaloupe is cooked into a custard with egg yolks, butter, flour and sugar to make the filling for this delicious pie. Then this lovely filling is poured into a pastry shell, covered with meringue, and baked.
INGREDIENTS (for 8 servings):
- 1 cantaloupe
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 teaspoon butter flavored extract
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 6 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
PREPARATION:
Select a cantaloupe of good quality. Cut in half, remove seeds, and scoop pulp into a saucepan. Place pulp over medium heat until it comes to a gentle boil. Mash the cantaloupe as it heats. This should make about 2 cups of pulp.
Combine 1/2 cup sugar, flour, and salt. Add to heated cantaloupe and cook, stirring, until thick. The amount of flour seems large, but it takes considerable thickening to obtain correct consistency.
In a large bowl, beat egg yolks; add water to yolks. Add a little of the cantaloupe mixture to egg yolks in order to heat yolks gradually. Stir egg yolks mixture into cantaloupe mixture. Continue cooking, stirring, until thick and creamy. Remove from heat.
Add butter or margarine and flavoring to the cantaloupe mixture.
Pour into baked pie shell.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar together until frothy. Continue beating, adding the 6 tablespoons sugar gradually; beat until thick peaks form. Top the pie with this meringue.
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) until delicately brown on top.