Alastair Hendy's Orange Blossom Meringue Pie

Fragrant, citrussy tang with a meltingly tempting topping...

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   1. Have ready a loose-bottom cake tin or straight-sided tart tin about 23cm diameter x 4cm deep (or use a tart ring set on a baking sheet). Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until about 3mm thick, and use to line the tin. Prick the base all over with a fork and chill. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/gas 4. Line the pastry with foil and baking beans and bake for 15 minutes, then a further 5 minutes without the foil and beans. Meanwhile separate the eggs.
   2. Remove the pastry case from the oven and brush the inside with a little of the egg white, reserving the remainder for the meringue topping.
   3. For the filling, finely grate the zest of all 4 oranges and juice 2 of them. In a pan, combine the orange juice and zest, the cornflour and orange flower water. Pour in 300ml just-boiled water from the kettle and stir to combine. Simmer gently, stirring, for 3 minutes or so or until thickened.
   4. In a bowl, using an electric hand whisk, beat the sugar and egg yolks until pale, then, while still beating, pour the orange flower mixture on to the egg mixture. If the consistency is still very runny, return to the pan and heat very gently for 2 minutes more. Allow to cool, then pour into the baked pastry case and leave to go cold.
   5. To finish, turn up the oven to 220C/200C fan/425F/gas 7. For the topping, prepare the meringue mix according to the basic recipe, using the reserved egg whites. Spoon on to the orange filling and shape into waves using the back of a spoon. Bake for 15 minutes or until the meringue has taken on a touch of colour.