Happy Friday! Some days ago my friends from Nielsen Massey sent me some awesome extracts and one of them is the Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract which I love. They asked me if I could make some kind of meringue dessert so I created this tasty dessert that is perfect for Summertime.

The crust is a baked Swiss meringue shell filled with a homemade dulce de leche (or manjar a la olla) cream. Topped with fresh strawberries.

This is a very easy recipe that you can make at home. It’s very pretty and delicious.

Let’s start baking and don’t forget to tag me if you make this recipe Instagram: @Pastry_Tales

Yield one 9 inch pie dish

Ingredients

For the filling

1 can sweetneed condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (very cold)

For the crust

4 egg whites, room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups white granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract. I used Nielsen-Massey https://nielsenmassey.com/

3/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped

3/4 cup vanilla crackers, chopped

For the topping

Fresh sliced strawberries. Cut in half, no stems.

Directions

You should make the filling first because it takes time to cool off.

For the filling

1.- Pour condensed and evaporated milk in a pot on medium-low heat and move with a spatula until it thickens. Don’t stop mixing with your spatula because the milk can stick to the bottom and burn. You’ll have to be patient because this process takes about 20-25 minutes. 

2.- Your mixture should look thick in the pot. The best trick to know if it’s ready is when you run the spatula across the mixture and you can see the bottom of the pan.

3.- Pour the mixture into a heat proof container and let it cool completely. When it’s room temperature, cover it with a plastic wrap and place your container in the fridge for at least an hour.

You can make the filling the day before you make the crust. Just make sure it’s well covered with plastic wrap.

For the crust

Preheat oven to 300 F. Using butter grease your pie dish. Set aside.

1.- In a heat-proof bowl mix egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar, you can use a whisker for this. Then, place this bowl on the top of a bigger pan with simmering water. Please, be sure your bowl does NOT touch the hot water. You are going to mix/whisk for about 8 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. This means that when you touch the mixture you don’t longer feel the sugar grains with your fingers. If you have a candy thermometer, it should reach about 175 F.

2.- Carefully transfer this bowl to an electric mixer. Be careful, because the bowl can be hot so be sure to use a kitchen towel or an oven mitt. Mix in high speed for about 7 minutes until stiff peaks. And here is the most important part, add your vanilla extract after 1 minute of mixing. Vanilla extract will make your meringue taste amazing.

3.- When stiff peaks have reached. Add in your toasted pecans and vanilla crackers and carefully fold them with a spatula.

4.- With the help of a spoon or a spatula, spread all the meringue into the bottom and sides of the dish.

5.- Bake for 1 hour.

6.- Let it cool completly.

Now it’s time to fill your pie crust with your dulce de leche cream.

I thought about using just the dulce de leche but because it can be a bit too rich for some people, I decided to add some cream and make it lighter like a mousse:

In a bowl whip 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks. Fold this cream into your dulce de leche (use a bigger bowl). Use a spatula and fold all the cream into the dulce de leche. It will look like a mousse.

Add this filling on the top of your cooled pie crust. Do it carefully using a spoon. . Place the pie in the fridge for about an hour and let it set.

Just right before you serve your pie, decorate with fresh strawberries. Do not decorate the pie before otherwise the strawberry juices can leak.

That’s it! Super easy and delicious.

If you make this pie, let me know.