doctrine of despair: January 2012

i found this recipe online and loved it, so i will share it with you. some lady named carolyn sent it in and i thank her for this awesome recipe. i've made it a dozen times and everybody loves it.

here are the ingredients:

1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
3 cups raspberries
2/3 cup water
1 (.25 ounce) package unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 egg yolks, beaten
2/3 cup white sugar
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup fresh raspberries

the only i did different is i used two pie crusts, this makes enough filling to fill both. i bought one prepared crust and made one from scratch.

and here are the directions!

1. In a medium saucepan combine 3 cups raspberries and 2/3 cup water. Simmer over low heat until raspberries are soft. Press mixture through a sieve or strainer to remove seeds and obtain raspberry pulp.

I always used fresh raspberries but it would probably be ok to use frozen.

also i did not know what a sieve was, but pretty much it's a very fine metal strainer. this part of the recipe is the biggest pain in the butt, but it's well worth it.

2. Place gelatin and 1/4 cup cold water in a small bowl. Set aside and allow gelatin to soften. i do this while i'm straining the raspberries, so the gelatin has time to set up.

3. In a medium saucepan whisk together raspberry pulp, egg yolks, and 2/3 cup sugar. Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

4. Add gelatin to raspberry mixture and stir until dissolved. Place pan in a cold water bath to cool completely. this was also a little tricky, but this is what i came up with. it worked well enough.

5. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar. Add 1/3 cup sugar a little at a time, beating constantly until whites are stiff and glossy.

6. In a separate mixing bowl, whip cream until stiff. Gently fold together with cooled raspberry mixture and meringue. Spoon mixture into graham cracker crust. Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whole raspberries. i didn't take a picture of folding the raspberry mixture in with the whipped cream. i also just used cool whip, it turns out fine.