How well do egg whites work as a pie shell?

[pinkfusion]

I just got an old Atkins cookbook from the library (its from 1974) and the have a Strawberry Torte recipe where you use 6 egg whites as a pie shell. How does that turn out? Or do I have to experiment and report back?

[mizski]

Egg white crust is an old Italian recipe usually used with cooked fillings. The fillings I've had years ago involved chocolate cream and rum...definitely NOT Atkins friendly. Hmmm...but maybe something could be done with a chocolate pots de creme type recipe and some rum extract!

Here's the recipe I have for the crust:

EGG WHITE PIECRUST

3 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sugar(substitute Splenda)
½ cup chopped pecans

• Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt.
• When peaks form, add vanilla and sugar. Beat until stiff. Add chopped pecans when finished beating the whites. When it forms peaks, spread in 9-inch pie plate.
• Bake in 300-degree oven for 30 minutes. Let cool.

Sounds like your recipe uses double the eggs. Please let us know how the torte came out.

[pinkfusion]

Mizski your pie shell recipe sounds fantastic!

I haven't attempted the Torte yet but I plan to this weekend and will let everyone know how it turned out.

[not2late]

That recipe should work out well because it's essentially a recipe for a macaroon---a big macaroon.

Oh, I would put the nuts into a food processor to get it almost to flour consistency, rather than chopping them by hand.

[mizski]

Originally Posted by not2late

Oh, I would put the nuts into a food processor to get it almost to flour consistency, rather than chopping them by hand.

I chop my nuts in the Magic Bullet...I didn't even think to put that in. Thanks for mentioning it! Nonni used to chop everything with a big chef's knife...boy she was fast at it too and made them really small.