Mango Meringue Pie

Flaky Pie Dough
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pea-size bits
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Flatten the shortening between 2 sheets of wax paper to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Remove the top sheet and, with a butter knife, draw a crisscross pattern through the shortening to divide it into 1/2-inch squares. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir the flour and sugar together. Using a pastry blender, work the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Quickly mix in the shortening squares. Sprinkle on the ice water and mix it in with your fingers just until the dough comes together into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle about 1/2 inch thick. Fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and decoratively crimp it against the rim of the plate. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line the pie shell with aluminum foil and weight down with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights, and bake for 8 minutes longer, or until very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Mango Curd
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup water
2 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
3 ripe mangoes, peeled and sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk the cornstarch, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the water together until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and yolks. Pur?e the mangoes with the remaining 1/1 cup water in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. In a medium size enamel or glass saucepan, combine the mango pur?e, butter, and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle half of the hot liquid into the cornstarch mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, until tiny bubbles boil up for 10 seconds. Strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve into the pie shell. Let cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate until chilled and set.

Meringue
5 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cream of tartar

Combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar in a large dry bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture is lukewarm. Remove from the heat and continue to whisk (you can switch to an electric mixer) until the egg whites hold stiff peaks. With the back of a spoon, spread the meringue on the top of the pie, making sure that the meringue touches the crust all around. Pull up wisps of meringue with the spoon as you go. Set the pie under a preheated broiler for 20 seconds, or pass the flame of a propane torch over the meringue, until lightly browned in spots.