![]() A Meyer lemon chiffon pie | |
Type | Pie |
---|---|
Course | Dessert |
Place of origin | United States |
Created by | Monroe Boston Strause |
Invented | 1926 |
A chiffon pie is a type of pie that consists of a special type of airy filling in a crust. The filling is typically produced by folding meringue into a mixture resembling fruit curd (most commonly lemon) that has been thickened with unflavored gelatin to provide a light, airy texture; it is thus distinguished from a cream pie or mousse pie, which achieve lightness by folding in whipped cream rather than meringue. This filling is then put into a pre-baked pie shell of variable composition and chilled. [1] [2] [3] This same technique can also be used with canned pumpkin to produce pumpkin chiffon pie. [4] [5]
The preparation of a mock chiffon pie can be simplified by using flavored gelatin mix and artificial whipped cream substitute. [6]
The chiffon pie was invented in Los Angeles in 1926 by Monroe Boston Strause, who was known as the Pie King. [7] The original recipe called for beaten egg whites to be folded into a cornstarch-thickened liquid. [8] Strause was dissatisfied with existing cream pies and had been made ill by a cornstarch pudding as a child. [9] Strause claimed it was his mother who compared it to chiffon when she first saw it. [9]
Besides the new filling, the pie also introduced dome-shaped filling and graham-cracker crust. [9]
The popularity of the pie was such that Strause traveled as much as 30,000 miles a year teaching the technique to hotels and restaurants. [9]