Spring is here. The supermarkets are full of berries, although the self picking season is still far away.

We do love picking fruits and vegetables and eating them fresh from the trees or bushes. Summer is the time that we are out in the fields, and return home directly to the kitchen…..

But for now, frozen berries can give the smell, taste and nostalgic of summer….

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon a great recipe on a foodie blog Lick The Spoon of Raspberry Lemon Slice and immediately felt summer. I went straight into my kitchen and started playing around with this great recipe. Adding a bit, changing a bit but keeping the basics that just simply work…

So here is my version that I believe really work….

For the pie crust you need:

130 gram margarine, or unsalted butter (9 tbsp)
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla paste or vanilla essence

No need for a mixer here, cut the margarine into small squares, add the sugar and half the flour and start kneading, Add the additional flour and vanilla paste. Don’t over knead. as soon as you have a nice dough, oil 2 pie pans and place the dough on the bottom, no need to fill the sides, just the bottom.

Bake for 15 minutes in 350F (180C), or until the crust is brown and crispy.

Lemon Berry Filling:

2 1/2 cups frozen berries, thawed or your favorite berry – raspberry, blueberry, blackberry or strawberries.
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 medium/large lemons)
zest of the 2  lemons
3 egg whites
1 egg
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla essence/paste

Thaw the berries and mash them. Place them in a mixer with the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Make sure the flour is completely blended into the fruit mix. Pour the fruit mix over the crust, and place back in the oven. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Meringue Top:

mix well 2 egg whites with 70 gram sugar (2.4oz) until you get a white, stiff, fluffy cream.

Spread the meringue over the pies and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the top is light brown.

Cool and enjoy! This is a great treat!