THE PERFECT MERINGUE
Making the perfect lemon meringue pie just like the ones your grandmother made is still possible - just follow the tips below and enjoy the taste of sweet memories again.
COMMON PROBLEMS
Beading, weeping, and shrinking are common complaints with meringue pies, but they needn’t be anymore.
Overcooking causes beading - the formation of water droplets on the surface of the pie.
Weeping - the loss of water between the meringue and the pie filling is caused by undercooking (meringue won't "weep" if you blend a teaspoon of cornstarch into the sugar before beating it into the egg whites).
Shrinking is a loss of volume during baking.
THE BASICS
Always start with a clean, dry bowl. The bowl must be grease free, because any amount of oil or fat will wreck a meringue. Glass, ceramic, stainless steel, and copper bowls are all suitable. However much plastic bowls may appear clean, they may still have trace amounts of oil on their surface - as a result it is best to not use them at all.
Cold eggs separate easily, but eggs whip to a higher volume when at room temperature. The solution is to separate the cold eggs, and then set them aside for 10 or 15 minutes. Separate each egg into two small bowls, one for the white and one for the yolk, and then add the white portion to the larger bowl. This also allows you to reserve any with broken yolks for another purpose.
NOTE - Even a small amount of yolk can deflate the egg whites, so always be careful when handling the whites.
INGREDIENTS AND METHOD
Many people have great success using cream of tartar, white vinegar, or lemon juice to stabilize the meringue. Try adding 1/8 teaspoon of one of these per egg white to the unbeaten eggs. If you are using a copper bowl to whip the egg whites in, the addition of the cream of tartar is not necessary. Continue whipping until medium soft peaks begin to form. Then beat in 2 tablespoons of white sugar per egg white and continue to beat until egg whites are glossy and hold a firm peak.
A never-fail method for producing the perfect meringue is one that uses a cornstarch and water mixture. Stir together, and heat to form a gel. Then beat gradually into the meringue. This is an excellent way to avoid shrinking problems.
Spread the meringue over piping hot filling, and spread to the edges to seal. Hot filling is necessary to insure that the inside of the meringue cooks, preventing weeping. Hint: Fine cake crumbs sprinkled lightly over the filling will absorb liquid between the layers (another preventative against weeping).
The preferred baking method is one that combines high temperatures with a short baking time. This prevents overcooking the outside (and also prevents beading). Bake at 425º F. for 4 to 5 minutes.
SAFETY with EGGS and MERINGUE
When cooking with eggs, safety is always a concern. There are several ways to insure that your meringue is safe. One way is to bake your pie at a moderate temperature, 350º F., for a longer period (about 10 minutes). Another method you can try is heating the unbeaten egg whites, gently combined with the other meringue ingredients, in a hot water bath to 160º F. With this method, you will need to measure the temperature at frequent intervals to avoid ending up with very sweet scrambled eggs.
NOTE: Remember to wash the thermometer between each measurement because a dirty thermometer will contaminate your sterilized mixture. Beat eggs to stiff peaks (these eggs will probably require a longer beating time to achieve the best volume possible).
Making the perfect lemon meringue pie just like the ones your grandmother made is still possible - just follow the tips below and enjoy the taste of sweet memories again.
COMMON PROBLEMS
Beading, weeping, and shrinking are common complaints with meringue pies, but they needn’t be anymore.
Overcooking causes beading - the formation of water droplets on the surface of the pie.
Weeping - the loss of water between the meringue and the pie filling is caused by undercooking (meringue won't "weep" if you blend a teaspoon of cornstarch into the sugar before beating it into the egg whites).
Shrinking is a loss of volume during baking.
THE BASICS
Always start with a clean, dry bowl. The bowl must be grease free, because any amount of oil or fat will wreck a meringue. Glass, ceramic, stainless steel, and copper bowls are all suitable. However much plastic bowls may appear clean, they may still have trace amounts of oil on their surface - as a result it is best to not use them at all.
Cold eggs separate easily, but eggs whip to a higher volume when at room temperature. The solution is to separate the cold eggs, and then set them aside for 10 or 15 minutes. Separate each egg into two small bowls, one for the white and one for the yolk, and then add the white portion to the larger bowl. This also allows you to reserve any with broken yolks for another purpose.
NOTE - Even a small amount of yolk can deflate the egg whites, so always be careful when handling the whites.
INGREDIENTS AND METHOD
Many people have great success using cream of tartar, white vinegar, or lemon juice to stabilize the meringue. Try adding 1/8 teaspoon of one of these per egg white to the unbeaten eggs. If you are using a copper bowl to whip the egg whites in, the addition of the cream of tartar is not necessary. Continue whipping until medium soft peaks begin to form. Then beat in 2 tablespoons of white sugar per egg white and continue to beat until egg whites are glossy and hold a firm peak.
A never-fail method for producing the perfect meringue is one that uses a cornstarch and water mixture. Stir together, and heat to form a gel. Then beat gradually into the meringue. This is an excellent way to avoid shrinking problems.
Spread the meringue over piping hot filling, and spread to the edges to seal. Hot filling is necessary to insure that the inside of the meringue cooks, preventing weeping. Hint: Fine cake crumbs sprinkled lightly over the filling will absorb liquid between the layers (another preventative against weeping).
The preferred baking method is one that combines high temperatures with a short baking time. This prevents overcooking the outside (and also prevents beading). Bake at 425º F. for 4 to 5 minutes.
SAFETY with EGGS and MERINGUE
When cooking with eggs, safety is always a concern. There are several ways to insure that your meringue is safe. One way is to bake your pie at a moderate temperature, 350º F., for a longer period (about 10 minutes). Another method you can try is heating the unbeaten egg whites, gently combined with the other meringue ingredients, in a hot water bath to 160º F. With this method, you will need to measure the temperature at frequent intervals to avoid ending up with very sweet scrambled eggs.
NOTE: Remember to wash the thermometer between each measurement because a dirty thermometer will contaminate your sterilized mixture. Beat eggs to stiff peaks (these eggs will probably require a longer beating time to achieve the best volume possible).
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