Baking a beautiful lemon meringue pie, and having weeping meringues is so
maddening. Weeping is caused by the egg whites, and has been the topic of
bakers for generations.
Everyone swears by their secrets and tips to prevent weeping, and I'd love to
hear from others.
Egg whites are 88 % water. As the protein denatures from whipping, it squeezes
out the water. The addition of an acidic ingredient, at the begionning of
beating, helps to squeeze out a lot of water before baking.
Add 1/8 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, cream of tartar or distilled
white vinegar PER EGG WHITE at the beginning of the whipping process. Shirley
Corriher, author of Cookwise, adds in 1 TBSP cornstarch to 6 egg whites, along
with cream of tartar, lemon juice or vinegar.
To add cornstarch: Sprinkle cornstarch in a saucepan, add the cold water (1/3
cup) and let stand for a minute. Stir well. Bring the water and the cornstarch
tio a boil, stirring constantly. Let it cool a couple of minutes, then whisk 1
to 2 TBSP of the cornstarch into the already beaten meringue, and continue
adding it in and beating until all is incorporated.
Other tips that I use:
1. Use the freshest eggs possible
2. I spread the hot lemon filling in the pie and immediately make the meringue.
SHirley Corriher makes the meringue first, and then makes the filling. You
decide what's best for you, but do not let the filling get too cold.
Then, I quickly top it with the meringue and really seal the meringue to the
edge of the crust. Immediately place the pie in a hot oven. If you put meringue
right on top of a cold filling, and place it in a hot oven, the bottom will
weep.
I find that this helps prevent some slippage of the meringue off the lemon part
when served. It also helps to prevent a lot of weeping.
3. I always cook the meringue until it is lightly brown all over. Undercooking
causes the meringue to weep. Overcooking it causes it to bead on top.
Unfortunately, there is a fine line between under and overcooking.
4. Some chefs sprinkle fine cake crumbs (I buy 1-2 white cupcakes, leave them
out overnight, and finely crumble them the next day) over the hot filling before
sealing it with the meringue. The crumbs absorb the liquid and you don't see
the crumbs. (This is the best and easiest technique).
5. And, never make meringue on a humid day..... Let me know if there is anything else.....Please let me know your tricks of th
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