Lemon Meringue Pie

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joesfolk

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Aug 31, 2010
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I was planning to make a lemon meringue pie this evening but its raining. Do you think I should try it or will my meringue fail?
 
Joe..."They" say that humidity affects a meringue....However, IMO in most A/C equipped houses I don't think is makes a lotta difference....Make da pie!!!!!
 
Well, it looks beautiful and so far doesn't appear to be weeping. I just stuck it in the fridge but I put it in another dish to catch any syrup that might weep. Now I have to make myself wait until tomorrow to taste it. (groan)
 
Well, it looks beautiful and so far doesn't appear to be weeping. I just stuck it in the fridge but I put it in another dish to catch any syrup that might weep. Now I have to make myself wait until tomorrow to taste it. (groan)


If the meringue weeps, it's because the meringue got too hot. Over heating the meringue makes the proteins in the egg whites contract and squeeze out little droplets of moisture.
 
Andy, that makes perfect sense. So should I turn the heat down from 375 while browning the meringue or should I Broil the top of the meringue quickly so the rest of the meringue doesn't get heated up? I know Alton says that the meringue should be placed on very hot filling so that it doesn't pull off the top of the pie while it's being cut but It sounds like that would cause the pie to weep under your explaination. (As you may or may not be able to tell I have looked for a solution to the weeping problem for years.)
 
I learned it from Shirley Corriher in her book Cookwise. She also suggests spreading a light layer of cake crumbs on the hot lemon filling before adding the meringue. The cake crumbs absorb the moisture that collects between the filling and the meringue.
 
Isn't she the dietician on Alton Brown? At what temp should I brown the meringue?
 
I seem to have lost the recipe on my computer. I'll dig it out of her cookbook and post it tomorrow.

FOUND IT!

325º F for about 30 minutes in the bottom third of the oven. Just until the peaks lightly brown
 
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