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 Making a Perfect
Meringue
Perhaps you are searching for a lemon meringue pie just like the ones
your grandmother made, or one like the peanut butter meringue pie your
best friend in school made. There is just something about that soft,
light, sweet topping that satisfies the cravings of the soul. While a
perfect meringue may seem to be a distant memory, forever beyond the
reach of mere mortals, with these tips you too can produce pies of which
memories are made.
Common Problems
Beading, weeping, and shrinking are common complaints. Overcooking
causes beading, formation of water droplets on the surface. Weeping,
loss of water between the meringue and the pie filling is caused by
undercooking. Shrinking is a loss of volume during baking. It is
possible to make a pie with one or even all these problems. Never fear,
follow these simple steps, and success will be yours.
The Basics
Use a clean, dry bowl. The bowl must be grease free, because any amount
of fat will wreck a meringue. Glass, ceramic, stainless steel, and
copper bowls are all suitable. Plastic bowls may appear clean, but may
still have trace amounts of oil; do not use them. 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 allows you to reserve any with broken yolks for another purpose.
Even a small amount of yolk can deflate the egg whites, so be careful.
Ingredients and Method
Many people have great success using cream of tartar, white vinegar, or
lemon juice to stabilize the meringue. Add 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. Whip to medium soft peaks. Beat in 2 tablespoons white sugar
per egg white. 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. Beat gradually into the meringue. This is an excellent way
to avoid shrinking problems. The Never ~ Ever ~ Fail Meringue recipe is an
example of this technique.
Spread 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 thus beading is avoided. Bake at 425 degrees F { 220 degrees
C } for 4 to 5 minutes.
Safety
When cooking with eggs, safety is always a concern. There are several
ways to insure that your meringue is safe. One is baking at a moderate
temperature, 350 degrees F { 175 degrees C }, for a longer period, 10
minutes. Alternatively, you can try heating the unbeaten egg whites,
gently combined with the other meringue ingredients, in a hot water bath
to 160 degrees F { 70 degrees C }. You will need to measure the
temperature at frequent intervals to avoid ending up with very sweet
scrambled eggs. Remember to wash the thermometer between each
measurement; a dirty thermometer will contaminate your sterilized
mixture. Beat to stiff peaks. These eggs will probably require a longer
beating time to achieve the best volume possible. See also our egg
safety tips .
Some people find it hard to make a good meringue like some people find
it hard to make a good pastry shell. I am enclosing this recipe for the
ones who need to make it without too many problems encountered."
Original recipe yield: 1 pie's worth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg whites
6 tablespoons white sugar
1 pinch salt
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DIRECTIONS:
Blend cornstarch and cold water in a saucepan. Add boiling water, and
cook until thick and clear. Cool completely.
Beat egg whites till foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, beating until stiff
and glossy. Add salt and vanilla, and slowly beat in cold cornstarch
mixture. Beat quickly for several minutes. Spread meringue on filled,
cooled 9 inch pie.
Bake at 350 degrees F { 175 degrees C } for 10 minutes.
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