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Lemon Meringue Pie

By , About.com Guide

There are many pitfalls on the road to perfect lemon meringue pie. Weeping egg whites are a big problem, caused when the meringue is undercooked and the egg whites revert to their liquid state, forming a liquid between the filling and meringue. The beading on top of meringues is caused by overcooking, when proteins coagulate too much, squeezing out water. To solve this, make sure your filling is really hot when you apply the meringue, and cook for a fairly long time at a low temperature.

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 baked and cooled pie shell
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preparation:

Mix 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, salt and 1-1/2 cups water in heavy saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently. When mixture turns translucent, whisk in egg yolks, two at a time. Then add lemon juice and finally the butter. Bring to a good simmer, whisking constantly. remove from heat, place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling to prevent a skin from forming.

Mix 1 Tbsp. cornstarch with 1/3 cup water in small saucepan and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently, until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix cream of tartar and 1/2 cup sugar together. Beat egg whites and vanilla until foamy and add sugar mixture, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until mixture forms soft peaks. Add cornstarch mixture, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating to stiff peaks.

Remove plastic from lemon filling and reheat over very low heat during last minute of beating meringue to make sure it's hot.

Pour hot filling into pie shell. Immediately place meringue around edge of filling and then into center of pie to keep it from sinking into the filling. Make sure meringue is attached to the pie crust edge so it doesn't shrink. Use back of spoon to carefully and gently spread the meringue and create peaks. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown. Serves 8-10

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