Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

FAQs

What is the liquid at the bottom of the lemon meringue pie? ›

Water seeping from meringue is practically always coming from the egg whites. There are a few standard things you can do to reduce it. First, do not overbeat. For some reason, recipes love to direct people to beat egg whites "to stiff peaks".

The watery layer between the meringue and the filling (weeping) is usually caused by undercooking. This is where it is important to put your meringue onto hot filling so it can begin cooking right away.

Meringue pies will ''weep'' water because of the interaction between the filling and the whipped meringue. If one or the other is overcooked, water beads will form and weep. Egg whites can also weep if they are over-beaten or are from old eggs. Refrigeration (unfortunately) speeds up the process of weeping—oops!

Remove the paper once you're ready to top the pie; the meringue will bond together with the rough surface of the filling as the pie cools, which will keep the meringue from sliding off when you go to slice it. 4. Make sure the pie has cooled completely before you slice it; otherwise, you will have a mess on your hands.

So you could use lemon juice and still have a "plain" meringue. It is also possible to use another mildly-flavoured acid, such as white wine vinegar, (apple) cider vinegar or cream of tartar. The amount you would use would be the same regardless of which alternative you use.

If your meringue does weep, you can try to absorb some of the moisture by gently blotting it with a paper towel. This works especially well for removing beads of moisture on top of your meringue.

Yes, lemon meringue pie should be refrigerated. To prevent foodborne illness, never let it sit at room temperature for more than two hours. To store lemon meringue pie without messing up the meringue, place two toothpicks in the pie. Loosely cover it with storage wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to two days.

The key to thickening Lemon Meringue Pie so it sets properly is to cook the filling until bubbles start to pop on the surface of the lemon/egg yolk mixture. It should be the consistency of thick pudding before you remove it from the heat. If it's not thick before you add it to the pie, it will never set properly.

Blind Bake the Crust

One of the fool-proof ways to ensure a crisp bottom pie crust is to do what is called blind baking. This simply means that you bake the crust—either fully if you are adding a custard or cream that won't be cooked, or partially if the whole pie needs to bake—before adding the filling.

Should you keep lemon meringue pie in the fridge? ›

With this recipe, I have found that I can make the filling a day ahead of time, and the meringue and baked pie crust will both keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Once assembled, I recommend enjoying the pie ASAP, as it will begin to weep once the filling and meringue come in contact.

Over whip the egg whites and you risk making them too firm and they will risk losing the moisture that they hold. This will affect your meringue's crispness, as well as making it more likely to collapse or weep beads of sugar. As my meringue guru Gary Mehigan advises: “If you over whip the egg whites you cannot fix it.

In the UK we call it cornflour, whereas in the US they call it corn starch. Although, to confuse things, in the US they have something called cornflour which is what you might call cornmeal. To put it simply: UK cornflour = US corn-starch and US cornflour = UK cornmeal.

Cornstarch as Pie Filling Thickener

Just be aware that too much cornstarch can create a slimy texture.

Lemon juice used to flavor the pie filling was added at the end of cooking, to ensure that the filling keeps its fresh flavor and reduces the contact with the starch.

Don't overbake your meringue! Overbaking causes the egg whites to shrink and squeeze out small droplets of moisture. Always make sure to check on your pie at the minimum baking time. Undissolved sugar in the egg whites can also cause weeping.

When liquid accumulates between the meringue and pie filling, the meringue is said to weep. This occurs because the meringue was spread on a cool filling. To avoid this, always spread the meringue on a hot filling. Beading—brown droplets on the surface of the meringue—may occur if the meringue is overcooked.

These bonded pectin strands are what allows your juice to thicken. Many add geletin, tapioca, corn starch or flour to assist with this but the acidic lemon juice is what balances the PH of the filling and keeps it from being too juicy.

To make a sturdier meringue, your recipe may direct you to add an acidic ingredient such as cream of tartar, white vinegar, or lemon juice. Caution: Don't use a copper bowl if you're adding acid to stabilize your meringue; it will react with the copper and discolor the egg foam.