Subscribe to this
Lemon Meringue Pie
Margaret Question:
Help! I have made excellent lemon meringue pies (no, I don't have your pie bible...just the cake book) and yesterday I made a double recipe for my son's 42nd. And it was much to sweet and did not set properly even though I am sure I used the right amount of cornstarch plus flour and cooked over boiling water for at least 20 minutes. Could I have overcooked it? The order lemon juice is added to the egg yolks is different in different recipes. Is there a physical / chemical reaction that could have impacted it's "set-up"? I was abit embarrassed as I am known as a good cook and baker. The meringue was fine and has not "wept" even after 24 hoursl.
Rose Reply:
lemon meringue is in the top 3 of my favorite pies. i hope it helps to know that the same thing happened to me when i was showing off my new pie plate to my cousins about 6 months ago! this is the first time in many years that this has happened and on thinking about it i realized that a double boiler is NOT a good idea bc cornstarch will not thicken completely until it reaches a boil and a double boiler prevents it from reaching this temperature. i suspect that bc you doubled the recipe and used the double boiler it did not get hot enough. also the lemon juice is best added AFTER thickening as the acidity can prevent the cornstarch from doing it's job!
if egg yolks don't reach a temperature of over 140 degrees F the thickening they provide actually reverses itself due to the enzyme amylase in the yolk which attacks the starch unless it's deactivated by adequate heat. whew! make it again soon so you won't be left with a sense of failure. it happens to everyone.
baking can be full of surprises. but mostly happy ones!
Send to a Friend
Print
Post/Read Comments
Digg
de.licio.us
Facebook
StumbleUponTrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/blog/mt-tb.cgi/47
Send to a Friend
Comments
Rose & everyone who started this post on Lemon Meringue Pie,
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Rose, your replies to everyone's posts has given me a wealth of information on why my LM pies haven't work.
When we lived in Delaware County, I never had a problem with my LM pies. Since moving up to the Lehigh Valley, my success rate is closer to zilch! My dear father-in-law renamed it "Lemon Meringoo Pie" b/c of the same issues everyone has posted. I will attempt another using the tips you've given.
I bake pies for friends during the holidays & LM is always one of the requests. Since I have to deliver the pies on Tues (before Thanksgiving), I'm hesitant in offering a LM choice. When refrigerated, for more than 1 day, how does this affect the pies' stability? If you add the cake crumbs, will this prevent the pie from becoming "meringoo" if kept refrigerated more than 1 day?
Thank you again,
Maria
Reply to this Posted by: Maria Wetherill | July 2, 2008 8:58 PM #
hi good recipe
Reply to this Posted by: katta | June 29, 2008 2:31 AM #
Heyy i was just wondering why when making a lemon meringue pastry it is mixed with a knife rather then a wooden spoon? Also what happens to the dough during the baking process?
Reply to this Posted by: Jennifer | June 5, 2008 4:03 AM #
I was able to get pasteurized eggs recently (they each had a litle "P" in a circle stamped on each shell). They weren't inexpensive, but it made me feel more comfortable using them in a buttercream when I wasn't sure exactly how high the temperature got.
Brian
Reply to this Posted by: Brian | April 9, 2007 1:49 AM #
please read what the egg board advises about the possible dangers to infants and older people and make your own decision about the possible risk involved.this is not a hot link so you need to put it in your browser.
www.aeb.org
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | April 8, 2007 2:04 PM #
Now that I've read about making sure egg yolks reach 140 degrees F to cause the proper reaction with the starch, I'm worried that my really runny banana cream pie could have uncooked eggs involved. Is this a real concern, or can we keep on slurping it up with spoons?
Reply to this Posted by: Kitty | April 8, 2007 1:44 PM #
Now that I've read about making sure egg yolks reach 140 degrees F to cause the proper reaction with the starch, I'm worried that my really runny banana cream pie could have uncooked eggs involved. Is this a real concern, or can we keep on slurping it up with spoons?
Reply to this Posted by: Kitty | April 8, 2007 1:43 PM #
that's fine jenna--i appreciate your asking.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | March 8, 2007 7:40 PM #
Thank you Rose, I hope that is is fine that I put your response in my report as a quote and point of reference. Jenna
Reply to this Posted by: Jenna Mason | March 8, 2007 1:29 PM #
i don't like what microwave does to pie crust so i wouldn't do it. you could of course use a cookie crust. then you would make the filling separately and the meringue billows beautifully in the microwave but doesn't brown so you'd still need to brown in under the broiler. you'll need to consult books on microwave cooking/baking for exact times and techniques but basically for the filling, you need to stir often and it does thicken very nicely in the microwave. i haven't done this for over 30 years as i don't see any advantage.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | March 6, 2007 1:49 PM #
Oh I forgot to add: How diffiecult is it to change a conventional lemon meringue recipe to a microwave recipe? Are there any tips for the adaptation? What are some areas of conceren when converting the recipe? Jenna
Reply to this Posted by: Jenna Mason | March 6, 2007 12:44 PM #
Is is possible to make a lemon meringue in the microwave? What are some tips that can be used to avoid disaster? and is it easier than making it the conventional way as well as is it a recommened method? Thanks Jenna (Honours student at the University of Pretoria in South Africa)
Reply to this Posted by: Jenna Mason | March 6, 2007 12:40 PM #
I changed my recipe a little and it worked fine. I left out a small amount of water and the same amount of sugar and added an extra Tbs of cornstarch (this was for a 9 in. pie.) I also added an extra egg yoke. I am not sure if that is what made it work good or if it was because I bought a new box of cornstarch. Anyway it worked!
Sylvia
Reply to this Posted by: sylvia | November 25, 2006 5:04 PM #
for the filling, it must come to a full boil for the cornstarch to thicken so don't use a double boiler! also if the egg yolks don't come to at least 160 degree F they will thin out on standing.
it also helps to use either cake crumbs or a very thin cake layer--you can even cut it from a commercial angel food cake if not making a thin biscuit, to set on top of the lemon filling. this keeps the merinug efrom slipping off in transit and also absorbs any possible watering out from the meringue though with a cooked italian meringue it is unlikely that there would be much if any.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 24, 2006 10:48 PM #
forgot to say in my previous post that I made the lemon meringue pie with the italian meringue from the pie and pastry bible.
Reply to this Posted by: bernadette hanson | November 24, 2006 10:25 PM #
I made a lemon meringue pie for the 1st time this Thanksgiving and while it looked beautiful after I made it, the next day was a different story. I had it in the refrigerator for one day and had to transport it to my in-law's house. When I took it out to look at it I saw that the meringue had shifted slightly and it looked wet between the meringue and lemon. When I cut into it that evening the lemon filling was like thick soup and did not hold it's shape at all. The meringue by itself seemed fine but I don't know if what happened was that it wept or that my filling never thickened completely. The flavor was great though. Thanks for your help.
Reply to this Posted by: bernadette hanson | November 24, 2006 8:42 PM #
you can follow my posting direclty above yours that address the problem.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 22, 2006 2:15 PM #
Hi every year I make lemon meringue pie. and evry year I have the same problem. The meringue shrinks and the pie is watery. What can I do/
Reply to this Posted by: Maggie | November 22, 2006 1:48 PM #
in my recipe in the pie and pastry bible i make an italian meringue which cooks the deep layer of meringue all the way through unlike merely browning the outside so they don't water out. it also helps to apply them when the filling is still hot.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 19, 2006 9:57 AM #
What can you do to keep meringue pies from weeping? Lemon meringue is my favorite but everytime I make one the weeping is awful. Thanks!
Reply to this Posted by: Marsha Needy | November 18, 2006 10:48 PM #
sylvia if you are indeed bringing the mixture to a full boil and allowing it to boil for 30 seconds, then try increasing the egg yolks. these days egg yolks are often much smaller than before. i tried one of my recipes calling for 6 yolks and needed to use 9 to get to the same weight/volume.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 14, 2006 7:48 AM #
I too have had trouble with lemon pies lately. When I lived in Yuma, Az, about 100 ft above sea level - no problem. Even in Chino Valley. AZ at 4800 ft no problem. But here in Eastern AZ at 6800 ft, I can't get the cornstarch to thicken at all. Last year we went to Ruidosa, NM about 7500 ft and tried 3 lemon pies - none thickened. Help!
Reply to this Posted by: sylvia | November 13, 2006 9:22 PM #
this has happened to me even at sea level so i know how disappointing it is. i learned that the mixture has to come to a full boil and continue cooking for a bout 30 seconds or the cornstarch will not thicken the filling sufficiently. at high altitude boiling will take place at a lower temperature so perhaps the cornstarch isn't swelling enough. i have written to my friend and colleague susan purdy in the hopes that she will post a comment as she has written the book on high altitude baking!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | August 26, 2006 2:28 PM #
i am from southwest Louisiana and my daughter has bragged about my lemon meringue pie to her Marine friends in Arizona, so much so that on a recent trip to see her she insisted I make it for them. Using my tried and true recipe in Arizona proved to be an embarrassing failure. The filling never thickened and the merguine wasn't as stiff but it was okey. My failure earned the new name of Lemon Pie soup.
I realize now that the higher altitude and total lack of humidity had something to do with it, but don't know how to fix it. Please help, my daughter would like to make pies for her friends but my recipe will have to be adjusted or a new one found to work in her area. Thank you
Reply to this Posted by: Sallye | August 26, 2006 10:26 AM #
a speck of yolk or grease in the egg whites will keep them from foaming or achieving any sort of volume.
adding sugar at the beginning is thought to weight down the whites and keep them from aerating as well so would decrease the volume.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 31, 2006 7:56 PM #
hi, i have a few questions relating to the meringue in a lemon meringue pie.
1. what is the importance of carefully seperating the eggs?
2.why should the beaters and bowl be absoloutely clean?
3.what are the advantages of adding sugar at soft peak rather than at the begining?
please write back
p.s its for one of my assignments at school and having so much trouble on answering these questions...
please help
thanks jane
Reply to this Posted by: jane | May 31, 2006 7:48 PM #
they're from catamount glass in vermont but i now have THE ideal container for melting chocolate. it's a silicone bowl from lékué and i'm sure it will be carried very soon if not immediately by fante's in phila. you can use it as a double boiler or in the microwave and the terrific thing is that it doesn't retain the heat so the chocolate doesn't continue cooking once removed from the heat source. it's part of the mirage line, indigo in color, and colapses down to a flat disc for easy storage. it's my favorite new piece of equipment this year!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | April 27, 2006 6:21 PM #
Hi Rose,
Speaking of double boilers, where did you get that professional-looking all glass double boiler you used when you taped Baking Magic for PBS? And what size was it? You melted chocolate in it on the show. It looked like something right out of a science lab. I'd like to get one.
Thanks for your help.
Josh
Reply to this Posted by: Josh | April 27, 2006 4:47 PM #