Lemon Meringue Pie help

"CheCooks" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This
morning, as I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around
the edges and the meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges
of the pie. Any idea what caused this? I cut a piece for my husband
anyway, and other than the clear liquid (it had a solid layer of lemon
and the meringue seemed just right) seeping out of it, he said it had
great flavor. He also said he has seen this in a few other lemon
meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just a tad and I spooned the
liquid out. Any help would be great as this has really frustrated me.
Thanks!!

Che

Che,

I made a key lime pie with meringue and it suffered the same fate your
pie did.

The keylime set up fine in the fridge but the meringue didn't and didn't
adhere to the filling at all.

My pie had more meringue than filling and maybe some meringue near the
filling didn't cook through? I'm betting the liquid was tired egg white.

My next pie, I'm going to double the filling and leave off the meringue
until after the pie sets in the fridge, then whip some up, put it on the
pie and toss it under the broiler for a couple minutes to brown the
peaks and serve immediately.

I'm probably way off base.

Anybody???

Andy

CheCooks wrote on 10 Jun 2005 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This
morning, as I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid
around the edges and the meringue seemed to have pulled away from
the edges of the pie. Any idea what caused this? I cut a piece
for my husband anyway, and other than the clear liquid (it had a
solid layer of lemon and the meringue seemed just right) seeping
out of it, he said it had great flavor. He also said he has seen
this in a few other lemon meringues. We tipped the pie plate up
just a tad and I spooned the liquid out. Any help would be great
as this has really frustrated me. Thanks!!

Che

The water is from the meringue. Use whip cream as a topping instead,
eat the pie faster, make smaller pies. AFAIK the liquid isn't harmful
just annoying.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic Since Aug 2004
1AC- 7.2, 7.3, 5.5, 5.6 mmol
Weight from 265 down to 215 lbs. and dropping.
Continuing to be Manitoban

"CheCooks" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This morning,
as
I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around the edges and the
meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges of the pie. Any idea
what caused this? I cut a piece for my husband anyway, and other than the
clear liquid (it had a solid layer of lemon and the meringue seemed just
right) seeping out of it, he said it had great flavor. He also said he has
seen this in a few other lemon meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just
a
tad and I spooned the liquid out. Any help would be great as this has
really frustrated me. Thanks!!

Che

It's important to make sure the filling is *hot* when you spread the
meringue over it. Make sure the meringue is sealed to the crust - no gaps
anywhere. This will help the meringue to hold onto the crust without
shrinking.

For everything you ever wanted to know about meringues, here's an
informative web site: http://www.baking911.com/howto/meringues.htm

Hope this helps!

Karen

On Fri 10 Jun 2005 04:58:58a, Andy wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

"CheCooks" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This
morning, as I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around
the edges and the meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges
of the pie. Any idea what caused this? I cut a piece for my husband
anyway, and other than the clear liquid (it had a solid layer of lemon
and the meringue seemed just right) seeping out of it, he said it had
great flavor. He also said he has seen this in a few other lemon
meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just a tad and I spooned the
liquid out. Any help would be great as this has really frustrated me.
Thanks!!

Che

Che,

I made a key lime pie with meringue and it suffered the same fate your
pie did.

The keylime set up fine in the fridge but the meringue didn't and didn't
adhere to the filling at all.

My pie had more meringue than filling and maybe some meringue near the
filling didn't cook through? I'm betting the liquid was tired egg white.

More likely the meringue was baked at too high a temperature. The proteins
in the egg whites are adversely affected by the heat.

Quoted message said:

My next pie, I'm going to double the filling and leave off the meringue
until after the pie sets in the fridge, then whip some up, put it on the
pie and toss it under the broiler for a couple minutes to brown the
peaks and serve immediately.

I'm probably way off base.

Anybody???

Yes, of course, this will work because meringue doesn't usually begin to
weep until later. What you propose is basically how "baked alaska" is
prepared, that is, by putting the meringue on the finished and cooled or
frozen item, covering it meringue, then quickly broiling it to brown.

Having said that, if you try the following recipe, you will have a thick
layer of lemon filling and a very thick layer of meringue which absolutely
will not weep. Be sure to follow time and tempeature precisely for baking
the meringue. I have made this recipe many times and have never had a
failure. I've seen two sources for almost identical recipes, one of which
appeared in Bon Appetit 7-8 years ago.

You will need a very deep 9-inch baked crust for this.

Filling
-------
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 large egg yolks
5 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

Whisk first 7 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Using whisk,
stir over medium heat until filling thickens and just begins to boil, about
20 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Spoon hot filling into
prepared crust.

Meringue
--------
7 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/8 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 300°F. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large
stainless steel bowl at low speed until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar and
1 tablespoon sugar. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a
time. Beat at medium speed until stiff glossy peaks form, about 8 minutes.
Spread meringue over warm filling, covering completely, sealing meringue to
crust edges and mounding in center. Bake pie for 30 minutes. Reduce oven
temperature to 275°F and continue to bake until meringue is golden brown
and set when pie is shaken slightly, about 50 minutes. Transfer pie to rack
and cool completely, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate
uncovered.)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

CheCooks said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This morning, as
I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around the edges and the
meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges of the pie. Any idea
what caused this? I cut a piece for my husband anyway, and other than the
clear liquid (it had a solid layer of lemon and the meringue seemed just
right) seeping out of it, he said it had great flavor. He also said he has
seen this in a few other lemon meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just a
tad and I spooned the liquid out. Any help would be great as this has
really frustrated me. Thanks!!

I have no idea about the liquid. I have made lemon pie filling fro a box and
from scratch and have never had that happen. The meringue pulling away is easy
to deal with. First off all, your recipe probably told you to use two egg
whites, but you likely needed three to get enough to cover the pie. The filling
should be allowed to sit for a while and cool off before adding the meringue
topping. Instead of plopping the whipped egg whites into the middle and
spreading it out to the sides, start off at the edge and spread it to the
middle. This allows the meringue to bind with the outer crust so that it will
not pull away when cooking.

Monsur Fromage du Pollet said:

The water is from the meringue. Use whip cream as a topping instead,
eat the pie faster, make smaller pies. AFAIK the liquid isn't harmful
just annoying.

I sometimes get little bits of a yellowish liquid from the meringue, but
just a few drops. It is indeed harmless. Personally, I prefer meringue
with lemon pie. With my lactose intolerance, I don't like cream on
anything. Besides. it's lemon meringue. It has to have meringue :-) The
meringue is economical because you use only the yolks in the filling.
It's not much more work to whip up the meringue and spread it on the pie
than it is to whip the cream and spread it. The only difference is the
8-10 minutes cooking, and having something in the oven isn't exactly
work, just time.

"Easy" methods of making meringues do result in a meringue that is not
stable. Moisture will settle out of it. There are recipes for meringues
that will not do this, but all the ones I've seen are much too fussy and
time consuming to use. The reason that commercially made meringues don't
weep is because they have been stabilized, when done in volume, it probably
isn't that much more work and definitely adds to the shelf life of the
finished product. Check out the joy of cooking for a recipe or two for
stable meringues if the seeping issue is driving you crazy.

Bob

"CheCooks" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This morning,
as
I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around the edges and the
meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges of the pie. Any idea
what caused this? I cut a piece for my husband anyway, and other than the
clear liquid (it had a solid layer of lemon and the meringue seemed just
right) seeping out of it, he said it had great flavor. He also said he has
seen this in a few other lemon meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just
a
tad and I spooned the liquid out. Any help would be great as this has
really frustrated me. Thanks!!

Che

Thanks for all the great tips........I'll let you know how the next one
turns out!!

Che

"CheCooks" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This morning,

as

Quoted message said:

I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around the edges and the
meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges of the pie. Any idea
what caused this? I cut a piece for my husband anyway, and other than the
clear liquid (it had a solid layer of lemon and the meringue seemed just
right) seeping out of it, he said it had great flavor. He also said he has
seen this in a few other lemon meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just

a

Quoted message said:

tad and I spooned the liquid out. Any help would be great as this has
really frustrated me. Thanks!!

Che

Karen said:

"CheCooks" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This morning,
as
I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around the edges and the
meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges of the pie. Any idea
what caused this? I cut a piece for my husband anyway, and other than the
clear liquid (it had a solid layer of lemon and the meringue seemed just
right) seeping out of it, he said it had great flavor. He also said he has
seen this in a few other lemon meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just
a
tad and I spooned the liquid out. Any help would be great as this has
really frustrated me. Thanks!!

Che

It's important to make sure the filling is *hot* when you spread the
meringue over it. Make sure the meringue is sealed to the crust - no gaps
anywhere. This will help the meringue to hold onto the crust without
shrinking.

I do this religiously. It doesn't help.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?
[email hidden]

Wayne Boatwright said:

Yes, of course, this will work because meringue doesn't usually begin to
weep until later. What you propose is basically how "baked alaska" is
prepared, that is, by putting the meringue on the finished and cooled or
frozen item, covering it meringue, then quickly broiling it to brown.

Having said that, if you try the following recipe, you will have a thick
layer of lemon filling and a very thick layer of meringue which absolutely
will not weep. Be sure to follow time and tempeature precisely for baking
the meringue. I have made this recipe many times and have never had a
failure. I've seen two sources for almost identical recipes, one of which
appeared in Bon Appetit 7-8 years ago.

You will need a very deep 9-inch baked crust for this.

Filling
-------
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 large egg yolks
5 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

Whisk first 7 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Using whisk,
stir over medium heat until filling thickens and just begins to boil, about
20 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Spoon hot filling into
prepared crust.

Meringue
--------
7 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/8 cups powdered sugar

Aha! There's the secret. Using powdered sugar means
you are adding cornstarch to the meringue. I'm sure that
has something to do with it not weeping.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?
[email hidden]

Wayne Boatwright <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

On Fri 10 Jun 2005 04:58:58a, Andy wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

"CheCooks" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This
morning, as I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around
the edges and the meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges
of the pie. Any idea what caused this? I cut a piece for my
husband anyway, and other than the clear liquid (it had a solid
layer of lemon and the meringue seemed just right) seeping out of
it, he said it had great flavor. He also said he has seen this in a
few other lemon meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just a tad and
I spooned the liquid out. Any help would be great as this has
really frustrated me.
Thanks!!

Che

Che,

I made a key lime pie with meringue and it suffered the same fate
your pie did.

The keylime set up fine in the fridge but the meringue didn't and
didn't adhere to the filling at all.

My pie had more meringue than filling and maybe some meringue near
the filling didn't cook through? I'm betting the liquid was tired egg
white.

More likely the meringue was baked at too high a temperature. The
proteins in the egg whites are adversely affected by the heat.

Quoted message said:

My next pie, I'm going to double the filling and leave off the
meringue until after the pie sets in the fridge, then whip some up,
put it on the pie and toss it under the broiler for a couple minutes
to brown the peaks and serve immediately.

I'm probably way off base.

Anybody???

Yes, of course, this will work because meringue doesn't usually begin
to weep until later. What you propose is basically how "baked alaska"
is prepared, that is, by putting the meringue on the finished and
cooled or frozen item, covering it meringue, then quickly broiling it
to brown.

Having said that, if you try the following recipe, you will have a
thick layer of lemon filling and a very thick layer of meringue which
absolutely will not weep. Be sure to follow time and tempeature
precisely for baking the meringue. I have made this recipe many times
and have never had a failure. I've seen two sources for almost
identical recipes, one of which appeared in Bon Appetit 7-8 years ago.

You will need a very deep 9-inch baked crust for this.

Filling
-------
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 large egg yolks
5 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

Whisk first 7 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Using
whisk, stir over medium heat until filling thickens and just begins to
boil, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Spoon hot
filling into prepared crust.

Meringue
--------
7 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/8 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 300°F. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large
stainless steel bowl at low speed until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar
and 1 tablespoon sugar. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1
tablespoon at a time. Beat at medium speed until stiff glossy peaks
form, about 8 minutes. Spread meringue over warm filling, covering
completely, sealing meringue to crust edges and mounding in center.
Bake pie for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 275°F and continue
to bake until meringue is golden brown and set when pie is shaken
slightly, about 50 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely,
about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered.)

Kewl!

Thanks Wayne,

I'll give that a try. I'm a key lime pie guy, so I'll adapt your recipe,
I'm sure it will work.

I think I'm breaking some key lime pie law by adding ANY topping. 😉

All the best,

Andy

"CheCooks" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This morning, as
I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around the edges and the
meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges of the pie. Any idea
what caused this? I cut a piece for my husband anyway, and other than the
clear liquid (it had a solid layer of lemon and the meringue seemed just
right) seeping out of it, he said it had great flavor. He also said he has
seen this in a few other lemon meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just a
tad and I spooned the liquid out. Any help would be great as this has
really frustrated me. Thanks!!

Che

See below

Dimitri

TO PREVENT WEEPING:
Make sure that the sugar beaten with the egg whites is completely dissolved. Rub
a little of the mixture between two fingers. The undissolved sugar will feel
grainy. Cook meringues at the lowest oven temperature.

Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then sprinkle the sugar on top
of the egg whites. Allow the egg whites to sit for 5 minutes without stirring.
Beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread the meringue over
pies and bake as usual.

Add a teaspoon of cornflour to every 3 eggs. Sticky meringue is often caused by
insufficient cooking, or too rapid cooking. Leave meringue in the oven with the
door ajar while it cools - a cold draught of air will soften the meringue.

Add a dash of vinegar or lemon juice, or a pinch of cream of tartar to the
whites while beating. This will increase the volume and help prevent weeping.

Remember that weeping will happen if you put the still-warm meringue into the
fridge. However, it's usually undissolved sugar grains that cause problem.

On Fri 10 Jun 2005 10:18:29a, Andy wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

Kewl!

Thanks Wayne,

I'll give that a try. I'm a key lime pie guy, so I'll adapt your recipe,
I'm sure it will work.

I think I'm breaking some key lime pie law by adding ANY topping. 😉

All the best,

Andy

Andy,

Thought not strictly speaking an authentic key lime pie recipe (using
sweetened condensed milk), I have made this exact recipe substituting the
same amount of fresh lime juice for the lemon juice. It's outstanding.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

On Fri 10 Jun 2005 10:10:36a, Kate Connally wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Meringue
--------
7 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 1/8 cups powdered sugar

Aha! There's the secret. Using powdered sugar means
you are adding cornstarch to the meringue. I'm sure that
has something to do with it not weeping.

Kate

Yes, that certainly contributes to it, and I also think baking for a long
time at a very low temperature also contributes to a weepless meringue. Egg
whites to not like high temperatures.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

On Fri 10 Jun 2005 06:54:12a, Bob Westcott wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

"Easy" methods of making meringues do result in a meringue that is not
stable. Moisture will settle out of it. There are recipes for
meringues that will not do this, but all the ones I've seen are much too
fussy and time consuming to use. The reason that commercially made
meringues don't weep is because they have been stabilized, when done in
volume, it probably isn't that much more work and definitely adds to the
shelf life of the finished product. Check out the joy of cooking for a
recipe or two for stable meringues if the seeping issue is driving you
crazy.

The one I posted earlier is not at all complicated, but it does require a
lengthy baking time. It is the most stable meringue I've ever made.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Fri 10 Jun 2005 10:18:29a, Andy wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

Kewl!

Thanks Wayne,

I'll give that a try. I'm a key lime pie guy, so I'll adapt your recipe,
I'm sure it will work.

I think I'm breaking some key lime pie law by adding ANY topping. 😉

All the best,

Andy

Andy,

Thought not strictly speaking an authentic key lime pie recipe (using
sweetened condensed milk), I have made this exact recipe substituting the
same amount of fresh lime juice for the lemon juice. It's outstanding.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
============

For an amazing variation - use a chocolate cookie crust (Oreo, etc.). It's
beyond description as to how delectable it is!! The last time I made one, I
think I may have heard an angel or two gasp with delight and then moaned
long and low once they realized they wouldn't be able to have some... YMMV.
LOL

Cyndi

On Fri 10 Jun 2005 04:32:20p, Rick & Cyndi wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Fri 10 Jun 2005 10:18:29a, Andy wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

Kewl!

Thanks Wayne,

I'll give that a try. I'm a key lime pie guy, so I'll adapt your
recipe, I'm sure it will work.

I think I'm breaking some key lime pie law by adding ANY topping. 😉

All the best,

Andy

Andy,

Thought not strictly speaking an authentic key lime pie recipe (using
sweetened condensed milk), I have made this exact recipe substituting
the same amount of fresh lime juice for the lemon juice. It's
outstanding.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
============

For an amazing variation - use a chocolate cookie crust (Oreo, etc.).
It's beyond description as to how delectable it is!! The last time I
made one, I think I may have heard an angel or two gasp with delight and
then moaned long and low once they realized they wouldn't be able to
have some... YMMV. LOL

Cyndi

Actually, I have made a chocolate crust for key lime pie numerous times and
it really is delicious. Personally, though, I find that Oreos or other
creme filled sandwich cookies are too sweet for my taste. I buy the plain,
dark chocolate wafers, make crumbs and add butter and the amount of sugar I
like. I think the chocolate flavor is even more intense.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005, it was written:

Quoted message said:

"CheCooks" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This
morning, as I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around
the edges and the meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges
of the pie. Any idea what caused this? I cut a piece for my husband
anyway, and other than the clear liquid (it had a solid layer of lemon
and the meringue seemed just right) seeping out of it, he said it had
great flavor. He also said he has seen this in a few other lemon
meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just a tad and I spooned the
liquid out. Any help would be great as this has really frustrated me.
Thanks!!

Che

Hey Che,

The liquid and the shrinking are from the meringue "melting". The liquid
is sugar. If you leave the pie in the frige for a couple of days the
meringue will continue to "melt" away until it is just a dab in the
center. [and how would I know this???? sheesh! been there, done that; got
the naked pie memories to prove it! <g>]

Why? I'm not really sure. I think it may be too much sugar in the egg
whites or it could be adding the sugar a tad too soon.

I've made lots of pies, but this "condition" is one I have only
experienced in the past few years. Like everything else anymore, I don't
do it often enough to keep in practice. There's an art to this cooking
stuff!

What I noticed the last few times I have had this happen is that my egg
whites are not as stiff as I had expected them to be at the time I put
them on the pie. They peaked, but they were kind of creamy. They just
didn't "feel" right. I did add the cream of tartar.

Do you remember if your whites were at room temp? I didn't pay attention
to that, but mine might have been a bit too cold.

Next time I'm going to pay more attention.

Elaine, too

Thanks Elaine! If I remember correctly, the eggs were not at room temp.
You know what my husband suggested we do, and it worked!? Cut out a piece
of the pie, then tip one side up so that the liquid ran to the cut side. I
then scooped it out with a large spoon and it didn't return. By the way, I
know what you mean about the whites seeming stiff until I went to put them
on the pie. All in all, my husband was pleased. So I think I'll try again
sometime soon!

Che

"Elaine Parrish" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005, it was written:

Quoted message said:

"CheCooks" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This
morning, as I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around
the edges and the meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges
of the pie. Any idea what caused this? I cut a piece for my husband
anyway, and other than the clear liquid (it had a solid layer of lemon
and the meringue seemed just right) seeping out of it, he said it had
great flavor. He also said he has seen this in a few other lemon
meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just a tad and I spooned the
liquid out. Any help would be great as this has really frustrated me.
Thanks!!

Che

Hey Che,

The liquid and the shrinking are from the meringue "melting". The liquid
is sugar. If you leave the pie in the frige for a couple of days the
meringue will continue to "melt" away until it is just a dab in the
center. [and how would I know this???? sheesh! been there, done that; got
the naked pie memories to prove it! <g>]

Why? I'm not really sure. I think it may be too much sugar in the egg
whites or it could be adding the sugar a tad too soon.

I've made lots of pies, but this "condition" is one I have only
experienced in the past few years. Like everything else anymore, I don't
do it often enough to keep in practice. There's an art to this cooking
stuff!

What I noticed the last few times I have had this happen is that my egg
whites are not as stiff as I had expected them to be at the time I put
them on the pie. They peaked, but they were kind of creamy. They just
didn't "feel" right. I did add the cream of tartar.

Do you remember if your whites were at room temp? I didn't pay attention
to that, but mine might have been a bit too cold.

Next time I'm going to pay more attention.

Elaine, too