lemon meringue pie

[Patf]

This is one of my favourite foods, and one which I find most difficult to get right. I made one yesterday and it was rather spoilt because I let the filling stand in the shell too long (before covering with meringue an putting in the oven.) and it soaked through the pastry. It had still been a bit runny.

Then my meringue always ends up soft; how do you make it crisp?

The one thing I do usually get right is the lemony flavour of the filling.

Does anyone have a fail-safe recipe?

[Rose (& Greyman)]

Can't help with the pie but my OH makes lemon meringue ice cream - best of both worlds and lovely jubbly [:)]

[Polremy]

i gave up on meringue ages ago.

apparently the important thing is that the bowl is absolutely clean and grease free.

i also saw a programme recently (come dine with me, I think) were someone said it was important to leave the eggs to come to room temperature before whisking them.

am absolutely convinced that, should i try again, it still wouldn't work.

mind you, i do make really good scones. don't know why!

[suein56]

[quote user="Patf"]

Then my meringue always ends up soft; how do you make it crisp? [/quote]

I bake the pie in the oven at 160°C for about 40 mins and the meringue is always crisp; what do you do?

Sue

[betoulle]

the best meringues are made from egg whites which have been frozen - it breaks up the albumen & makes them drier........works every time.....also as already stated every utensil must be completely grease free

[Patf]

I bake the meringue in a low oven, gas mark 2 to 3 for about 40 minutes. The top goes golden brown, but the texture is stickky-soft, not crisp.

Last week my daughter was here and she managed to make a crisp meringue in the same oven, so I must ask her what she did different. I think perhaps I didn't beat the whites long enough.

Interesting about the frozen whites - do you mean you separate the whites first then freeze them? Pat.

[betoulle]

Yes - always seem to have plenty of whites left over from baking egg custard etc - run a B&B & its one of our popular breakfast offerings - that & 'croissant bake' a version of bread & butter pudding for those times when guests dont seem keen on croissants for breakfast, so have loads of left overs.  Anyway, I freeze the egg whites in small pots - 2 or 3 whites to a pot & then just defrost & use as necessary - for meringues, pavlovas etc.  The tip came from Raymond Blanc originally

[Théière]

[quote user="Patf"]

didn't beat the whites long enough.

[/quote]

Isn't that domestic violence? [:)]

[Clair]

[quote user="Patf"]Then my meringue always ends up soft; how do you make it crisp? Does anyone have a fail-safe recipe? [/quote]

I have recently bought a copy of Blanc Mange, one of Raymond Blanc's early books, where he explains the chemistry that goes on during mixing, cooking and baking.

He says that in the majority of cases, the fresher the eggs the better, except when the eggs need to be whipped. Older eggs have lost some of their water content through evaporation, leaving the whites more viscous, so more "whippable". The proteins on the whites are normally tight little balls. When they are beaten, they unwrap, elongate and form a web-like structure. Through the beating, the proteins loose their original nature.

You should start with a pinch of salt in the whites, which will help

firm up the proteins. About a quarter-way through the beating process,

you add an acid (one or two drops of lemon juice or vinegar) to the foam, which stabilizes it and helps keep the

bubbles from bursting when you stop beating.

If your whites seem unstable at the end of the beating, or if you have

overbeaten them — and if your whites will be used in a dessert — beat 1

tablespoon of sugar in for only about 15 seconds. This will restabilize

the foam, but you must use it quickly, or it will break down into a

mess.