Kitchen

[homedecor1]

Hi Bakers! I make lemon merinque pie often but lately I noticed after browning the meringue (which is perfect consistency and baked right) I am experiencing when cutting the pie their is a layer of "water" (not sure what to call it maybe condensation) and the meringue is separated when cut from the pie.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? I was thinking it was a humidity/cold thing, but, I've tried looking at other recipes and I'm making it right it just looks terrible when served.

Help/suggestions? Thanks so much!!!

[Lakegirl]

Sorry you are having problems, homedecor1. I have had that happen to me. Try whipping the eggs whites more. Good luck!

[homedecor1]

Not sure but my friend just emailed me that the meringue needs to be covering the entire crust and edges of the pie. Not sure if I did that (apparently as the meringue cools in fridge it shrinks). Perhaps that is the mistake because I can't remember if I've done this....

[jaxs mom]

It sounds like weeping. Supposedly, it can be caused by putting the meringue on cold filling. Are you baking yours to brown the meringue? I use a kitchen torch instead. Personally I always chill my lemon filling and let the crust get to room temp before making the meringue because I don't want to end up with soggy crust.

[homedecor1]

Jaxs Mom: I think that may be what I did wrong. I put the meringue on after I finished the pouring in the lemon filling and then put in oven just to brown the meringue. I don't know if I allowed the crust to cool completely and yes, it was soggy too!

Yes, it weeped. I have to make this for a gathering next weekend thank you I'm going to try letting it cool (room temp) completely before I brown the meringue in the oven. I don't have a torch.

Thank you so much! (Think before I take this pie to the gathering I'm going to have to make a practice one...weeping is so embarrassing upon cutting it!)

[MissMadi]

I found this on the Better Homes and Garden website........

These five tips should help keep the meringue on your pies from weeping:

• Make meringue pies on dry, low-humidity days.

• Be careful not to overbake your meringue—doing so causes the egg whites to shrink and squeeze out small tears of moisture. Always check your pie at the minimum baking time.

• Undissolved sugar in the egg whites may cause weeping. To make sure the sugar is adequately dissolved, mix the egg whites and sugar at low speed until the mixture feels perfectly smooth with no graininess when you rub a little bit between your thumb and fingers. You might also try using superfine sugar—it dissolves much more quickly than regular white sugar.

• Be sure to prepare meringue before preparing the pie filling so it is ready to spread while the filling is still hot. The filling’s residual heat will “cook” the meringue onto the filling and make it much less likely to leak or shrink.

• Make sure to seal the meringue completely to the edge so it touches the crust.

ALSO ~~

Overcooking a meringue causes those little sugary drops of moisture on top baked meringues. It is difficult to not get this, as most recipes now bake longer at lower temperatures to cook the egg whites enough to eliminate any risk of salmonella. We recommend following the recipe, beating and baking as written. Weeping, the watery layer between the meringue and the filling is caused by undercooking. This is where it is important to put your meringue onto hot filling so it can begin cooking right away.

[Reba055]

Just a thought, and I know it's not the same, but have you thought that if you can't get the meringue to come out as you like it, you could put whipped topping on top? I actually like it that way and others have said they do too.