When I was little, I loved the meringue on top of lemon pie. I would try to lift it off my piece and eat it separately. As I grew older, I reversed my preferences. I much prefer the lemon filling now. In fact, if it weren’t for those in the family that love the meringue, I’d be tempted to just leave it off.
For many, meringue is the hardest part of the pie. Thanks to a trick I learned from America’s Test Kitchen, it turns out every time and rarely weeps. Though it sounds weird, the thickened cornstarch really holds the egg whites together.
1. Info for Lemon Meringue Pie
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: unavailable
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Lemon Meringue Pie
- 1½ cup water
- 1½ cup sugar
- dash salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 9 inch baked pie shell
- For the Meringue:
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
3. Directions:
- In a large microwave safe bowl, combine water, sugar and salt.
- Bring to a boil in the microwave (at this point, you can’t ruin it, so just keep adding minutes until it boils).
- Add the cornstarch/water mixture and boil until clear (2 minutes at a time until it reaches that state, stirring in between cooking).
- Add the lemon juice and egg yolks and cook until thick (1 minute at a time, stirring after each minute).
- Add butter, cool and fill a 9 or 10″ baked pie shell.
- For the Meringue: Combine the cornstarch and water and microwave until it looks Vaseline (no joke!).
- Beat the egg whites and sugar until soft peaks appear.
- Add the cooled cornstarch mixture a dollop at a time and whip until stiff peaks form.
- Top the lemon pie while it is piping hot, sealing the edges (meringue to crust) and bake 325 degrees for 7 minutes.
