Pie Meringue Made Easy

Nothing crowns a pie like a meringue, golden-peaked and inviting. Making pie meringue is easy if you follow a good recipe and some simple steps.

Most pie meringue recipes call for egg whites, granulated sugar, and salt. A few include cornstarch to help the peaks to stay peaked when heated in the oven. Cream of tartar, which gives the pie meringue a nice glossy appearance, may also be in the recipe. Depending upon what type of pie the meringue will top, lemon or vanilla extract flavoring may be added.

The first step in making pie meringue is to separate the eggs, reserving the yolks for another use. This is perhaps the most crucial step because even a small bit of yolk mixed in with the whites will prevent the egg whites from beating properly. Some people use a metal device specifically for separating eggs. Others crack the egg into their hand, using their fingers to allow the white to separate into a small bowl. I use the egg shell halves, carefully moving the egg from one shell to the other until only the egg yolk is in the shell and the white is in my mixing bowl.

The next easy step in making pie meringue is to beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until they are white and stiff. At this time the salt and cream of tartar may be added (depending on what recipe you are using).

Sugar, one tablespoon at a time, is then added. Adding too much at one time will keep the meringue from forming soft peaks because not all the sugar will be dissolved in the whites, one of the reasons a pie will 'weep.' To ensure the sugar dissolves, some bakers use powdered sugar instead of granulated. Mix well after each spoonful is added to the pie meringue. When the meringue forms soft peaks, the cornstarch and flavoring may be mixed in. The meringue is ready to be spread on the filled pie shell.

Now is the next crucial step in making an easy pie meringue. The meringue must be spread all the way to the edges of the pie, solidly touching the crust itself. Pie meringue tends to shrink a little when it is placed in the oven to brown. Spreading the pie meringue on a hot filling also helps to keep the meringue from shrinking from the edges so much. The hot filling allows the underside of the meringue to cook.

Making the peaks that characterize any good meringue pie is easy and fun, too, if the meringue has been beaten well. With the back of a metal spoon lightly touch the surface of the meringue, and lift up. A soft peak should form. Work back and forth across the surface of the pie until the peaks are the way you want them to look.

Carefully place the meringue pie in a 325 degree Fahrenheit oven. Bake for five to ten minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. Check after the first five minutes.

Cool the pie. When ready to serve, mark the pie slices by using a sharp knife and hot water. Dip the knife in hot water and carefully cut through the meringue in one steady line. Dip the knife in hot water before each cut. Once the cutting lines have been marked on the meringue, cut through the filling and crust to make individual slices. The hot water keeps the meringue from sticking so easily to the knife and preserves the meringue peaks.

Meringue may be applied to many different types of pies, among which are lemon meringue, key lime, chocolate, and banana. For a lemon meringue pie you might use 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice to add a hint of lemon flavor to the meringue.

For Thanksgiving I make a sour cream cranberry raisin pie with meringue topping. The meringue recipe I use follows:

3 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

My meringue turns out well each time, and with these easy steps for making pie meringue, yours will, too.