Lemon Meringue: Directions & Techniques

Submitted by: jej
Last Updated: 5/11/2008

Lemon Meringue Pie

Please let me preface this posting with the statement that "I love to make pie -- just about any kind of pie."

This posting does not include a recipe, but rather techniques and suggestions for making the pie shell, then putting a lemon meringue pie together.

Several members have posted recipes for Lemon Meringue Pies, should you need one. The ideas included here can be used in making most meringue pies and, of course, pastry crusts in general. May I also suggest my favorite crust, a healthful and quickly-made pie crust that does not require solid shortening, but rather oil -- I use canola. The recipe is posted amongst my recipes.

About a week into March of 2003, a culinary school student requested answers to some questions about making Lemon Meringue Pie. Several Baking Circle members asked me to post my response here with my recipes. My answers follow the student's letter.

NC78 wrote:
I am going to be making a lemon meringue pie for my mid-term a week from Wednesday, and I need someone to answer a few questions I have about this!

(1.) Pie crust - made with Crisco - after I have my pie crust chilled, How thin should it be rolled out?

Part2: How do you go about getting the crusts into the pie tins - without it breaking or cracking? (we use those little throw away pie tins)

(2.) Is there a good way in telling when the pie shells are done?

(3.) Meringue - when are you supposed to put it on the pie - right when it comes out of the oven or should it cool a little first?

---
My responses:

NC78... I "slept on your questions" last night. Here are some answers.

(1) The rolling out of the crust: In general, roll your crust so that it is a circle about 2" larger than your pan. I hold my pan over the rolled circle and 'eye-ball' it, judging if I think I have enough width to extend up the sides and then over the edge far enough to fold a tiny bit under (for a nicely finished edge). The circle should probably be on the large size, rather than smallish, because you want 'ease' or 'slack' in your crust, rather than to have to risk stretching it to make it fit the pan. The folded part which sits on the edge of the pie pan needs to extend over the edge just a wee bit because, when it is fluted, it takes up a little extra dough for the 'fluting folds.' It depends on the pan. Pie pans vary, and the foil pans can vary, too, so eye-balling your circle of dough and comparing it with the width and height of the pan is an important step to do.

I advise thinking first about doing this part carefully, without worrying about the thickness yet, as the circle must be rolled to a large-enough size to easily cover your pan and make your edging.

Now, once it is rolled out in a circle to cover your pan, etc., check for thickness. A very typical thickness advised for crust is 1/8-inch. You do not want it any thicker than that, I would say. If you put your hand down on the crust, you can also check it for an "even" thickness. Once the circle is getting near to the right width, I am checking for even thickness diligently.

Part 2 of question (1) is a good question: How does one get the crust into the pan without breaking and cracking? People have different ways of moving the crust into the pie plate. Years ago, when I made Crisco crusts, I held my rolling pin over one edge, or maybe I laid it very lightly right onto the crust, and then moved (rolled) the pin slowly and carefully so that the crust was rolled onto the pin, wrapped loosely around it. It was really easy, as I remember, and I was never 'fussed' by the procedure, nor did I have the breaking or cracking of which you speak. The nice thing about having the crust on the rolling pin was that I could start 'laying' the crust over and into the pan with fair precision; with a bit of practice, I learned where to start 'laying down the edge' of the crust so that it would be well centered. I also knew to lay it down a little 'slack' so that there was sufficient crust that it would not be stretched, but could be 'eased' down into the pan. Then, too, those little 'gathers' or 'seemingly excess crust' at the walls of the pie plate could be eased together, and made smooth with no real folds.

NOTE: I like to sprinkle a very little bit of flour in the bottom of the pie plate before putting the bottom crust in; I 'mist' this in with my fingers so it is a very delicate dusting.
The purpose is that, if the crust didn't get centered, the crust is more easily moved.

To avoid the breaking or cracking, the moisture content of the crust must be correct. If it is too dry, there is almost no way I can suggest to avoid it. Maybe someone else knows a way, but I don't. The typical test is to push the dough together in a ball, and then see if it stays there. If it won't ball, but it falls apart instead, more moisture is needed.

One of my favorite ways of adding the moisture without over-working the dough, which toughens it, is to sprinkle 1/4 of the moisture over 1/4 of the flour/shortening mixture, then quickly toss it with a fork (or however you do your mixing); then 'do' the next quarter of the dough, sprinkling 1/4 of the ice water over it, and toss it to mix. Repeat this 'til all four quarters are moistened. This is all done rather rapidly, and with this divvying up of ice water in the flour mixture, the moisture is distributed pretty evenly throughout the dough. I'm sure that helped my dough to 'come together' more surely than if I'd just added the water all at once. Now is the time to check for correct moisture: push the mixture together into a ball. If it falls apart, add more moisture. I added ice water about 1 teaspoon at a time, and I 'divvied' again, not to mix a lot, but mostly adding it to the seemingly dry areas.

When the dough stays in a ball, wrap it snugly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for the recommended half hour or so before rolling; if the moisture content and distribution are correct, that will help the dough to 'come together.' Be aware, however, that if there is insufficient moisture, cracks and breaking should be expected. It will not only be a problem when rolling out the crust and transferring it into the pan, but it will also interfere with folding the edges under, making a pretty fluted edge, etc.

Now, I have another favorite step for crust (and cookie) doughs that have to be rolled out. Flatten each round separately into a disc that is perhaps 4-5 inches in diameter, and about 3/4-inch or so thick, before it is refrigerated; then, when ready to roll, the rolling pin isn't starting on top of a beach ball! Well, not a beach ball, of course, but dough can come out of the 'fridge pretty firm, so why not make it easier on yourself?

Some pie bakers like to roll pie crust out on a floured board, which is fine. I did that years ago, but today I find my dough doesn't get as dry if I roll it between two sheets of plastic wrap. A friend was economy-minded and rolled hers between the waxed paper from cereal boxes. I prefer the fluidity and flexibility of the plastic wrap. I also used to put two sheets of plastic together so it would be wider than the 12-inch width, thus it was wide enough to accommodate large dough circles. Today I have the convenience of buying larger widths of plastic, such as 14-, 15-, 18-inch, etc. That is very convenient, and so is the clean-up! Not even a messy rolling pin. J

Now, getting crusts into those light-weight foil pans can be a trial; I find they often want to dance around or skitter away. I now usually set such a pan next to my flour jar to help it stay put. Of course, the jar needs to be moved away to have free space around the pan for getting the rest of the crust situated successfully in the pan. I've thought about putting a piece masking tape, folded sticky side out, on the bottom of the pan to help it to stay in one place on the counter (while the crust is going into the pan), but I haven't yet done it.

(2) How do you tell when the crust is done? Usually recipes ask for the crust to be baked for a specified number of minutes, 10-12 minutes, or 12-15 minutes, for example. Look for a pale golden brown color. Also, the crust will take on a different appearance when baked, with an uneven surface appearance, due to its baking with a flaky texture. Some books -- and cooks-- will suggest putting a 'liner' in the crust, then filling it with dried beans, rice, or beads. The purpose of this is so the crust can neither puff up nor shrink unduly. I have not liked the results of my experiences with this procedure. I've read recently that lining the shell with foil prevents the crust from breathing, and impairs its quality when baked. I used foil, and my crusts were, indeed, cardboard-y and not well cooked. Suggested liners for solving this problem are large coffee urn liners (said to be easiest) or parchment paper cut to fit the pie pan (the sides of which need to be folded to fit smoothly); I have not used either of these suggestions. I now simply use a fork to make punctures into the bottom and sides of the crust, and if the holes re-seal and puff a little, I poke them again to let the air out. It takes a bit of watching, but these crusts need watching anyway.

The last pie shell I baked seemed a little dark, but it was so flaky, tender and well-cooked that I decided slightly darker is greatly preferable to under-cooked.

I like to have a foil ring ready, even though I may never use it when just baking a bottom crust. IF, however, the edges begin browning before the rest of the pie shell takes on color, the ring of foil will cover the edges to prevent them from becoming overly darker.

To make a foil ring: Cut out a circle of foil about a good inch greater in diameter than that of the pie plate. Then, cut out the center of the circle. I like to have about 1-1/2 inches left to cover the top, which means that the ring should be about 2-1/2 inches wide. This is because the circle should be placed on the counter and the outer edge turned up by about 1/2 inch all the way around, totaling an inch used in this step. I wash the foil ring and use it over and over several times. Heavy-duty foil will last even longer than regular weight foil. Baking a pie shell for a one-crust pie is about the only time I don't use the foil ring.

To protect the bottom crust from 'sogginess': I have an authoritative source with information and advice relating to this potential problem. None other than Rose Levy Beranbaum states: "The most effective way to moisture-proof a baked bottom crust is to brush it with a thin coating of egg white. (The yolk would toughen the dough.) The residual heat of the baked crust causes the egg white to dry to a crisp finish. Allow the baked pastry shell to cool on a rack for about 3 minutes before brushing it with lightly beaten egg white so that it isn't too hot, which would cause the egg white layer to flake off. If the baked pastry shell is no longer hot enough to set the egg white, return it to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes or until the egg white layer is dry and opaque. Half an egg white (1 tablespoon) will be enough to moisture-proof a 9-inch pie shell." I have done this frequently with both homemade pastry shells and purchased crumb crusts. The latter are brushed lightly and baked for about 5 minutes at 375ýF.

(3.) Meringue - when are you supposed to put it on the pie - right when it comes out of the oven or should it cool a little first?

I did not understand this question (when asked by the student). I attempted to answer as follows:

Using a Crisco crust, you will have made the crust, chilled for that 30 minutes or so, rolled it out and baked it. (I have an oil-based crust in my recipes that I use all the time now; you may wish to try it.) The prepared crust will (or won't be) moisture-proofed. It will be cooled and ready when the custard is made.

The custard preparation is next, however.

All of the meringue ingredients should be ready to go immediately when the custard is finished. The egg whites are optimum if at room temperature, so place them in the bowl to be used for the meringue as soon as they've been separated. (When I do this, I cover the bowl with plastic or foil so the whites will not dry out.)

Now prepare the custard.

As soon as the custard is made, while it is still piping hot, turn it into the prepared pie shell. Cover it with plastic to keep it hot. Preheat the oven now. The meringue should be made immediately and spread on the still hot custard (don't forget in your haste to remove the plastic first!! :))). As soon as the meringue has been double-checked for touching ALL of the edges of the crust, place the pie in the oven; bake the meringue.

Emeril's Method: While the pie is baking, make the meringue. In a large, clean bowl using clean beaters, beat the remaining 4 egg whites with the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beating constantly, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar until glossy, stiff peaks form, being careful not to over beat, as this will make it difficult to spread. Using a rubber spatula, spread the meringue evenly over the pie filling, smoothing out to the pastry edges so the meringue won't draw up or weep during baking. With a dull knife make decorative peaks in the meringue. Bake until the meringue is golden, 14 to 15 minutes.

NOTE: Moriah has made a study of meringues, very worthwhile checking out.

Many, many recipe books say to cool the custard first, including my family recipe, but spreading the meringue completely over the hot custard REALLY WORKS. It is not that the old procedure will never work (especially if the pie is quickly devoured!!), but there is sound reasoning behind this procedure.

Happy Baking and good luck with a memorable Lemon Meringue Pie! --jej