email this pageYou’d think after a recipe has been around for hundreds of years, the kinks would have been worked out. But in the case of meringues, cookbooks are filled with culinary warning signs. Words like “shrink,” “sweat” and “puddle” are everywhere. They’re enough to make anyone think twice before stepping into the kitchen to begin separating eggs. But if attention is paid to simple details, making sweet and airy meringues to adorn the tops of custard pies isn’t hard.
Take, for instance, making an orange meringue pie, a spin on an old-fashioned lemon meringue pie. First, once the hot filling goes into the crust, do not be tempted to let it cool before slathering on the meringue. The custard should be hot to prevent the beaten whites from breaking down and puddling onto the orange filling. Some cooks go so far as to sprinkle cake crumbs on top of the custard to absorb any leaks. Another possibility is to make the custard after the meringue so it’s piping hot when it comes in contact with the meringue. Next, when spreading the meringue, make sure the edges touch the crust all the way around. This will prevent the meringue from shrinking. Finally, the pie is always best the day it’s made—after a night in the fridge, the meringue gets rubbery and it’s impossible to cut without tearing.
Of course, you could always skip the meringue and cover the top with whipped cream, but then it wouldn’t be a meringue pie.
Orange Meringue Pie
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Ingredients
¼ cup melted butter
3 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
½ teaspoon salt, divided
2½ cups fresh Satsuma, tangerine or orange juice, divided
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup finely grated tangerine or orange zest
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2. Combine cracker crumbs and butter; toss with a fork until moist. Press into bottom of a 9-inch pie pan coated with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes; cool.
3. Increase oven temperature to 375F.
4. Whisk egg yolks, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ cup juice in a medium bowl until smooth.
5. Combine remaining juice, sugar, cornstarch and zest in a medium saucepan; whisk in egg yolk mixture. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Pour into crust.
6. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl with a mixer at high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Beat in confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until soft peaks form. Beat in remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla.
7. Spread meringue over warm pie, sealing to crust’s edges.
8. Bake until lightly browned and set, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack before serving. Serves 8.
Recipe by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, Relish the Season, "The Sunshine Season," Dec. 2007.
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