On Fri 10 Jun 2005 04:58:58a, Andy wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> "CheCooks" > wrote in
> :
>
>> I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time last night. This
>> morning, as I pulled it out of the fridge, there was a liquid around
>> the edges and the meringue seemed to have pulled away from the edges
>> of the pie. Any idea what caused this? I cut a piece for my husband
>> anyway, and other than the clear liquid (it had a solid layer of lemon
>> and the meringue seemed just right) seeping out of it, he said it had
>> great flavor. He also said he has seen this in a few other lemon
>> meringues. We tipped the pie plate up just a tad and I spooned the
>> liquid out. Any help would be great as this has really frustrated me.
>> Thanks!!
>>
>> Che
>
>
> Che,
>
> I made a key lime pie with meringue and it suffered the same fate your
> pie did.
>
> The keylime set up fine in the fridge but the meringue didn't and didn't
> adhere to the filling at all.
>
> My pie had more meringue than filling and maybe some meringue near the
> filling didn't cook through? I'm betting the liquid was tired egg white.

More likely the meringue was baked at too high a temperature. The proteins
in the egg whites are adversely affected by the heat.

> My next pie, I'm going to double the filling and leave off the meringue
> until after the pie sets in the fridge, then whip some up, put it on the
> pie and toss it under the broiler for a couple minutes to brown the
> peaks and serve immediately.
>
> I'm probably way off base.
>
> Anybody???

Yes, of course, this will work because meringue doesn't usually begin to
weep until later. What you propose is basically how "baked alaska" is
prepared, that is, by putting the meringue on the finished and cooled or
frozen item, covering it meringue, then quickly broiling it to brown.

Having said that, if you try the following recipe, you will have a thick
layer of lemon filling and a very thick layer of meringue which absolutely
will not weep. Be sure to follow time and tempeature precisely for baking
the meringue. I have made this recipe many times and have never had a
failure. I've seen two sources for almost identical recipes, one of which
appeared in Bon Appetit 7-8 years ago.

You will need a very deep 9-inch baked crust for this.

Filling
-------
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 large egg yolks
5 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

Whisk first 7 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Using whisk,
stir over medium heat until filling thickens and just begins to boil, about
20 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Spoon hot filling into
prepared crust.

Meringue
--------
7 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/8 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 300°F. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large
stainless steel bowl at low speed until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar and
1 tablespoon sugar. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a
time. Beat at medium speed until stiff glossy peaks form, about 8 minutes.
Spread meringue over warm filling, covering completely, sealing meringue to
crust edges and mounding in center. Bake pie for 30 minutes. Reduce oven
temperature to 275°F and continue to bake until meringue is golden brown
and set when pie is shaken slightly, about 50 minutes. Transfer pie to rack
and cool completely, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate
uncovered.)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974