Meringue For 9 Inch Pie Recipes

THE BEST LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• For the pie crust: Pulse the flour, shortening, sugar, salt and vinegar in a food processor until the mixture looks like damp sand, about 10 pulses. Add the butter and pulse until you can still see large pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Pinch the dough; if it doesn't hold together, add up to 3 more tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together when pinched. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and dump the dough onto the plastic. Using the edges of the plastic, press the dough into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and preferably overnight. (Freeze up to 2 months.)
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 13-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie dish, gently pressing the dough into the edges and letting the excess dough drape over the sides. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Trim any excess dough with a paring knife and crimp the edges decoratively or press them down with the tines of a fork. Prick the dough on the bottom all over with a fork. Place a sheet of parchment paper inside the dough and fill with pie weights or uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights and bake until the crust is deep golden brown on the edges and lightly golden in the center, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let the crust cool to room temperature.
• For the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups water and whisk to combine. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate medium bowl. Place the sugar mixture over medium heat and cook, continuing to gently whisk, until the mixture begins to bubble and is extremely thick. Temper the eggs yolks by slowly adding half of the hot sugar mixture to the yolks while constantly whisking. Add the tempered yolks to the saucepan and return to the heat. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon zest until completely melted and incorporated. Pour the filling directly into the pie crust and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the filling (see Cook's Note). Refrigerate while you make the meringue.
• For the meringue: Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment along with the sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk together to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture feels hot to the touch. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and add the vanilla. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the pie and gently mound the meringue on top of the filling. Use an offset spatula to make sure the meringue completely covers the filling and meets the crust all around the edges. (This will seal in the filling and help prevent weeping.) Use the offset spatula to create swirls and peaks in the meringue. Toast the meringue using a kitchen torch or broil in the oven until golden brown, keeping an eye on the meringue if broiling, 1 to 2 minutes. Refrigerate the pie until the filling is completely cool and set, about 4 hours.

GRANDMA'S LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
• To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

MERINGUE FOR 9-INCH PIE

Steps:

• In 1-quart saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Cool completely while making filling for pie recipe. (To cool more quickly, place in freezer about 10 minutes.)
• Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat egg whites and salt with electric mixer on high speed just until soft peaks begin to form. Very gradually beat in sugar mixture until stiff peaks form (which helps dissolve the sugar.
• Spoon meringue onto hot pie filling. Spread over filling, carefully sealing meringue to edge of crust to prevent shrinking. Bake about 15 minutes or until meringue is light brown. Cool away from drafts.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE (9-INCH)

Steps:

• Bake pie shell.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan.
• Gradually stir in water.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.
• Boil and stir 1 minute.
• Gradually stir at least half the hot mixture into egg yolks.
• Blend into hot mixture in pan.
• Boil and stir 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat; stir in butter, lemon peel, lemon juice and food color.
• Pour into baked pie shell.
• Heap meringue onto hot pie filling; spread over filling, carefully sealing meringue to edge of crust to prevent shrinking or weeping.
• Bake about 10 minutes or until a delicate light brown.
• Cool away from draft.
• For Meringue: Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy.
• Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy (peaks will form).
• DO NOT UNDERBEAT.
• Beat in vanilla.

ITALIAN MERINGUE FOR MERINGUE PIES

Steps:

• Put the sugar, 1/4 cup water and the corn syrup into a small saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook, without stirring, until the syrup registers 240 degrees F (soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, while the sugar is cooking, put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the cream of tartar and increase the mixer speed to medium; whisk until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
• When the syrup reaches the correct temperature, reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly drizzle the hot syrup down the inside of the mixer bowl in a slow, steady stream (be sure not to let the syrup hit the whisk to avoid splattering). Increase the mixer speed to high and whip until the whites are stiff and glossy, about 4 minutes.
• Use the meringue immediately to top a lemon meringue pie.

MERINGUE FOR 9-INCH PIE

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 350°.2. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 1-quart saucepan. Stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute remove from heat. Cool completely while making filling for pie recipe. (To cool more quickly, place in freezer about 10 minutes.)3. Beat egg whites and salt in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks just begin to form. Very gradually beat in sugar mixture until stiff peaks form.4. Spoon meringue onto hot pie filling. Spread over filling, carefully sealing meringue to edge of crust to prevent shrinking. Bake about 15 minutes or until meringue is light brown. Cool away from drafts.NUTRITION FACTS: 1 Serving Calories 65 (Calories from Fat 0) Fat 0g (Saturated 0g) Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 65mg Carbohydrate 14g (Dietary Fiber 0g) Protein 2g % DAILY VALUE: Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 0% DIET EXCHANGES: 1 StarchFrom "Betty Crocker's Complete Cookbook, Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, 9th Edition." Text Copyright 2000 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

EXTRA-LEMONY MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: On a lightly floured surface, and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll pie dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan (not deep dish); fold the edges over and crimp them together. Prick crust all over with a fork and chill in freezer for 30 minutes until frozen. (Cover with plastic if freezing for longer than a few hours. Well wrapped, it will last in the freezer for up to a month.)
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line chilled crust with foil, fill with pie weights or dried rice, then bake for 12 minutes. Remove foil, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until pale golden, 10 to 16 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack to cool while you prepare the filling. (Leave the oven on if baking the pie immediately.)
• In a heavy saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, egg and sugar. Stir in lemon juice, zest and salt. Add pieces of butter and cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 7 to 9 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should register 180 degrees. Inspect the filling: If you think there are any coagulated bits of egg, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
• Pour filling into pie crust and return to the oven to bake until filling is set (it should jiggle only slightly in the center), about 18 to 40 minutes. (Pies prepared in glass and ceramic dishes can take much longer to bake than those prepared in metal dishes. Don't give up: The curd will eventually set.) Remove pie from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees for baking the meringue.
• As the filling bakes, make the meringue: Fill a medium pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Using a large metal bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, vanilla, cream of tartar and salt. Set the bowl with the egg white mixture into the pot above the water, and whisk constantly by hand until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm (160 degrees on an instant thermometer) and has thickened and lightened in color, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat.
• Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-low speed and gradually increase speed to high, until mixture is thick and fluffy, and stiff peaks form, about 5 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to overbeat.
• Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in lemon zest. Mix with care to not deflate meringue: A few strokes should do it. Spread the meringue over the hot filling, making sure it meets the edges of the crust. Using a knife or spatula, swirl in a design, if you like, and bake until lightly browned, about 8 to 12 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely and top with more lemon zest before serving.

STEP-BY-STEP MERINGUE

Steps:

• If you are using the meringue for a baked pie begin making the meringue at least 20 minutes before the pie is done baking (if using refrigerated eggs as preferred) so that the meringue can be applied to a piping hot filling. Once the meringue is made it should be applied to the pie within 5 minutes or it will begin to lose volume. If you are using the meringue for a refrigerated pie instead of using Cream of Tartar make a cornstarch mixture by combining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and mixing thoroughly with 1/3 cup of cold water, heat the mixture on the stove in a small saucepan while stirring constantly over low heat until it thickens, then set aside to cool.
• For a meringue with more volume start with refrigerated eggs that are at least several days old. Older egg whites (3-4 days old) create more volume than newer egg whites. Cold eggs separate more easily than temperate eggs because cold egg whites hold together better. Use a clean dry large glass or stainless steel mixing bowl to beat the egg whites in, a small clean dry dish to place the egg in and clean dry beaters to beat the egg whites with. Egg whites will not whip as well if there is any grease or moisture on the bowl, dish or beaters.
• Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, cracking the egg shell gently in the center of the side by knocking it against the counter. Placing your thumbnails on either side of the crack in the egg shell, gently pull the egg shell halves apart over the dish, transferring the egg yolk from one shell half to the other, allowing the egg white to fall into the dish. Repeat this until all the egg white has fallen into the bowl then set aside the egg yolk. If the egg yolk breaks during this step make certain to remove any traces of yolk (or egg shell) from the egg whites in the dish using an empty egg shell half or a clean dry spoon. The smallest amount of egg yolk in the egg white mixture can cause the egg whites to fail to whip properly. When all the egg white has been placed in the dish and you are certain that the egg white has no yolk or shell in it - transfer the egg whites to the mixing bowl and repeat for all the remaining eggs. Set the egg whites aside.
• If using refrigerated eggs allow 15 to 20 minutes for the egg whites to warm to room temperature. Using either the beaters or a clean dry whisk beat the egg whites until foamy then add the salt and beat well. If you are using the meringue on a pie that will not be refrigerated add the 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar or 1 tablespoon Piping Gel to the egg white mixture and beat until incorporated. Note: once you start the mixing process you need to continue beating without taking any breaks. Set the mixer to medium high and beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks (peaks that droop to one side when lifting the beaters away from the mixture).
• Reduce the mixer speed to medium and begin to gradually beat the sugar into the egg white mixture one tablespoon at a time. When you have finished adding the sugar it is very important to make certain that the sugar is completely dissolved into the mixture. To test for this simply rub a tiny bit of meringue between your fingers - if you feel any grit in the meringue then the sugar has not been completely incorporated - beat for a minute longer and test again. Using extra fine sugar makes this process faster and easier than using table sugar. For a softer meringue use between 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar (to prevent weeping use just 1/2 cup), for a harder meringue use between 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar (much more likely to weep). A "French Meringue" would require 1 cup of sugar. If you are using the meringue with a refrigerated pie begin incorporating the cooled cornstarch mixture into the meringue one tablespoon at a time until you have finished adding the cornstarch mixture. Now add the vanilla extract and beat until it is well blended into the meringue. The beating process is complete when you can hold a spoonful of meringue upside down and none of the mixture falls off (again make certain there is no sugar 'grit' remaining in the meringue). Continue beating the meringue until the peaks are as stiff as you desire. Once the meringue forms stiff peaks (peaks that hold their exact position when the beaters are removed from the mixture) stop beating - do not over beat the mixture.
• Begin placing the meringue on top of the filling (piping hot if the pie was baked). Putting the meringue on a hot filling will seal the meringue underneath and will help to protect the meringue. Make certain that the meringue touches the edges of the pie crust as this will help to prevent shrinking later. Finish spreading the meringue over the pie.
• Bake the meringue in an oven that is preheated to 325 degrees. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes - be careful to watch the meringue closely as it will begin to brown quickly once it nears the end of the baking cycle. Overcooking can cause the meringue to become tough, sweat or burn. If you want a meringue that is harder or more done lower the temperature to between 250 to 300 degrees and bake for a longer period of time. Meringues should be baked until light brown in color and dry to the touch.
• Serving & Storage: Cut a meringue pie using a cold wet knife dipping between cuts in cold water. There are conflicting answers on whether or not baked meringues need to be refrigerated. They are perfectly safe at room temperatures for up to 2 hours. Meringue pies should be stored in air-tight containers and are best eaten within a day or two. If the pie is refrigerated it will eventually weep. Cooked meringue can be stored refrigerated for several days or frozen for up to 3 months. Meringue with higher sugar content is more likely to weep since it is the sugar in the meringue that attracts moisture. Using the cornstarch mixture in making the meringue helps to reduce weeping in refrigerated or frozen meringue pies.
• A final note: sweating or weeping meringue on fairly fresh pies is caused by one or more of the following conditions: over-baking, over-beating, under-beating, high humidity, refrigeration or when the meringue is placed on a cool filling.