Notes from Stella's Kitchen

This month’s recipe is for Pineapple Cream Pie that comes from my book, Blueberry Peaches, Red Robin Pie. In my recipe in the book, however, I barely mention the meringue topping that covers the pie. This is a shame and I would like to make up for it here.

Meringue toppings for pies and puddings are wonderful things. They are a delight to see and even better, they are a delight to taste. These toppings are, however, very delicate entities and need to be made with care just before you are ready to serve them. And, most cooks say that you shouldn’t even try to make them when the humidity is high, but I have tried them in high humidity (remember, we live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast) and my results have not been all bad. Its up to you. Take a chance and see what happens. Remember, I did say delicate.

Use a glass, stainless steel or copper bowl for whipping the meringue. Copper is my first choice with stainless steel coming in as a second. All utensils should be clean and free of grease or oils. You can insure this by wetting a paper towel with either lemon juice or vinegar and going over both the beaters and the bowl. Also, make certain that no yolk remains with the whites when you separate the eggs or you will have problems.

Preheat your over to 325 to 350 degrees before you start making the meringue. A low heat in the over dries the meringue while too high a heat will cause the meringue to shrivel and shrink. The eggs should be at room temperature (about 70 degrees) in order to get the best volume from the egg whites.

Add sugar to the egg whites as specified in the recipe. Be careful, excess sugar will cause the meringue to become gummy and bead up.

Beat the meringue until it forms a stiff, but not dry, peak. Spread it on the pie from the edge of the pie up to the center making certain that it adheres to the edges of the piecrust. Failure to do so will cause the meringue to pull away from the crust during the baking process. It will still taste good, but it won’t be as pretty.

For those of you who wish a sweeter meringue, you may sprinkle the top of the meringue with additional sugar before baking. There is an advantage to this. The sugar will make it easier to cleanly cut the meringue at serving time. You may also sprinkle the meringue with flaked coconut or slivered almonds that will give the topping a little added color and zest.

To avoid shrinkage, let the meringue cool to room temperature in a place that is draft free.

There is another meringue, a classic Italian meringue, which does not require baking. It is cooked by pouring hot sugar syrup over well-beaten egg whites. The mixture is then constantly beaten until the meringue comes to room temperature and is ready to be spread. It does, however, then have to be browned in the oven.

I prefer the first method as I believe it to be the easier of the two.

Bon Appetit!