How to Keep the Meringue Pie Top From Shrinking

One of the first obstacles I had in pastry school was the scary meringue! It would turn hard or go too soft. It would shrink in or become soggy! I thought there was no way that this was going to work, then I had a great person show me a few tricks, here they are!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• 1/2 c water
• 2 T granulated sugar
• 1 T cornstarch
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 t cream of tartar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 6 T granulated sugar
• A CLEAN(NOT OILY AT ALL) cold, and dry metal mixing bowl
• A CLEAN(NOT OILY AT ALL) and dry spatula
• An oven preheated to 350F

1. egg white Make sure before you start this you have ALL of your ingredients portioned out and everything is ready so you do not need to stop for anyhing. It sounds extreme but making meringue is an extreme sport!
2. egg foam Okay, first grab the water, cornstarch, and the 2 T sugar. Combine all of these in a small saucepan over low heat until clear. STIR CONSTANTLY. It will get kind of glue like. Remove from the heat.
3. soft peak In the large metal mixing bowl(that you made sure had NO oil in it), combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix on HIGH until foamy. Mix in the vanilla. Then, this is very important, SLOWLY pour the 6 T sugar in to the middle of the bowl(or as close to the middle). You want all the sugar to be blended in. Continue until you have soft peaks.
4. stiff peak Next gradually add the cornstarch mixture. It is okay if it is a little gooey, just watch to make sure it is getting blended in and the egg whites stay smooth. Patience! Beat until stiff peaks.
5. curls You are now ready to top. Place a HUGE dollop of meringue in the center of a hot, fresh from the oven pie. This way the heat from the filling will begin to heat the meringue before it reaches the oven and the meringue(as long as you have not over mixed) will not tense up from temperature changes. Take your spatula and GENTLY push meringue towards the edge. Almost glide your spatula over the top of the pie to shift the meringue where you want it. Once the top is covered completely, use the tip of the spatula to make curls in the meringue for decoration. Bake in a 350 F oven for ten minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure no oil is in the mixing bowl.
• Egg whites need to be beat fast to grab more air bubbles.
• Pay attention to the stages of your egg whites, adding things at the wrong time will cause issues.
• Flip your whisk upside down to test for stiff peaks.
• Apply meringue to a HOT filling.
• Make sure you seal the edges with meringue to keep from shrinking.
• 2 Teaspoons of meringue powder + 2 Tablespoons warm water = 1 egg white
• Wash hands for 20 seconds under hot water when handling raw eggs. Salmonella can ruin any event.
• Eggs can be refrigerated for up to 5 weeks from the date stamped on the carton.
• Leftover egg whites can be stored, tightly covered for up to 4 days.
• Leftover yolks can be stored 2 days, in water for best results.