Grandma's Lemon Pie I Made It Ii

Grandma's Lemon Pie

mommyluvs2cook 4 years ago
By: Blueeyes68ky

This was actually a pretty easy pie to make! I had a store bought pie crust in my fridge to use, so did that instead of making homemade like I had originally planned on. The lemons from my tree are super juicy so after squeezing only 2 I already had a little over the 1/3 cup called for. I just went ahead and used it all :)
After making the pie and letting it cool for a few hours on the counter I felt the pie plate and it felt cool so I popped it into a pie holder and put it in the fridge for that night. When I took the top off there was condensation all over the meringue (you can see in the pic.) which tells me the pie was not completely cooled off I guess? Also when I cut it and tried to plate pieces the meringue would just slip right off the lemon curd. I'm wondering if that's another indication of it not being cooled when put in the fridge. So I did my best to get some pics., even though I had wanted a plated one :(
My husband and daughter loved this pie, but said it was a tad too sweet. Next time I would cut back on the sugar some, mainly in the lemon curd. Such a fun pie to make though!!

Grandmas Lemon Pie
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DIZ3 4 years ago said:

Nice photos, Mommyluvs2cook! You just made one of my favorite pies. :) I haven't had a lemon meringue pie in ages. I'm green with envy that you have your own lemon tree. This recipe is almost identical to my mom's and I'm confident it came from my grandmother. Both were well known for their pies. My mom's recipe uses 1/2 cup lemon juice and grated lemon rind instead of extract. No vinegar. That's really different, isn't it? The meringue is also the same. Now that you mentioned it, the meringue does want to slide off of the pie. If my mom was in hurry, she would skip the pie crust and lay whole vanilla wafers on the bottom of the pie plate and along the side. Another idea if you want to make it again. I'm glad your family enjoyed it.

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chuckieb 4 years ago said:

It's beautiful Michelle and looks most delectable! I always remember seeing those little amber coloured beads on the top of my Mom's Lemon Meringue pie. I always thought they were pretty to be honest and had no clue what caused them.

I googled what caused the beads and read a couple of options.
"Beading. Meringue sometimes forms beads of moisture or liquid on its surface. This usually results from overcooking. Try increasing the oven's temperature and decreasing the baking time (this prevents the internal temperature from becoming too hot)"

and

"That's often referred to as weeping. A few things might help. Is your pie filling hot when you spread the meringue? If the filling is cool, the meringue will cook unevenly (the top before the bottom), causing weeping. If your filling is cool, put the pie in the oven for a few minutes before applying the meringue. Another thing that might help is equal amounts of cornstarch and sugar mixed with water (about twice as much water as solids) brought to a rolling boil and allowed to cool to just warm. Drop a couple of teaspoons of the resulting paste into the meringue when you're almost done whipping it. That will help to stabilize the meringue. Also, try not to cook meringue pies on humid days.

Weeping can also be caused by over (or under) cooking. Confused yet?

Oh, and one more thing. Try warming the whites before whipping. That's counter-intuitive for fluffy whites, but it does help it to cook evenly and keep it stable, especially if humidity is part of the problem. Heat gently and go for about the temp of hot tap water."

Personally I don't think it's a big deal at all and I wouldn't worry about it. :)

And regarding the meringue slipping off the pie.....again I googled....:)

"Before adding the meringue, cover the filled pie with parchment paper, making sure that it touches the lemon filling. Remove the paper once you're ready to top the pie; the meringue will bond together with the rough surface of the filling as the pie cools, which will keep the meringue from sliding off when you go to slice it."

I too am very envious of your lemon tree. :)

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Cosmicmother 4 years ago said:

It looks scrumptious Michelle!! I LOVE lemon meringue pie! I used to make that for my DH all the time when we were first together. (I worked at a bakery café that made tons of pies at the time).
Like Janet listed above the best tip is to put the meringue on a hot filling, it helps set the bottom of the meringue and keep the meringue from sliding off as well. I always add cream of tartar to the meringue, it stabilizes it and helps prevent weeping--(you can even add lemon juice instead of cream of tartar). Next time don't put it in a pie saver, keep it uncovered in the fridge and when sliced into, place plastic wrap or strips of parchment against the sliced side instead of covering it.
Weeping or not it still tastes good and that's what matters! Yum! :D

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LindaLMT 4 years ago said:

Great picture Michelle! Lemon meringue pies are tough. I've never made a meringue pie because I know they are difficult to make. I'm still searching for a lemon filling that isn't too tart or too sweet, one like the inside of a tastycake lemon pie. Maybe because tastycake is just all chemicals is why I can't replicate the filling, LOL!

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mommyluvs2cook 4 years ago said:

Thanks everyone!! Loving all the info! So I'm thinking that since I made the filling first and then let it sit in the pie shell while I made the meringue, it must have cooled some, soooo, that's probably it for the sliding problem. I would have to play around a little to figure out the beading since there are multiple reasons for that. Learn so much from you ladies :)

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