Idea Alley

Lemon pie is tart; meringue is the highest

Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

I've heard from a handful of readers regarding last week's recipe for Lemon Pie a la Barbara. These Alley Kats were concerned with the lack of sugar in the lemon filling. The recipe as submitted by Sandi Black called for 1 1/2 cups of sugar in the meringue, but no sugar in the filling.

I consulted several similar recipes and found those all included some sugar in the lemon filling, amounts ranged from as little as 1/3 cup to a full cup.

My advice is to use as much or as little sugar as you think your family and guests will enjoy. With 1 1/2 cups of sugar, the meringue crust will be quite sweet, so depending on your tastes the shocking tartness of the unsweetened filling paired with the lush whipped cream may be just right balance of flavors, especially if each bite contains a bit of all three layers.

Speaking of meringue, Jimmie Thomas is looking for Mile High Meringue like the kind that was served on Ed and Kay's Restaurant pies.

The secret to gravity-defying meringue is in the technique. Ordinary meringue, technically known as French meringue, is a simple mixture of egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar. Although it is the easiest meringue to make, it is not very stable unless it is baked until firm and dry. For sky-high meringue, Italian meringue is the way to go. It can be whipped higher and stiffer and is the most stable of all meringues. And because the sugar is dissolved in water and heated to 220 to 240 degrees, essentially cooking the egg whites, it is a safer option for those concerned about eating uncooked eggs.

This version is from The Splendid Table.

Mile-High Meringue

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

4 egg whites

Pinch table salt

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to vigorous boil over medium-high heat. Once syrup comes to rolling boil, cook 4 minutes (mixture will become slightly thickened and syrupy). Remove from heat and set aside while beating whites.

With electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl at medium-low speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Add salt and cream of tartar and beat, gradually increasing speed to medium-high, until whites hold soft peaks, about 2 minutes. With mixer running, slowly pour hot syrup into whites (avoid pouring syrup onto whisk or it will splash). Add vanilla and beat until meringue has cooled and becomes very thick and shiny, 5 to 9 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, mound meringue over filling, making sure meringue touches edges of crust. Use the spatula to create peaks all over meringue. Bake until peaks turn golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature. Serve.

Send recipe contributions, requests and culinary questions to Kelly Brant, Idea Alley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203; email:

kbrant@arkansasonline.com

Please include a daytime phone number.

Food on 05/09/2018

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