During a frenzy of Holiday cooking in late 2008 my 15 year old cousin Jaxen was feeling a little left out. He wanted to make a dessert, and most of the desserts we had made had been dark and heavy, so he chose an iconic dessert that contrasted that heavily: Lemon Meringue Pie. I volunteered to keep an eye on him and show him how to do some things he did not know how to do, the problem with that was I had never made the lemon filling or Meringue. In fact I do not recall the last time I had eaten or seen a Lemon Meringue Pie.

Recipe for failure! But oh well. We muddled through the lemon filling, and when we got to the Meringue we under-whipped it. (Essentially Meringue is whipped egg whites with sugar mixed in while being whipped until it has a heavy frothy consistency that holds its shape.) The resulting pie tasted good enough, but was NOT a Lemon Meringue Pie. My mother claimed that the Meringue had to be whipped with an electronic mixer, and since I am the type of cook that often avoids extra gadgets I decided the next day to see if I could do without. It took me a couple extra minutes of whipping and some severe burning in my forearms but I achieved Meringue under man power, you can see the result!

Unbaked Meringue

Meringue:

6 egg whites

6 tablespoons of sugar

In a clean, dry, medium or small bowl whip the egg whites with a whisk, slowly adding the sugar. The egg whites will become frothy. Let some of the Meringue drop off of your whisk into the bowl and it should hold shape and be able to hold “stiff peaks” (look at the picture!)

At this point the Meringue should be formed how you like it and baked (on a pie for a topping or on a tray if you are making cookies) at 325 F for 20-30 minutes until it has browned to the desired level.