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weepy meringue, what am I doing wrong?

post #1 of 7
10/21/08 at 12:08pm
Thread Starter 
I love to make cream pies with meringue. My meringue usually turns out
fine, but it gets all weepy. I guess it's the meringue, I tried the pies with out the meringue and they were fine. I have tried less sugar, beating it longer, waiting a few minutes to put it on the pie and nothing helps. I am pretty sure I have it sealed to the crust real good. I just don't what to do or not to do. If any one has any ideas, please let me know! Thanks.
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post #2 of 7
10/21/08 at 12:33pm
.....I have tried less sugar, beating it longer,

oops. over beating egg whites can cause them to separate from the entrained water . . . .
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post #3 of 7
10/21/08 at 12:46pm
Try going into local market and buying some meringue powder, add to the dry sugar, do NOT make to cold as they whip better, add pinch of salt.
CHEFED
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post #4 of 7
10/27/08 at 3:40pm
Since there is a lot of sugar in meringue, and if your meringue is living on top of a pie in the fridge, it's bound to weep a bit. Sugar is hygroscopic and draws moisture to it. You might consider adding a bit less sugar to reduce that effect. Just wanted to offer a little of the science behind the ingredients:)
Jenni
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Pastry Methods and Techniques
We're all home cooks when we're cooking at home.
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post #5 of 7
10/28/08 at 12:45am
It's from humidity. Make sure your pie is cold before adding the meringue. You can also add about 2 tsp. of cornstarch mixed in with your sugar to help absorb the humidity.
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post #6 of 7
10/28/08 at 5:39am
This is a recipe for weepy meringue. If you put room temp or warm meringue on a cold pie, then bake the pie, the difference in temps will cause condensation to build under the meringue during the baking process.
It also causes the meringue to be underbaked where it touches the pie filling. The underbaked meringue then releases its moisture as it sits.

Shirley Corriher has some terrific guidelines for making successful meringues of all types in her book CookWise. She recommends a ratio of at least 2 tablespoons sugar per each large egg white and to add a cooked slurry of cornstarch and water to the meringue mixture before adding to a pie. This works really, really well, though I've found that you don't need to add as much of this cornstarch mixture as she calls for.

I love CookWise and refer to it often when I'm trying to tackle a difficult food performance problem. I can't wait for BakeWise to be released---hopefully very soon.

www.foodandphoto.com

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post #7 of 7
10/28/08 at 5:41am
Amen F&F--I love Cookwise, and even my mother always put meringue on a piping hot pie:smiles:
Jenni
Pastry Chef Online
Pastry Methods and Techniques
We're all home cooks when we're cooking at home.
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