The Best Lemon Pie Filling Recipe - Our Wabi Sabi Life (2024)

FAQs

What is the liquid at the bottom of the lemon meringue pie? ›

Water seeping from meringue is practically always coming from the egg whites. There are a few standard things you can do to reduce it. First, do not overbeat. For some reason, recipes love to direct people to beat egg whites "to stiff peaks".

You make it with egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest, and fortify it with cornstarch so the filling holds its shape when you cut the pie.

Yes, lemon pie is best refrigerated. Otherwise, the filling may be a bit runny.

Beat a mixture of thickened cornstarch and water into the egg whites to bind and stabilize the liquid in the meringue (and keep it from seeping out). Cook the filling for the full 2 minutes on the stove top so the cornstarch thickens completely and doesn't start breaking down and "leaking" during chilling.

The most common way to ward off a soggy pie crust is by a process called blind baking. Blind baking means you pre-bake the crust (sometimes covered with parchment or foil and weighed down with pie weights to prevent the crust from bubbling up) so that it sets and crisps up before you add any wet filling.

Cornstarch as Pie Filling Thickener

Just like the name suggests, cornstarch is derived from corn. Cornstarch is faster-acting than flour and forms a smooth, relatively clear filling. Just be aware that too much cornstarch can create a slimy texture.

Some say that scattering small bits of butter over a fruit filling keeps the juices from bubbling over in the same way that adding a bit of fat to simmering jam keeps it from foaming up in the preserving pan. The theory is that the fat disrupts the formation of bubbles on the surface of the viscous fruit mixture.

Cornstarch has thickening power similar to Instant ClearJel. Like flour, it lends a cloudy, semi-transparent look to filling. It can also give filling a starchy taste. For full effectiveness, make sure the pie filling is bubbling up through the crust before removing your pie from the oven.

Meringue pies will ''weep'' water because of the interaction between the filling and the whipped meringue. If one or the other is overcooked, water beads will form and weep. Egg whites can also weep if they are over-beaten or are from old eggs.

Forgetting the eggs altogether left me with a soupy pie.

I found out that the egg is really what binds the filling together and keeps it in place. This batter held onto the consistency of the canned pumpkin for the most part and filled eight pie tins.

Why is my lemon filling not thickening? ›

It's likely your measurements were off and you either added too much lemon juice or not enough egg. You may not have heated the lemon curd to the proper temperature. Using a thermometer is a great way to ensure that you are cooking the egg to the point of thickening – 170 degrees F.

Shelf Life: Prepared lemon curd can be frozen for up to 1 year without quality changes when thawed. To thaw, place container in a refrigerator at 40°F or lower for 24 hours before intended use. After thawing, consume within 4 weeks.

Apple and other fruit pies keep at room temperature for up to two days, then in the fridge for two more. Pumpkin, custard, or other egg/dairy-based pies can be stored in the fridge for up to four days. Pie dough can keep for two to three days in the fridge, or up to three months in the freezer.

Once you open the canned filling, it should stay fresh for about 2 weeks if stored in the fridge in a closed container. If you freeze pie filling, it can extend its life for 6-8 months.

If the meringue is swirled onto a cool filling and baked, steam in the reheating filling just reaches the meringue. As the pie cools, the steam condenses to form the sweet weeping (sometimes a pool) under the meringue.

weep—when liquid accumulates between meringue and pie filling because meringue was spread on cool filling. 16. yolk—round, yellow portion of egg; encased in thin membrane and floats within albumen.

So you could use lemon juice and still have a "plain" meringue. It is also possible to use another mildly-flavoured acid, such as white wine vinegar, (apple) cider vinegar or cream of tartar. The amount you would use would be the same regardless of which alternative you use.