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

FAQs

Why does my lemon pie filling get watery? ›

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.

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".

The Trick To Making Lemon Pie Filling for Lemon Meringue Pie

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. READ MORE: What happens when the lemon filling fails to set properly? A runny filling, no fun!

Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency. Tapioca starch is preferable for products that will be frozen because it will not break down when thawed. We like tapioca in blueberry, cherry or peach pies.

Adding an extra egg gives the pie a cake-like consistency.

It filled 11 tins.

If your pie filling is runny, add in one additional tablespoon of cornstarch to the lemon filling, and stir over medium heat. It should thicken in 1 to 2 minutes.

The watery layer between the meringue and the filling (weeping) is usually caused by undercooking.

How do you keep lemon meringue pie from getting soggy? It's important to blind bake the crust (partially bake the crust without the filling) before adding the lemon filling and meringue, otherwise you'll have a soggy crust.

Make Sure the Pie Filling Is Hot

As the pie finishes baking in the oven, remove it when the meringue turns light brown. Removing the meringue before it has finished cooking can cause condensation. At the same time, don't overcook it, which can also cause weeping.

The acid in the lemon limits the ability of starch to capture moisture, contributing to the pooling in the bottom of the pie plate. We need to use enough juice to provide the lemon flavor but not so much that the starch can't do its job.

Why does lemon meringue pie need to be refrigerated? ›

Refrigeration makes meringue weep more quickly, so let the pie stand at room temperature in a draft-free spot before serving it. After a few hours, however, it will need to be refrigerated. ''If the meringue is cooked before being added to the pie, it will be more stable and less likely to weep.

Pie Filling Enhancer thickens fruit pie fillings the same way Instant ClearJel does. Its advantage is added ascorbic acid (which adds a bright, tart note), and superfine sugar, which prevents it from clumping. Pie Filling Enhancer is about half sugar, so you'll want to reduce the sugar in your recipe accordingly.

The origin of meringue is somewhat disputed, with some culinary historians attributing its creation to a Swiss pastry chef named Gasparini in the late 17th century, while others claim it was invented in France.

While commercial pie thickeners aid the naturally occurring pectin in your fruit filling, pectin from the added lemon, lime, or orange solidifies your pie's interior. Don't worry about the citrus fruit overpowering the flavor of your pie. Once baked, this citrus-infused dessert has a subtle yet well-rounded flavor.

There is no need to add lemon juice to prevent discoloration when baking with apples. It won't hurt the filling to have the lemon juice in there, but tossing the apples in juice isn't necessarily benefiting the dessert, either.

Lemons contain a natural compound called hesperidin that may lower blood sugar levels, decreasing your risk of diabetes. In addition, the citric acid in lemons slows the conversion of starch to sugar, helping reduce blood sugar spikes and aiding in weight management.