Lemon Meringue Pie and Tutorial (Part 2)

Lemon Meringue Pie 101 (Part 2):

Make sure you get the meringue over the crust edges (so it won’t pull away as it bakes).  I forgot to take a photo of the edge before I baked the pie, but here is a photo of the edge after it baked.  You can see that I spread the meringue to the top of the fluting:

Add remaining meringue to the center creating a nice, high mound.  Using the back of your spoon, push into the meringue while pulling up to make decorative peaks:

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes until the meringue is lightly browned.  Cool the pie away from drafts on a wire rack at room temperature for 1 hour.  Refrigerate uncovered for at least 3 hours before cutting and serving. Pie is best made and served on the same day.

I've made many lemon meringue pies over the years experimenting with different techniques, as this pie can be a little fussy according to the weather (best made on a day with lower humidity), heat of the filling, meringue stabilizer, and so forth. And for every expert who says to make it one way (hot filling, French meringue), there is another expert saying to make it a different way (cold filling, Italian meringue).  This recipe is a compilation of all the techniques I have found to be the best, and I know they will work for you, too. 

Here is a photo of the interior of the pie 3.5 hours after it baked (would have been even firmer at the recommended 4-hour mark) and also a close-up photo of the meringue edge where you can see that the meringue did not shrink away from the crust nor develop beading.

Enjoy!  :)