Separating Eggs

• Cooking eggs for lemon meringue pie begins with separating the eggs. Separating an egg properly affects the meringue's outcome. Crack the egg in half and hold the shell halves over the bowl. Move yolk back and forth between the two halves while allowing the egg white to drop into the bowl. Save the yolks for the lemon filling. Any eggshell or yolk that falls into the egg whites can be fished out with the shell. Clean your hands thoroughly before separating eggs, because oil prevents the whites from fully stiffening.

Tempering Yolks

• Tempering eggs prevents over-cooking and scrambling of the yolks. Lemon filling, begins with cornstarch, sugar and cold water. When simmered over a medium-high heat it becomes thick and glossy. Tempering is achieved when a portion of the hot, thickened liquid is carefully streamed into the egg yolks, bringing them up to a high temperature without cooking them. This process is especially important to achieving an appropriate thickened consistency in custards, puddings and curd-type fillings.

Beating Egg Whites

• Meringue recipes work best when eggs are separated correctly and no fatty yolk remains in the egg whites. You achieve greater volume with room-temperature egg whites. An egg white can swell up to eight times its original volume when left at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meringue toppings often shrink due to moisture loss during the cooking process. Sealing the edge of pie with the meringue prior to baking prevents the topping from pulling away and shrinking.

Tips

• To prevent lumps from forming in the lemon filling, add a small amount of water in the dry ingredients and blend into a smooth paste. For meringue, superfine sugar dissolves faster, and may be substituted for granulated sugar. Use copper, stainless-steel or glass bowls for whipping. Plastic bowls are porous and may contain traces of grease or fat, which prevents the meringue from stiffening. Clean bowls and utensils with warm soapy water before making your lemon meringue dessert.