Lemon Meringue

I received a stand up mixer from my MiL for Christmas. The first thing I made was banana bread, or course. It turned out texturally better than when I made it with a hand mixer. It had the texture of real bread. It still had the same great taste but it baked up in about half the time it usually takes. I was very pleased.

After discussing what should be made next, I was influenced to make a meringue. I did a lot of reading about how one is made and techniques to get a good one. I finally got the nerve up to make a Lemon Meringue Pie. First I made the pie crust. I left it in the refrigerator overnight instead of just a half hour. I think that was a mistake. It got too hard and then I had to soften it up a tiny bit in the microwave so I could roll it out. I baked it with beans in it so it wouldn't bubble up. It was weird to have beans on my pie crust. They held onto the heat for a long time too. The crust came out great especially since it was my first pie crust I made from scratch.

The next step was to make the lemon filling. It was easy. I let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Then it was time for the meringue. I took my time and it turned out great! It was light and fluffy. It held it's shape and didn't deflate.

It browned nicely under the broiler too.

It was my mother's birthday "cake". Everyone really liked it. I have to admit it was the best dessert I have had in years. It was so flavorful and tasty.

The meringue looks like my hair, pointy. :-)

My next major adventure in mixing will be my birthday cake. More to come on that task.