So, life handed you a bag of lemons…

in Blog Events, Pies and Tarts

Lemon Meringue Pie

You could freeze ’em ’til they’re hard and throw ’em back but that’s just mean (and quite possibly a felony). Or you could make pie.

When life hands you lemons, make pie!
That should be the Daring Bakers‘ official motto for January! Jen at The Canadian Baker is hosting this month’s challenge, Lemon Meringue Pie.

I. Love. Meringue. Love, love, love it.

It brings warm & fuzzy memories of working in my parents’ bakery. Watching Mom do the meringues was watching an artist in action. She would reach into the bowl of the Hobart, scoop out a huge mound of meringue, and slap it on to each pie. Then she spun the pie in her other hand, working quickly, yet deliberately, to form the “hair” on the meringue – meringue spikes with ends that fell into perfect loops. Into the oven and then into the customers’ boxes the pies went.

Lemon Meringue Pie

I’m fascinated with multi-step desserts. They’re time consuming, sure, but what else is a girl to do on Sunday afternoons now that football season is over? (Please don’t say laundry.) To make a lemon meringue pie DB-style, you gotta make the pastry crust, make the custard filling, make the meringue. Everything but grow the lemons 🙂

Lemon Meringue Pie

Meringue can be a challenge. It can shrink and pull back from the crust, it could get icky and weepy if you decide to admire the pie rather than eat it, and it can catch flame if you forget about it under the broiler.

I rather enjoyed the recipe. The filling set nicely and the pies were devoured as soon as they came out of the oven (and had their pictures taken, of course). The only decision I had to make was how to style the meringue – spikey loops, simple and low, or sky-high swirly mounds… as you can see, I made no decisions. The only real thing I had problems with was this post… “Publish” and “Preview” are too close together on my layout so my reveal nearly sneaked out a couple of hours early.

How did the other Daring Bakers style their meringues? Check out the blogroll and see for yourself! For the recipe, head on over to Jen’s.

See y’all next month!

39 comments… add one
  • They look great.

  • These look very nice, I am sure they were delicious! Great job!

  • Nice tart!

  • They look awesome! I love that you were able to make so many different meringue patterns, the spikey loops are my favorite. 🙂

  • they look great!

  • I love lemon meringue pie too and this recipe was delicious.

  • Love the swirls! Oh so beautiful!

  • Bev

    they look great and have perfect spikeyness!

  • I love the piping!

  • Looks great! Love your pictures.

  • “Everything but grow the lemons.” Haha! I was all bragging up doing everything from scratch with my kid and she gets all smart alecky on me and says- “geesh mom- you act like you grew the lemons and pooped out the eggs yourself.” Those kids- but I guess that’s why God invented duct tape.
    Really beautiful pics- congrats on some gorgeous lemon meringue tarts!

  • Kate

    I love the high topping. It’s like the meringue is reaching for the sky.

  • Deborah

    They look so perfect!!!

  • I also love multi-step desserts….maybe thats why I’m not a big cookie baker????

  • Lovely!!!

  • Look beautiful and I love your photography.

  • Great looking meringue! Nice photos!

  • your tartelettes are beautiful! great job!

  • They look beautiful! The piping and browning is perfect. 🙂

  • darva

    OMGOSH! Those are BEAUTIFUL! I wish I was as talented with Meringue, mine never looks that awesome. hehe

  • I love the texture of your meringues. Lots of whimsy!

  • I am so-ooooo with you on this one Shawnda. Meringues are MUCH more fun than laundry. Gorgeous job with January’s challenge.

  • They look great! Well done

  • Your meringues are beautiful! I bet they taste as good as they look.

  • Your tarts look wonderful!

  • WOW- When life hands you lemons you make some STUNNING lil’tarts!!! They look FANTASTIC, great job :O)

  • those little pies have beautiful “hairstyles!”

  • Carrie

    Looks Good!

  • Beautiful!!!

  • I had the same problem with the preview and post buttons. I had to hurry up and take it off the site the night before. These are awesome little creations, I love the way your meringue browned.

  • Very cute 🙂 Are those black tart pans?

  • Thanks, guys!

    Lisa – Yes, those tart pans are black. They were a Christmas present from my mother- and father-in-law.

  • I think your tarts are great! Think that I must get some tart pans, because this would be a wonderful pie to do in tiny portions.

  • I just LOVE all the little tartlettes I am seeing out there. See you next month for the next DB challenge 🙂

  • Those little pies are a thing of beauty!

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