Rant: The church picnic pie contest was a sticky situation for me

I signed up for the annual church picnic pie contest last weekend. I decided to make a lemon meringue pie from scratch. The meringue looked perfect, but when I carried it outside in the heat, it started to weep and slide off the pie before judging. I was so embarrassed, but everyone still ate it and said it tasted good. Has anyone else had a dessert fail because of weather? I need tips for summer baking now.

3 comments

3 Comments

jordan_owens751mo ago

Been there with the weeping meringue, but in my experience the real summer baking enemy is a soggy bottom crust. A lemon filling that's too warm or wet when you pour it in will steam the crust from the inside out. I blind bake my crust extra well and chill the filling completely before assembling. The meringue might still get messy, but at least the pie base stays solid.

elliot541mo ago

Tell me about it, my lemon meringue turned into a sad puddle last Fourth of July! Gonna try that cornstarch trick from @scott.claire for sure.

scott.claire1mo ago

Actually, meringue weeps more from humidity than just heat. Try adding a cornstarch slurry to the sugar syrup next time, it helps stabilize it.