Let’s get the crust out of the way first. I knew the first lemon meringue was going to be a work in progress and didn’t want to spend time making the dough so I could concentrate on the filling and meringue.
I had a couple bags of extra graham cracker crumbs and oreo wafer crumbs in the freezer. Neither was enough to make a whole crust so I combined them. It tasted wonderful and looked kind of great in an asphalt edgy way. It made me think of Clare Crespo’s work and how if she were making a dessert that had a highway this would be perfect.
Here are my self criticisms. The filling was way too paltry. It needs to be at least double if not triple the amount, and less sweet. The meringue. OY! I made a “safe” meringue, which means beating it over simmering water until the whites reach 160 degrees. Time to buy a candy thermometer. I am sooo tired of burning my fingers on the tiny digital thermo.
The texture was fine but there wasn’t enough of it for show. In my opinion a Lemon Meringue Pie needs to be huge – lots of filling, lots of meringue. And lots of people to eat it right away. The next morning the meringue had beads of moisture all over it.
That said, this pie never be my version of a comfort. Although I do admit to scooping out the meringue and filling just so I could eat more crust. Does anyone know where to buy Chocolate Wafer Cookies? I had to scrape the frosting out of Oreos. Ralph’s definitely doesn’t have them.