Assessing My MayDay 2020 Lemon Meringue Pie

The lemon meringue pie I made Friday 5/1 (May Day) is a followup to the pies I made in March ("Assessing My Mid-March 2020 Lemon Meringue Pie" (article, video) and December ("Assessing My Christmas 2019 Lemon Meringue Pie" (article, video). Timing the pies on significant days makes it easier for me to remember when I made them.

May Day Not the Same as Mayday—MayDay a Nod to Both Terms

"History and Origin of May Day" provides background of the celebration of May 1—"celebration dates back to the days, even before the birth of Christ. And like many ancient festivals it too has a Pagan connection." The significant symbol is the maypole. "What Is May Day?" includes similar info but also describes the rise of the date's significance to worker issues in the 1800s. "May Day" further describes actions by American presidents Cleveland and Eisenhower pertaining to workers and observation dates.

As for mayday, "May Day" explains that it is a distress call and the phonetic reason for its pronunciation—"it sounded like 'm'aider,' a shortened version of the French term for 'come and help me.'" For fuller explanation, visit "What Does Mayday Mean?"

Mulling Over Differences Between This Pie and Previous Ones

For the previous two pies, I used frozen pie shells that came with their own pans. This pie shell was a refrigerated one that needed unrolling, then shaping into a pie pan before pricking and baking it. Pie tasted good, as the previous two tries.

The main oddity is fluid that I'd characterize as dewiness rather than weepiness. Instead of cutting the finished pie the same day, I stored it in a cake tote overnight. Next day (day 1), I noticed dew drops. Cutting and removing two slices showed the pan to be dry. For days 2 and 3, I'm guessing it's condensation in the pan where I'd previously removed slices.

I did butcher the slicing—maybe moreso than the other two. I should have dipped the knife into hot water first before cutting into the pie.

Homing in on the Possible REAL Reason(s) for Excess Fluid

I reviewed still images for all three pies, in addition to re-viewing the videos. At the time the pies came out of the oven, the pies looked good. After time of refrigeration, dew drops had formed.

• Christmas 2019 pie—I made it in the morning and had time to cool and serve slices that day. No dew drops (and fluid) until the day after. Dryness at cut slices indicate my fluid problems were actually dew. Although using food wrap for overnight day 1 and 2, new fluid (dewiness) developed.
• Mid-March 2020 pie—I started part of the process in the morning and completed it after lunch (interruption between pie filling and meringue slathering). Found info later that the hot filling helps cook the slathered meringue. Weepiness occurs because reheating the filling in the oven creates trapped condensation between the shell and the pan. Although using food wrap for overnight day 1 & 2, new fluid developed, I think from both baking process AND dewiness.
• May-Day 2020 pie—I made the pie after lunch; it took HOURS for cooldown. Decided to store it overnight in the cake tote, uncut. Dew drops the next day. Not a lot of fluid after slicing till subsequent days. Although using aluminum foil for overnight day 2 & 3, new fluid (dewiness) developed.

Resolving Excess Fluid for the Next Pie

I've seen several sites say to make a lemon meringue pie on low-humidity days. Maybe not willing to wait till winter, but could try to ensure sunny days.

I think the food wrap and foil storage methods don't seal the pie well enough to keep out surrounding refrigeration atmosphere. Two things I can do:

• Minimize the time that I have the pie out in room temperature before returning it to the refrigerator. Soooo, fewer pix next time!
• Use a smaller and more shape-appropriate container to enclose the pie. I'll set the pie my 9 1/2" springform cake pan (3" deep), and cover it with a snug tin lid. Lucky I managed to rustle them up!

Incidental Should-Does for Future Pie (Room for Improvement)

• Start and finish making the pie early in the day so it'll be ready to serve by early afternoon or right after dinner. Related: Cool baked pie on a rack for an hour, then refrigerate for further cooling till refrigerator temperature (4 hours or so).
• Cut with a sharp knife dipped in HOT water.
• Revisit sites and videos that show good meringue making for the following considerations:
  • Optimal stickiness of whipped meringue to beater blade(s)
  • Optimal time for adding sugar
  • Suggestions for egg white temperatures
  • Possible addition of cornstarch during meringue process
• Whimsical might-do—try Lemon Kool-Aid powder and water instead of lemon juice.

Resources

It's a big list. Several sites include similar pieces of advice, many pertaining to the meringue process, pie cooling, and pie storage. Visit the sites and come up with your own advisory list. (Duplicated info can help reinforce important points!) Maybe you'll have beginner's luck and make a perfect pie! I'm still not there yet, despite several tries over time!

• About as easy a recipe for a beginner as possible (3 eggs, 1/2 C lemon juice, info for using frozen shells or refrigerated dough)
• "Meringue Tips"
• "Mastering Meringue"
• "Science: The Magic of Meringue—Why Timing Matters When Whipping Egg Whites and Sugar"
• "How to Keep Meringue from Separating from the Crust"
• "How to keep meringue pies from getting soggy"
• "How to Prevent Meringue Pie Topping from Weeping"
• "Jim Coleman: How to stop that meringue from weeping"
• "Top 10 Tips for Lemon Meringue Pie"
• "Anna Olson’s 10 Secrets to Mastering Meringue Make Lemon Pie That Much Bette"
• "How to Neatly Cut Through Meringue"
• "How to Store a Lemon Meringue Pie (For Both Short and Long Term)"
• "How to Store a Lemon Meringue Pie"
• "Storing and Serving Cream Pies"