Meringue II (Whites eggs teaspoon lemon)

A soft meringue topping of the kind spread over a pie and browned, rather than a crisp baked shell. The proportions are lean by modern standards, so handling matters more than timing.

• Slow ovenPeriod usage puts a slow oven somewhere around 250-325F, so read this as roughly 300F. Eight minutes at that heat sets the surface and gives faint colour; if you want the tanned peaks people expect today, 350F for 12 to 15 minutes does it, watching closely after the first colour appears.
• Powdered, not granulatedPeriod powdered sugar was finely ground sugar, closer to what is now sold as superfine or caster than to modern confectioners' sugar with its cornstarch. Either works here; the cornstarch in today's product actually helps the meringue hold.
• The hinge: beat the whites before the sugar goes inThe instruction to beat until stiff first, then add sugar gradually, is what keeps the foam from collapsing. Stop at firm, glossy peaks that just hold their shape rather than dry and grainy, which will not fold or spread cleanly.
• Fold the last sugarThe final portion is folded, not beaten, so the volume survives. Use a spatula and a dozen strokes at most.
• Doneness and eggsEight minutes in a slow oven will not carry the interior of a thick meringue much above warm. If raw egg white is a concern in your kitchen, bake until the meringue is set through and lightly browned rather than going by the clock, or use pasteurized whites.
• SpreadingSpread the meringue right out to the pastry rim on all sides. Sealing to the crust is what stops it shrinking into a puddle as it cools.
• YieldThree whites make enough to cover one 8- or 9-inch pie in a modest layer. Double it for a high-piled top.