Apple Meringue Pie

A single-crust apple pie with the filling cooked down to sauce first, which makes it much faster than a lidded apple pie and gives a smooth, almost custard-like slice. Two things need attention: the missing quantities and the meringue's sugar ratio.

• "Sufficient for one pie"Figure about 2 cups of thick apple sauce for a 9-inch shell, which is roughly 1 1/2 to 2 lb of tart apples such as Bramley, Granny Smith or Northern Spy. Cook it down until a spoon drawn through leaves a clear track; loose sauce will soak the pastry.
• "Paste"Period usage for pastry dough — here a single bottom crust. Blind bake the shell 15 minutes at 425F with weights before filling, since a wet sauce filling gives the base no chance otherwise.
• Oven temperatureThe original gives none. Bake the filled shell at 375F for about 25 minutes to set the filling and finish the crust, then let it cool before the meringue goes on.
• Larkin NutmegA house-brand ground nutmeg from the era of company-issued cookbooks. Any ground nutmeg works; a quarter teaspoon freshly grated is better still.
• A whole lemon's juice"A whole lemon's juice" -- That is roughly 2 to 3 tablespoons in one pie, which will read as sharp against tart apples. Start with half and taste the sauce while it is still warm.
• The meringue ratioThree-quarters cup of sugar to two whites is about 6 tablespoons per white — roughly three times the modern proportion. It will be very sweet and more likely to weep and bead. Two tablespoons per white gives a stable meringue; if you want the original sweetness, add the sugar very slowly after the whites hold soft peaks.
• Browning and sealingSpread the meringue so it touches the crust rim all the way around; unsealed edges shrink and pull back. Brown at 350F for 15 minutes, or 400F for 8 to 10 if you want more color and a softer interior.
• "Serve cold"Cool away from drafts and do not refrigerate uncovered — cold, damp air is what makes a meringue slump and pool syrup. One 9-inch pie serves six to eight.