Lemon Angel Chiffon Pie

One cannot help but burst with expectation at something with both ‘angel’ and ‘chiffon’ in its name.

I was originally planning to make a pear tart, but my supply didn’t come through (in upcoming post). And I had all those egg whites left over from colossally messing up the Chiboust cream (previous post). I know meringues shouldn’t be made in humid weather, but well, we only learn from our own mistakes and not the mistakes of those wiser than us. So I went with the billowiest meringue of them all – the lemon angel chiffon in a meringue crust.

The meringue never got as stiff as it was supposed to (again, I don’t really know what the problem was, but I’m going to blame it on the climate), but it piped ok. Though not as uniformly and concentrically spiral as I would’ve liked, I’m going to say it’s a job well done because it was my first attempt at a meringue shell.

Baked at 200 degrees F for one hour and left completely alone (I didn’t even go near the oven for fear of disrupting the process) to dry out for eight. I was amazed (and relieved) to see that it had actually hardened during that time.

And the lemon filling – whisking in the Italian meringue to the lemon curd and cream mixture. Again, the meringue never got as billowy as I would’ve liked, but again, I blame it on the weather. 

And of course, I ruined more eggs while making this pie. The tiny speck of yolk (at the top) made this batch unfit for meringue-making. And as I was opening the refrigerator to get more eggs, one fell out and splattered all across my floor. I’ve given up on being egg-efficient.

I saw Ms. Beranbaum’s youtube video for the crystallized lemon rose and thought it would be the perfect touch for this pie. Here’s the lemon zest strip relaxing in sugar water (sounds like a lovely way to spend an evening!).

The lemon rose being brushed with corn syrup. Or some sort of “healthy” syrup devised by the super health-conscious Koreans. It supposedly even has fiber in it. But it didn’t harden the lemon rose like it was supposed to, and now I’m sort of reluctant to use it in other recipes. I say, be health-conscious by eating less, not concocting new products in the lab... 

Et voila!

However, my beautiful pie was too big to fit into the box that I’d prepared (another grave miscalculation). I ended up carrying it covered only lightly by foil. And in the metro, I sat in one of the seats reserved for the elderly and infirm (erm, my pie is infirm). It was very much like the time, several weeks ago, when I was transporting a tart on the bus and the only seat available was the pink slot reserved for pregnant women. And who would get on after me but a very noticeably pregnant lady? This was very strange because in this land of the lowest birth rate in the world, I see a pregnant woman only about twice a year or so. I hesitated for a second, but then I reasoned that her baby is safely ensconced in her belly, and my tart is only protected by a thin paper box. So I kept my seat and tried to look as pregnant as possible (I don’t think I pulled it off). Pie is making me evil.

The final verdict: The chiffon was billowy and creamy (and citrusy), just perfect with the raspberry sauce. But one really shouldn’t make meringue in humid weather :P  I’m guessing the meringue crust didn’t dry out properly because it basically disintegrated under the filling; I had to scrape it out of the pan, and still it kept oozing syrup. Well, part two of the meringue experiment will be conducted when all conditions are more favorable!