LEMON BERRY MERINGUE PIE STEP 4B: ASSEMBLY 11 AUGUST 2023

THIS is how it's supposed to look . . . . . . so let's see how close I can get to this perfection. Assembling station . . . I consider this the FUN part of pie making. Lots of meringue to cover up that deformed pie crust . . . It looks better already . . . . . . but note that the peaks aren't very peaky . . . Blueberry jam from a few days ago . . . I managed to save some from our breakfasts. Swirl with knifepoint . . . . . . and now we set it afire . . . I'd decided not to buy a kitchen torch; the fuel was twice as expensive as the tool itself. Then I remembered we have butane fireplace lighters . . . . . . so we thought to try one of those . . . The meringue was too damp to get toasted, but I did manage a few little spots . . . . . . and I also think torching it would work better . . . . . . than just lighting it. Then Neal, a/k/a Mr. Fixit, noticed the lighter's fuel tank was low and exclaimed, "BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!" . . . . . . so he brought out a new lighter . . . . . . and proceeded to set the pie on fire . . . Luckily, I didn't have to drench the pie . . . . . . as the meringue just would not toast . . . The final product . . . I did order a clear plexiglass cookbook stand . . . I had a moment of confusion about something in the recipe, so I was about to go to YT, then remembered . . . I have his book, so I read the recipe instead of watching the video.

TASTE TESTING: DISCLAIMER: I'm not a LEMON MERINGUE PIE aficionado; I didn't much care for the three or four pieces I've had in my lifetime. I much prefer cream pies - banana cream, coconut cream, etc. This has now turned into your basic LEMON MERINGUE SOUP, and I think the lemon filling has a metallic taste (Taste Tester #1 stated, "It tastes weird." But he also stated, "It's messy, but good.") I think it's the cardamom; why John Kanell thinks it's so marvelous, I've no idea. IF I were to try this again I would leave that out. I would also make this on a less humid day, may be sometime in winter. In fact, for ME, just fill the pie crust (which tasted quite good) with the meringue (ditto) and forget about the lemon filling altogether. As for the blueberry jam, all it added was some color to break up the white of the meringue. It's much better suited to breakfast toast.

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