Some Final Comments on This Week’s Meringue

Two days after being baked, the meringue is still light, foamy, and not at all sticky. It is not weeping and there are no little beads of moisture developing. It is still firmly attached to the top of the lemon filling. And strangely enough, the filling seems less watery today and the crust is nice and crisp. I have no idea how that works. The crust was completely waterlogged yesterday. The only explanation I can come up with is that the excess water leaked out of the cut pie into the pan allowing the remaining slices to dry out a bit. But who even knows? 🤷

I’ve been reading up on why lemon meringue pie is prone to becoming watery and I have a couple of tips to try that could potentially help. So there really might be another real meringue pie in the not-so-distant future. Anyone who knows me well knows that a culinary conundrum is like the call of the wild to me. I have to figure out how to fix the kitchen chemistry so that my brain can let it go. I guess it’s a good thing that we like lemon meringue pie!

Let me wrap things up with a completely non-pie related matter. It would seem that the meringue and the turkey were not the only successes this year. Apparently, this year’s gravy was also top notch. We ate leftovers for dinner this evening and once the mashed potatoes were gone, Malia asked if she could heat up the last little bit of gravy and eat it with a spoon. 😂

Culinary Experimentation

Let’s talk about turkey. For those that don’t remember, I bought a fancy roasting pan three years ago. I did loads of research, read lots of reviews, and selected a solid option. I used one of those $2 disposable foil pans from the Walmart prior to my purchase, so I was very excited to have a Bonafide roasting pan. But then…the pan failed its main purpose. For three years in a row, the back of my Thanksgiving turkey was not cooked. Even when I overcooked the breast in an effort to get the entire bird up to temperature, the back stubbornly remained a vehicle for salmonella. I tried everything I could think of to solve the problem-cooking the turkey on a lower rack, adjusting temperature, tenting the turkey to slow the cooking of the breast, doing the first part of the roasting with the back side up instead of down, etc. And nothing seemed to help. As you might expect, there was some frustration that increased exponentially with each year. So, this year I bought the $3 pan (inflation happens), and was ready to redneck my disposable roasting pan with rolls of tinfoil in place of the rack from my swanky and useless roasting pan, which was too big to fit the foil pan.

But this morning, I was watching a video about how to truss a turkey (since I only do it once a year, I always have to review the procedure prior to turkey time) and saw an alternate and intriguing turkey roasting method that used just a standard shallow baking sheet with a cooling rack used as a roasting rack. And an idea began to take root. The standard half sheet baking pan used in the video I watched is the most commonly used sheet pan in my kitchen. I have half a dozen cooling racks that fit inside the previously mentioned pans, but I also have a super fancy roasting rack that came with my super useless roasting pan. And the fancy rack fits perfectly inside the basic sheet pan. And just like that, my plans changed. The hardware for roasting this year’s turkey changed to one of my 26-year-old work horse baking sheets and my fancy rack. I was hopeful and honestly, a little bit excited.

The results of my change in hardware were absolutely stellar. Not only was the entire turkey cooked, but the breast was still nice and moist when the back was fully cooked. And since the rack lifted the turkey above the edges of the pan, hot air circulated around the entire turkey which meant even the bottom was beautifully crispy. As an added bonus, the turkey roasted faster due to the increased air flow.

So, let’s count those pros:

1. The entire bird was cooked.

2. The breast was still moist when the back was done.

3. The entire turkey was crisp. Yum. More crispy skin for everyone.

4. The roasting time was shorter.

5. I didn’t have to spend any extra money or time to have the appropriate hardware. Yes, $3 isn’t much, but it’s more than spending nothing.

And the cons:

1……

I’m never going back. It was a complete success. I did put a little water in the bottom of the pan right at the beginning of the roasting time so the butter and herbs that dripped wouldn’t scorch, but once the fat of the turkey started to render, that problem was solved. And I am a happy, happy camper today. Chock full of turkey and nearly drunk on success.

Now, let’s talk a bit about the other highlights of the day.

Daniel and Tawni were here for Thanksgiving this year. Now that they are married, we are in the season of alternating holidays with them, so it was nice to have them here. As I mentioned yesterday, Tawni got to experience pie day at my mom’s house which even in this year’s scaled back version was mighty impressive to a two-pies-only person. She got to sample our assortment of favorite pies, and the cranberry orange custard is the clear winner. She loved that one just as much as we do and fully supports Daniel and Nathan in their plans to make more cranberry orange custard pies in the very near future.

Tawni was fascinated by my turkey ministrations, commenting that her mom’s prep is much simpler. But let me reiterate that I enjoy cooking. So doing a delightful butter and herb rub, stuffing the turkey with aromatics, and trussing the bird to allow a more even bake is just part of my routine. She has been educated on our whole “skin the turkey” routine and while, like most people, she just didn’t understand the draw, she is also one of those try-anything-once kind of people. So, she grabbed a fork and watched as my other children jockeyed for position, and then followed their lead as they dug in. And due to the previously mentioned butter and herb rub and the fabulous new old roasting pan, the skin was delightfully crisp and flavorful. And now she completely understands our compulsive need to eat that skin while it is crisp and hot. And I suspect in future she will gladly participate in the good-natured fight for the best bits that always happens.

The portion of our day not spent eating turkey and way too much pie was whiled away playing games and talking to Matthew. Kevin and I talked to him for a good long chunk last night, so today he focused his time on his siblings. Daniel, who loves jazz music just as much as Matthew does, played him a little snip of a jazz arrangement of the Harry Potter theme and Matthew was absolutely drunk on the music. Limiting his listening to only what is in Gospel Library has been harder than he expected. Music is how he expresses his joy and what he listens to corresponds to his mood and is often what he turns to when he needs a little emotional lift, so listening to his normal music has been one of the things he misses a lot. Daniel knows Matthew well and knew that just a little jazz would be a balm to his soul. 

Now, I need to make some further comments on the meringue. It was light, fluffy, voluminous, and delightful. It was not sticky, even though I made the pie yesterday. I have learned a couple of tips that solve that problem and the tips are the same for the egg-free version. The only fly in the ointment was the fact that the lemon filling got watery, so watery that the crust got soggy and collapsed. That has never happened with the Matthew friendly version, so I think next time I will try the allergen free filling with the egg-based meringue. But even a bit watery, the pie was delicious and the meringue was completely satisfying. And tall. So beautifully tall!

I am filled with gratitude today for all the blessings I have. I have an amazing family and spending the day with them was a joy. We all missed Matthew, but he is in the exact right place for now and will eventually make his way back home. Tawni has been such a wonderful addition to our family, and she makes Daniel incredibly happy. Malia is becoming a wonderful young woman who adds laughter to our home. Nathan comes home and plays our piano which gathers dust when he is away. Kevin does all the cleaning after I use every dish in my kitchen to create the lovely kitchen chemistry that becomes our holiday meal. And the covenants we make means that this joy can be eternal. My heart is full. I am truly blessed.

The Real Meringue

I’ve spent the past two decades learning how to bake without eggs and milk, which are in all reality the basic building blocks of so many confections. But out of need, I experimented and failed and tried again and over the years, I’ve gotten pretty good at creating a variety of allergen free versions of cakes, cookies, pies, candies, etc. Most people never even know that the goodies that show up at ward events or bake sales are sans milk and eggs. And I’ve never begrudged the need to make such accommodations in my cooking. It was just one of my missions in life to ensure that Matthew never felt the sting of his allergies in his own home and to provide him with the childhood joys of enjoying a warm chocolate chip cookie, savoring a sticky sweet cinnamon roll, and blowing out the candles on a decadent birthday cake. 

Having said that, with Matthew away from home for a season, I’m happily taking advantage of the opportunity to use more traditional ingredients in some of my baking. I used real eggs in Malia’s birthday cake, made fudge with real butter, and am already thinking about what kind of cheesecake to make for my birthday. But the one I’m super excited about today is meringue made with real eggs. The bean juice works, which still kind of blows my mind, and talking about “bean juice pie” is always a fabulous conversation starter, but I have actually been a little bit giddy about being able to use real eggs so that I can get some of the stability and volume that is such a struggle with bean juice. I know some folks are making magnificent meringues with aquafaba from chickpeas, but since Matthew is allergic to those, I’ve been using the liquid from navy or great northern beans, and it just isn’t as stable. But it works. And the lemon meringue pie is one of Matthew’s favorites, so I’m happy to bean it up and I feel like I’m learning new things every time I try it. 

So, it was a bit of a heady feeling to separate the eggs, turn on the Bosch, and watch the volume increase. I know that probably sounds stupid, but I enjoy baking. It is like therapy for me. Seriously, I was feeling anxious last week so I made bread. And it definitely helped my mood. And it is much cheaper than the hourly rate of most therapists. And as an extra bonus, it leaves a much better taste in your mouth. 😜 So yes, I’m not ashamed to say that today’s meringue filled me with glee. Piling it up high on top of the lemon filling made me smile. Creating the traditional peaks that held their shape in a most marvelous manner resulted in a ridiculous grin. And taking the final results out of the oven perfectly browned and still just as voluminous nearly made me laugh. I can hardly wait to taste my creation!

Other than the luscious lemon meringue, our pie menu is small this year. We have two pumpkin pies (plus a tiny one for Kevin’s parents), a cherry pie (which is Malia’s favorite), and a cranberry orange custard (which is Nathan’s favorite pie of all time). So, six pies in total, five for my own little crew. Tawni is flabbergasted by the whole pie thing. The thought of a full pie per person just blows her mind. She says they usually have about two pies and that feeds the entire extended family. However, my mom’s thirty-two pies still make my half dozen appear extremely moderate. And Tawni did get to experience pie day at my mom’s house, which is pie making on an entirely different level. 😂

With today’s baking done, I can turn my mind to the next culinary adventure-attempting to get my entire turkey cooked. And regardless of the outcome of that endeavor, I’m looking forward to the post-turkey pie eating!

Choral Pros and Cons

Pro: Every year, sixteen choir students from each middle school in our district are invited to participate in a district honor choir. Auditions are held by each choir teacher who then selects which students will be a part of the choir. Malia auditioned this year and was one of the students selected to represent her school.

Con: Learning music on her own, especially those with lyrics not in English, is a fairly new thing for Malia and she was super stressed out the night before the first of their two big rehearsals because she didn’t have it all learned.

Pro: Learning music along with other choir members is usually easier as the director will spend time helping each section to perfect their part, there are more people singing the same part, and hearing all the harmonies together can make it simpler to find your own part.

Con: The guest conductor this year doted on the sopranos and tenors, yelled at the basses, and pretty much ignored the altos. Malia was pretty peeved when she got home.

Pro: Despite the less than attentive conductor, Malia did, in fact, get things mostly figured out by the end of their second rehearsal.

Con: She was a bit nervous walking all alone into the choir room the night of the concert. Not knowing anyone there was a bit stressful for her. However, she was fine once some friends from her own school showed up.

Pro: The kids did a fantastic job! The four numbers they performed were well rehearsed and it was a very enjoyable concert. 

Con: On their final number, there was a good amount of standard choir swaying that is frequently seen as appropriate riser choreography. Malia was on the very edge of the alto section. There were so many kids that Malia was standing on a box rather than the actual risers and the movement inadvertently sent her closer and closer to the edge which made her very nervous!

Pro: Although she could feel that her toes were hanging off the edge, he didn’t actually fall off the box. 😂

Con: The adrenaline-fueled performance high after the concert meant that Malia forgot to actually eat dinner and had a meal comprised of sugar cookies and doughnuts. 

Pro: Despite all her nerves and her dislike for this particular director, she still came away with a fantastic performance high! (Even if it did make for an extraordinarily unhealthy dinner. 😜) Singing with a big choir like that is such a fun thing and I’m glad Malia had the opportunity to do so.

It’s a Small World

When Matthew received his mission call to Arkansas, we were bombarded with people telling us they had ties to the area-parents living there, extended family in the area, stationed there in a past military posting, etc. For some reason, the parts of Arkansas and Missouri in which he would be serving seem to be teeming with folks who have ties right here. And now that he has been transferred to Bentonville, he has had his first small world encounter. 

You might remember that during his senior year, Matthew met a girl who has similar allergies to his. It was a big moment for him, meeting someone who really gets what his life is like, and we started referring to her as his allergy buddy. Her actual name is Megan, and she has an aunt who lives in Bentonville. In fact, her aunt lives in one of the wards that Matthew is currently serving in, and he met her on his first Sunday in Bentonville. Megan’s aunt was quick to invite them to have dinner in their home, and this evening I got a message from her, with a picture of Matthew and his companion at their dinner appointment.

I know this doesn’t happen to every family who sends out a missionary, but we have been blessed to receive messages from members that all of my sons have worked with during their full-time missionary service. It is always a blessing for me, to know that there are folks watching out for my kids and a reminder as well, that we are a worldwide church and that people all over are doing the best they can to live the gospel, just like me.