Pile this meringue on as thick as you can for a splendid-looking pie. Meringue is a perfect opportunity for the home baker to get creative with the spatula. You can smooth it over, swirl it around, or make fancy peaks. No one way is better than the other. Mrs. Rowe insisted on using a chilled bowl for the mixing. It’s a bit of a mystery why, as modern bakers claim it’s unnecessary. Maybe her eggs were so fresh that they were still warm and she needed to bring them down to room temperature by using a chilled bowl. In any case, the bakers at Mrs. Rowe’s restaurants still use chilled bowls. Weeping can happen with any meringue. A “weeping” meringue occurs when the sugar solution comes out of the meringue in drops. Sometimes a weeping meringue makes a slimy layer on top of the filling. The meringue will still taste yummy, but it won’t be as pretty. Sealing the edges of the meringue is an important step in helping to prevent weeping; it also helps assure that the filling won’t spill over. Just add some water to your fingers and press the meringue to the crust along the rim.

Ingredients

　　4 egg whites, at room temperature

　　1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

　　3 tablespoons sugar

　　Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in a chilled bowl and beat with an electric mixer on slow to medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue beating on slow to medium speed until the whites form stiff peaks but aren’t dry. The meringue is now ready to pile lightly over a pie.

　　Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies