Meringue Pie

This recipe is from a cookbook called "Woman's Tested Recipes". The blurb on the front cover states: "These recipes representing the best in culinary art were collected as a result of Woman's all-Australia cookery contest. From the look of the book, the contest was probably held in the late 1940s or early 1950s.

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites.
• 1¾ cups caster sugar.
• butter.
• whipped cream.
• berries or fruit.

Steps:

1. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add the sugar.
2. Butter two pie tins or glass pie dishes generously, because meringue is apt to stick.
3. Divide meringue mixture into pie dishes and bake in rather slow over about 45 minutes.
4. Use one for the lower crust of pie. Place on top of this crushed strawberries, fruit or fruit conserve, or orange pulp.
5. Cover with whipped cream.
6. Put the second meringue upside-down on the top to form a cover.

Notes:

• Bake the meringue at any time before you need it, but don't assemble the pie until you are ready to serve it.

• This recipe was in a section of the book called "Men's Favorites". All the recipes in this section were submitted by men. The note that was published at the end of the recipe reads: "My mother made this for me twenty years ago. Snce settling in Australia, after marrying, I wrote mother for the recipe. My wife made a success of the pie first time, and she said it is quite simple to make.  I think if this pie is advertised there will be fewer unhappy wives, and no man will ever leave his sweetheart after tasting this sweet. There is something so different about it. It is also very economical. My wife wanted to send it in as her entry but it is truthfully my favorite dish. I used to bribe our cook to make me a pie just for myself; now I bribe my wife - one meringue pie is worth two hats any day - I think so." Please note that any comments in this recipe do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the owner of the website!