Nutrition – Lemon Meringue Pie

It’s easy to spot a well-loved cookbook. Tattered, stained, and spineless, with pages missing, and notes scratched into the margins, these are the books we always return to. We check them first if we need inspiration for dinner, or turn to them for a favorite holiday dish, even if we’ve already memorized the recipe. Ask any cook about their most used cookbook and they will smile and share a story or two.

When I was thirteen I discovered the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. If it wasn’t falling apart when I first got my hands on it, it definitely was by the time I left. I considered tucking it away in my bags when I left for college, but worried that it wouldn’t stay together, front and back covers, loose pages and all, if it weren’t on my parent’s bookshelf.

I loved Fannie, as I thought of her, for the way she held your hand and led you gently, but firmly through each recipe. It was like having a grandmother over your shoulder fixing your technique, warning you not to over mix the batter, showing you several ways to test for doneness. With her guidance I achieved what felt like huge feats in the kitchen. I was not lacking in culinary guidance from my family; everybody cooked. Rather, on my own after school I found comfort, company, and endless wonder flipping through her pages, imagining how her recipes looked and tasted.

It started with lemon meringue pie. I had never tasted lemon meringue pie, let alone baked one, but I was fascinated by the idea of it. Each component was a revelation: buttery graham cracker crust, smooth and tart lemon filling, and ethereal meringue. I relished every step of preparation and learned to use a variety of tools in my parent’s kitchen. I was in awe of the meringue, egg whites beaten until fluffy, a complete transformation right before my eyes. As I piled clouds of meringue on top of the lemon filling, I smiled to myself, and then again when the pie came out of the oven, perfectly browned. I lightly tapped the baked pie with my fingers, at once impatient for it to cool so I could taste it and amazed that it had actually worked.

I became obsessed. I made three pies in one week. My father laughed at me, then bought more lemons. I slowly started working my way through Fannie’s baked goods. I stuck with the egg whites for a while and made tiny meringues, piped onto cookie sheets, angel food cake topped with strawberry sorbet, and even started adding beaten egg whites to waffle batter, delighted by the fluffy results.

Until then, my lessons in the kitchen came from my parents while helping them with dinner. They often let me decide what to make or ways to change the recipes, but I will never forget taking ownership of that grey and tattered cookbook, making lemon meringue pie just because I wanted to. I didn’t realize that my parents noticed the transformation, their daughter becoming her own cook, but when the Fannie Farmer Baking Book came out, my father gave me a copy. That book sits, clean and intact, on a bookshelf at my father’s house. Somehow it’s just not the same.

Naima Bigby Sullivan, MS, RD

Naima Bigby Sullivan is the resident Nutritionist for Family Guiding. She is well known for her fabulous cooking and her unique approach to nutrition; she goes beyond prescribing diet and exercise plans, preferring to help her clients examine their relationships with food and their bodies. A former professional dancer, Naima has seen in her peers the anxiety, guilt, and shame that can be associated with food, especially among young women. Shifting focus to how we eat rather than fixating on “good” or “bad” foods, she helps individuals discover an intuitive way of eating to support a healthy and fulfilled life. Naima has been inspired by her work as a nutritionist and chef at a day program for adults and adolescents with eating disorders. In addition she has shared her wisdom with yogis, personal trainers and their clients, and co-manages a nutrition and food assistance program for HIV+ adults. Naima is a passionate dancer, an inspired chef, and an effective nutritionist changing the lives of those she serves.

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Category: Nutrition