Recipe: Shaker Lemon Pie (2)

Hi there!

Just read your post... What you want is a recipe for a Shaker lemon or fresh lemon pie. Maybe even a lemon meringue pie?

On a shaker lemon pie, usually, you take whole Meyer lemons (which are sweeter and almost orange-like) and soak them in sugar for a couple of hours before making a custard and combining it with the drained lemon slices (the slices are almost paper-thin). I have no doubt that the lemons you bought are Eureka lemons -- thicker skined and sour-tasting. In that case, the peel does have flavor, but does cause bitterness too. Usually you end up soaking these lemons -- sliced with peels for long periods of time -- in sugar before making your pie/custard.

What I'd suggest is going out and buying another couple of lemons (not good news, I'm sure) and grating the yellow part from the new lemons' peels (you don't want the white stuff, trust me!). Take the new lemons, peel them as you did the others, reserving the lemons and tossing the white part of the peel.

(At this point, you have reserved the grated lemon peel.)

Take the 8 lemons, slice them as thinly as possible and layer them with sugar over them. Soak for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, prepare basic single crusts for four pies (don't bake them!) When you make the custard, you will add the grated lemon peel, sliced lemons and pour the whole thing into the four crusts. Personally, I think it would be beautiful to arrange the slices of lemon, sprinkling the grated rind throughout, and *then* pouring the custard mix over it. Of course, that's strictly presentation. The pies will taste the same no matter what you do to it!

Then, you bake it as directed and enjoy! (I believe this pie, if wrapped well, will also withstand freezing. Making four pies will give you a treasure trove of pies to eat in the coming months. Otherwise, give a couple away, eat one and save one. Or maybe use some of the lemons for some other purpose -- like in recipes requiring only lemon juice.

Here are your recipes (remember your substitutions, though):

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Shaker Lemon Pie

2 large lemons
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
pastry for a 2 crust 9" pieSlice lemons (unpeeled) paper thin. Add sugar, mix well and let stand at least 2 hours. Add beaten eggs and combine well. Roll half the pastry out and place in pie plate. Fill with lemon mixture, cover with top crust. Cut slits and seal edges. Bake in preheated 450 oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 and bake 20 more minutes. Serve at room temperature.

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OHIO SHAKER LEMON PIE

The following recipe is adapted from one that the early Ohio Shakers made often. This lemon pie, a refreshing finish to a hearty meal, shows how the thrifty Shakers were unwilling to waste even the skin of a fruit that had to be purchased rather than grown in their gardens.

2 lemons
1 3/4 cups sugar
p te bris e
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large saucepan of boiling water blanch the lemons for 30 seconds, drain them, and rinse them under cold water. Trim the ends of the lemons, discarding them, and cut the lemons crosswise into paper-thin slices. In a bowl cover the lemon slices with the sugar and let the mixture stand, stirring once after 1 hour, for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Roll out half the dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, fit it into a 9-inch (1-quart) pie plate, and trim the edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Remove the lemon slices from the sugar and arrange them in the shell. Add the eggs and salt to the sugar, whisk the mixture until it is combined well, and pour it over the lemon slices.

Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface, drape it over the filling, and trim it, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it, and crimp the edge decoratively. Cut slits in the crust with a sharp knife, forming steam vents, and bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 F. and bake the pie for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until the crust is golden. Let the pie cool on a rack and serve it warm at room temperature.

Gourmet
November 1993