Shaker Lemon Pie
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Most Shaker lemon pie recipes mix lemon slices—peel and all—with sugar and eggs to
form a custardy filling. But unless we macerated the lemon slices for 24 hours, the
pie turned out bitter. We wanted to speed up this recipe for modern times. First,
we squeezed the seeded lemon slices and reserved the juice for the filling. Then,
we simmered the slices and then added them to the filling with the uncooked juice
for bright lemon flavor without any macerating time. See the sidebars that follow the recipe.
SERVES 8
Have an extra lemon on hand in case the three sliced lemons do not yield enough juice. Click here for more information on rolling and fitting pie dough.
|
1 |
recipe Double-Crust Pie Dough |
|
3 |
large lemons, sliced thin and seeded |
|
1¾ |
cups (12¼ ounces) sugar |
|
⅛ |
teaspoon salt |
|
1 |
tablespoon cornstarch |
|
4 |
large eggs |
|
1 |
tablespoon heavy cream |
1. Roll 1 disk of dough into 12-inch circle on lightly floured counter, then fit it into 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll other disk of dough into 12-inch circle on lightly floured counter, then transfer to parchment paper–lined baking sheet; cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Squeeze lemon slices in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl; reserve juice (you should have 6 tablespoons). Bring drained slices and 2 cups water to boil in saucepan, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slices are softened, about 5 minutes. Drain well and discard liquid. Combine softened lemon slices, sugar, salt, and ¼ cup reserved lemon juice in bowl; stir until sugar dissolves.
3. Whisk cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice in large bowl. Whisk eggs into cornstarch mixture, then slowly stir in lemon slice mixture until combined. Pour into chilled pie shell. Brush edges of dough with 1 teaspoon cream. Loosely roll second piece of dough around rolling pin then gently unroll it over pie. Trim, fold, and crimp edges, and cut 4 vent holes in top. Brush top with remaining 2 teaspoons cream.
4. Bake until light golden, about 20 minutes, then decrease oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let pie cool on wire rack for at least 1 hour. Serve. (Pie can be refrigerated for 2 days.)