Shaker Lemon Pie

It's that time of year again, everyone! Meyer Lemon season. If you have never had a Meyer Lemon, it is a delicious, sweeter relative of the common lemon. Originally native to China, the Meyer Lemon is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. Due to their temperamental nature, the majority of Meyer Lemon crops are only able to be harvested between November and April. I was lucky enough to stumble across a bag of them at Costco last week and I knew that I had to use them to make a Shaker Lemon Pie!

The Shakers, a religious sect that spread along the East Coast in the mid-1800's, are known for wastelessness and wouldn't even waste the peel or pith of lemons when making a lemon pie. Thus the wonderful invention of the Shaker Lemon Pie. The pie has a strong lemony flavor but the sweetness that is generally associated with lemon pie is cut back by the bitterness that the lemon peel provides.

The overall concept of the pie is simple (lemon, sugar, flour and egg) but the real trick is to get the lemons as thin as possible. This adds body as well as cuts down the bitterness of the lemon peel a little. If you have a mandolin, this is the time to pull it out! I, unfortunately  do not own a mandolin and had to cut the lemons by hand. The result was a few cuts and only semi-thin lemons.

After completing my pie, I decided to try a new technique on the crust where you scallop the crust first and then use a fork to press down every other scallop. This was a very simple technique that resulted in a very beautiful, impressive crust!

The end result was de-licious! The Meyer Lemon provided a nice subtle sweetness to the bitterness of the pie. Even the hubby who claims he isn't a "lemon kind-of guy" quickly devoured an entire piece.  If you are a lemon lover, this is the pie for you!

Live. Love. Bake.

Shaker Lemon Pie
Adapted from Ken Haedrich's "Shaker Lemon Pie." Yields 1 9-in. pie.

Ingredients

2 Meyer Lemons
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
4 eggs
2 Tb. flour
1 Tb. sugar
2 Tb. unsalted butter, melted

1 recipe double-crust pie dough 


Method

1. Grate the zest from the lemons and set aside. Using a very sharp knife, or a mandolin, slice the lemons as thin as possible. Pull out any seeds as you come across them. Put the slices in a non-reactive bowl (i.e. plastic or glass). Add the sugar, salt and grated zest; mix well. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 24 hours to allow the lemons to macerate. Stir the lemons once or twice while they macerate.
2. If you haven't already done so, prepare the pie crust. Let the pie crust chill for at least 2 hours before using. Roll the dough out about 1/4 inch thick and invert the pastry over a 9-inch pie pan. Place the pie pan in the freezer while you prepare the pie filling.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Whisk the eggs in a medium-size bowl, blending well, then whisk in the flour and sugar. Make sure that all the chunks of flour are dissolved. Add the egg mixture and melted butter to the lemon slices, stirring until evenly blended. 
5. Place the lemon filling in the chilled pie shell. Using the back of your spoon, smooth the top. Roll out the second pie dough and invert on top of the pie filling. Press the top and bottom crusts together. Sculpt the edge however you see fit. (See this website for some decorative techniques.) Poke several steam vents in the top of the pie. Lightly brush the top of the pie with milk and sprinkle with a little sugar to ensure browning of the crust. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
6. Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degree F and rotate the pie 180 degrees to ensure even browning. Continue to bake the pie until the top is golden brown, about 25 more minutes. The pie will be done when you can hear a thumping inside of the crust. 
7. Cool the pie completely before eating. Yum!