Shaker Lemon Pie

My husband loves pie and I have been on a kick to try unusual (to me at least) kinds of pie. I made a good buttermilk pie.

This is a great breakfast pie.

Then I saw Smitten Kitchen's writeup on Shaker Lemon Pie, something I had never heard of before.
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/shaker-lemon-pie/

Stanley's had Meyer Lemons on sale, so I went for it:
Macerating lemon slices:


In the shell, with eggs, butter and flour:


Slice of pie:


This is an outstanding pie. I love lemon meringue pie, except that it is usually too sweet. Because it uses whole lemons, the Shaker lemon pie has a slight bitter edge that takes the edge of the sweetness and accentuates the buttery crust and zippy lemon flavors. Also, I much prefer a top crust to a billow of even sweeter meringue. This pie even held up well, with the last slices tasting as good as the first (except for the expected deterioration of the crust). Indeed, it was the yumminess of this last slice that moved me to post about this pie.

Has anyone ever made Shaker lemon pie? What other pies am I missing out there?

Jen

Hi,

I saw this exact pie demonstrated by a Chef on WLS-TV's 11 am show.

Dorie Greenspan has a lemon tarte which begins by thinly slicing lemons to locate and eliminate the seeds. The whole lemon along with other ingredients are blended in a blender until smooth. I made it once for a program. It's something I have considered making again, because generally I don't like lemon desserts.

I have a sense I may like your Shaker Lemon Pie.

Regards,

Hi Cathy2,

Interesting-- I like the idea of blending the lemons, as the texture of the lemon slices was a bit weird to my taste.

Cheers, Jen

looks great , jen

Has anyone ever made Shaker lemon pie?

I've made it using regular lemons and found it way too bitter. I think the secret is to use Meyer lemons like you did, or at least make sure the rind is as thin as possible.

Edited to add: by thin I mean buy lemons with as thin a rind as possible. When I made the pie, I used normal lemons, but I did try to cut the slices paper thin and it was still too bitter.

I'm with rickster - this is a staple at the Inn at Shaker village in Berea, KY - I tried it there and then tried making it myself, and all I tasted either time was pith (the methodology I'd been taught is the same as Dorie Greenspan's, Cathy - translucently-thin slices with no seeds.) I'm eager to try again with Myer lemons, I love the idea of this pie - IIRC in Shakertown, it's served more like a tart, openface, and the lemons are layered so they make a pattern of overlapping circles across the top - can't find a picture of it online.

Beautiful work, Jen! You've inspired me - I may make an attempt myself in the near future.

I made this pie before too and it's definitely my favorite lemon pie. I also don't like lemon meringue, mostly because I find the ever-increasing 2 feet of meringue pointless and a chore to get through. I like my citrus pies a little on the tart side. I only dusted mine with powdered sugar, but otherwise it's basically the same.

Hi,

The presence of meringue in pies was once a demonstration of frugality. You used an egg yolk to thicken the custard, but what about the white? Whipping up the egg white with sugar to make a meringue fully utilized an egg.

In the tropics, food spoilage pre-refrigeration was very rapid, which is why they often use canned milk products in their recipes, too.

I happen to much prefer whipped cream over meringue. I usually collect eggwhites for use in an omelet or other use.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I usually collect eggwhites for use in an omelet or other use.

Me too. But next time I'll have to label the bags.

rickster wrote:I've made it using regular lemons and found it way too bitter. I think the secret is to use Meyer lemons like you did, or at least make sure the rind is as thin as possible.

Edited to add: by thin I mean buy lemons with as thin a rind as possible. When I made the pie, I used normal lemons, but I did try to cut the slices paper thin and it was still too bitter.

The Smitten Kitchen gal also agrees that Meyer lemons make for a less bitter pie. I suspect that regular lemons vary quite a bit in how bitter they are-- just like jalapenos can vary in heat. We really liked this pie-- I might try freezing one pie's worth of Meyers in sugar, since I almost never see Meyer lemons in Chicago. I went a bit crazy with the lemons last time I was at Stanley's, so I am also making limocello-- I will have to rescue a few Meyers from that project.

Cheers, Jen

I have made it with regular lemons and I loved it. Yes, it was a little bitter, but that's ok with me.