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Shaker Lemon Pie

Source of Recipe


From "Southern Pies" by Nancy McDermott



List of Ingredients



• 2 medium lemons
  
• 2 cups sugar
  
• Pastry for a 9-inch double-crust pie
  
• 4 eggs, beaten well
  
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  
• ¼ tsp salt
  






Instructions



1. Using your sharpest knife (a serrated knife is ideal), trim each lemon to remove the stem end and tip. Slice each lemon crosswise, as thinly as you can possibly do it, into paper-thin circles. If you can drape them over the knife blade like the watches in Salvador Dali's surrealistic paintings, you're on the right track. Scoop up as much of the escaping lemon juices as you can, and add them to the bowl of sliced lemons. Chop the thinly sliced lemons coarsely, so that the largest pieces of lemon rind and pitch are only 1 inch long, again gathering the escaping juices back into the bowl for their flavor. Add the sugar to the bowl of lemons, and stir to mix them together really well. Cover and set aside at room temperature, for at least 3 hours or as long as overnight. Stir occasionally with a big spoon, to mix everything together well.
   
   
2. Heat the oven to 450° F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the crust, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Add the eggs, flour and salt to the bowl of sugary lemons. Stir everything evenly and well. Pour this filling into the piecrust. Use a little water to wet the top rim of pastry around the piecrust. Roll the remaining dough into a 10-inch circle and place it carefully over the filling. Trim away the extra pastry, leaving a 1-inch overhang extending beyond the rim of the pie pan. Fold the crust up and over, and crimp it decoratively. Or press the tines of a fork into the pastry rim, working around the pan to make a design. Cut 8 steam vents in the top of the pie, so that steam can escape and the pie's juices can bubble up.
   
   
3. Place the pie on a baking sheet and place it on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375° and bake until the filling is bubbling and thickened, and the pastry is cooked and handsomely browned, 25 to 35 minutes more. Place the pie on a cooling rack or a folded kitchen towel and let cool to room temperature.
   
   Makes one (9-inch) pie.