Shaker Lemon Pie

This Shaker lemon pie is for anyone who loves the pucker power of truly lemony desserts. Like lemon marmalade and lemon curd, the citrusy pie filling keeps the ingredients simple and uses sugar to sweeten the tartness of fresh lemons without masking their sunny flavor.

This unique lemon pie originated in the Ohio Shaker community. Lemons aren’t easily grown in the Midwest, so frugal, waste-conscious cooks slice entire lemons paper-thin to bake into an egg-rich and sugary pie filling. The only bits that end up in the compost are the seeds.

For this Shaker lemon pie recipe, you bake the pie in a cast-iron skillet, which is about more than the rustic look. Cast-iron skillet pies develop an evenly crisp crust because of the choice of bakeware. If you use a pie plate instead, choose metal over glass or ceramic for a crisper exterior in the short baking time.

Ingredients for Shaker Lemon Pie

• Fresh lemons: This lemon Shaker pie bakes lemon slices, peel and all. The long maceration in sugar and salt softens the peels, which break down further as you mix the filling and bake the pie.
• Sugar: Sweeten sour lemons and their bitter pith with neutral-tasting white granulated sugar. Other types of sugar, like brown sugar and muscovado, have a molasses flavor that would compete with the lemons and a dark color that would mute the bright yellow filling.
• Salt: A little salt brings out the lemons’ more subtle flavors and works its way into the peels to tenderize them.
• Pie dough: To make this lemon Shaker pie recipe, you need pastry for a double-crust pie. For the richest flavor, make flaky pie crust with butter. Or, in a pinch, use the best premade pie crust.
• Eggs: Room-temperature eggs whisk together more quickly and create airier froth than fridge-cold eggs. Take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before you whip them.
• Flour: All-purpose flour in the egg mixture helps thicken the filling and give it body. Add it a little at a time while whisking to minimize clumping.
• Vanilla: In a tangy lemon custard pie, vanilla makes the lemons and sugar seem sweeter. It’s easy to make vanilla extract at home, and you can guarantee that you won’t make a vanilla mistake.

Directions

Step 1: Macerate the lemons

In a large nonreactive bowl, combine the lemons, sugar and salt. Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature.

Editor’s Tip: This pie’s filling uses the entire lemon, peel and all. Scrub the lemons gently before you slice them to remove any waxy coating, and pull out any seeds before you place the lemon slices in the bowl. As the slices sit overnight in the sugar and salt, their juices will release and their peels will soften.

Step 2: Shape the crust

Preheat the oven to 450°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the pie dough into an 1/8-inch-thick circle. Transfer the crust to a 9-inch cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet. Trim the crust edge even with the skillet rim.

Editor’s Tip: Keep your rolling pin clean as you roll out pie dough so the softening dough doesn’t stick and create holes. To easily transfer the crust from the rolling surface to the skillet, gently wrap it around your rolling pin and unfurl it across the pan.

Step 3: Make the filling

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, and then brush a light coating over the entire crust. Add the syrupy lemon mixture, flour and vanilla to the eggs left in the bowl and mix well. Pour the filling into the crust.

Editor’s Tip: Brushing egg wash on the inside of the bottom crust helps prevent leaks. To give your pie a golden glow, whisk one more egg in a separate bowl and brush the top crust and fluted edge of the pie just before baking. Sprinkle sanding sugar over the egg-washed top crust for some sparkle.

Step 4: Cover the pie

Roll the remaining dough into an 1/8-inch-thick circle, then place it over the filling. Trim, seal and flute the crust edge. Cut slits in the top of the pie so that steam escapes.

Editor’s Tip: One of the most common pie crust questions is how to flute the crust. A frying pan doesn’t have the wide edge like most pie plates, so when you trim the pastry, leave just enough crust to roll and crimp around the pan in a V-shaped pattern.

Step 5: Bake the pie

Bake the pie for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven setting to 400°. Continue to bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes longer. If needed, cover the crust edge loosely with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes to prevent overbrowning.

Step 6: Cool and serve

Remove the foil from the pie edge. Cool the pie on a wire rack and serve warm.

Shaker Lemon Pie Variations

• Use Meyer lemons: Instead of the standard yellow Eureka or Lisbon lemons, seek out Meyer lemons for this Shaker lemon pie recipe. The citrus hybrid comes from crossing lemons and Mandarin oranges, so it’s less acidic. Meyer lemons also have less bitter pith and thinner skins.
• Zest the lemons: For smaller peel pieces in this pie, zest the lemons with a microplane or fine zester before you slice them. Remove and discard the spongy pith and chop the lemon flesh, capturing as much juice as possible. If you remove the pith, add an extra lemon to the recipe to make up for the volume. Mix the zest and lemon flesh with the sugar and salt, and let it sit overnight or up to 24 hours—the longer, the better for fewer lemon peel chunks.
• Add other flavors: For a mixed citrus pie, replace one of the lemons with a lime or orange, or add up to a tablespoon of lime or orange zest before you macerate the fruit. Stir 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or 2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger into the egg filling. If you’re making pie pastry from scratch, sprinkle a pinch of ground ginger and a teaspoon of citrus zest into the flour before you work in the butter or other fat.

How to Store Shaker Lemon Pie

Keep lemon Shaker pie in the refrigerator. Just as homemade pumpkin pie needs to be refrigerated, this lemon pie shouldn’t sit on the counter longer than it takes to cool because of the egg-heavy filling. Before refrigerating, wrap the entire cooled pie tightly in storage wrap or nestle several slices in an airtight container.

How long does Shaker lemon pie last?

Shaker lemon pie lasts three to four days in the refrigerator. The slices taste delicious cold, returned to room temperature or warm.

Can you freeze Shaker lemon pie?

You can freeze pies like this Shaker lemon pie, but custard pies don’t freeze as well as ones made with an all-fruit filling. For the best texture, place this fully baked and cooled lemon pie in a tightly covered freezer container for up to one month. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.

Shaker Lemon Pie Tips

How should you slice lemons for Shaker lemon pie?

Think thin when slicing lemons for Shaker lemon pie. Use a sharp knife or mandoline slicer, and be sure to remove any seeds. For safety, wear a cut-resistant glove if using a mandoline. Traditionally, the lemons are sliced in circles, but if a few of your slices are less than perfect, include them in your pie anyway. Partial slices will not affect your final product, and the delicate circles will fall apart when you mix the filling and break down as they bake.

How should you serve Shaker lemon pie?

Enjoy Shaker lemon pie warm, at room temperature or chilled. Served warm, the pie tends to relax a bit, so it might not keep its clean, straight edges. Its beautifully tart taste welcomes a scoop of vanilla ice cream or sweetened homemade whipped cream. This cheesecake ice cream is just the ticket. Hot tea with lemon slices or blueberry iced tea also makes a refreshing complement to this lemon pie.