Thursday, May 6, 2010

Shaker Lemon Pie and the Giveaway Winner!

shaker lemon pie - fork


Yes, yes, the lemon kick continues. (Winner announced at the end of this post) I've actually wanted to make this pie since I bought the Tartine cookbook a while back. Every single recipe in that book is something I wouldn't mind trying out, which for me, is a rarity. I even pondered dedicating myself to making each and every one, however, like many ideas I have, the thought was fleeting. Maybe in a few years' time I will have accomplished such an idea. Only time will tell.


shaker lemon pie - meyer


This pie is very straightforward. Make the pie crust and let it chill. Mix together the lemons and sugar and let them marinate. Roll out your pie dough and chill while you mix together the rest of the ingredients. Place your dough into a pie pan, pour in the prepared lemony goodness, top with another layer of dough, cut a few vents on top and into the oven it goes. Simple.

The hardest part is waiting for it to cool down so you can eat it!



shaker lemon pie - top


Shaker Lemon Pie
adapted from Tartine

2 medium lemons/ 1/2 pound or 225g
2 cups sugar/395g
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt

eggwash:
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 recipe for Flaky Tart Dough (2 rounds, each rolled to about 12-inches in diameter - recipe follows)

Slice the lemons as thin as you can. Remove the thick, stem ends and any seeds. Place into a non-reactive bowl (glass or stainless steel) and toss with the sugar. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 3 hours or up to overnight. If using Meyer lemons, you can skip letting them sit - their skins are tender enough as is.

Line a 10-inch tart pan (you really want a removable bottom here, trust me) with one round of your flaky tart dough. Set aside (refrigerate if it's really warm out).

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and salt together. Add eggs to the lemon/sugar mixture and mix gently but thoroughly. Pour into prepared pie crust.

Make your egg wash simply by beating the egg yolk with a tablespoon of cream. Brush the rim of the dough with the egg wash and top with the second round of tart dough. Trim and crimp the edges. Brush the top of the pie with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with sugar (hmm, it seems I completely left out this part myself! ha.) Chill for 30 minutes. While the pie is chilling, preheat your oven to 350 F.

Place your pie on a lined baking sheet and cut a few vents on top. Bake until golden brown on top and the filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes. Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing so that the filling has time to set properly. Serve with whipped cream.

Flaky Tart Dough
adapted from Tartine

1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup very cold water
3 cups + 2 tablespoons flour (or 1 pound/455g by weight, which is the method I prefer)
1 cup + 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (I like to use frozen butter, seems to work better for me)

1. In a small bowl, add the salt to the water and keep in fridge until ready to use.

2. Using a food processor, add the flour to the work bowl. Cut butter into 1" chunks and scatter across the top of the flour. Pulse briefly until you have large crumbs. Add the cold water/salt mixture and pulse until the dough begins to come together in a ball but is not completely smooth. You should still see chunks of butter (about pea size). Alternately, you can use a pastry blender or forks to cut in the butter if you don't have a processor.

3. On a floured surface, divide the dough into two balls, shape into disks 1" thick (work the dough as little as possible). Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Makes 2 9-10" pie crusts.

GIVEAWAY!

And now for the lucky winner of the Emile Henry giveaway!

Congratulations to Dor! Please contact me at jayme.michelle(at)yahoo(dot)com for details. :)

I hope you enjoy your Emile Henry pie dish as much as I do :)

Thanks so much to everyone for participating, I truly enjoyed reading all the amazing things you all have eaten recently.

Cheers!