Lemon Shaker Pie

Have you had this pie before?  It's the only pie that uses the whole lemon.  It's sweet, tart, lemony, has a bit of texture, and has to have a good flaky sweet tart.  It's yummy.

I had made this pie as something different for our Thanksgiving dinner last year.  We also had our friend Mike and Bia join us for that Thanksgiving and he loves everything lemon.  

It is said this pie was invented in the 1800s from a religious group called the Shakers.  They were being frugal and wanted to use the whole lemon and thus this pie was started.  

There are lot of different but very similar versions of this recipe. I've only tried the Saveur version listed below. I used meyer lemons but would like try with regular. I liked this one but I could have sliced the lemon even more paper thin and prob soak it longer to break down more. Otherwise...it's lovely!

Filling:

2 large lemons 

2 cups sugar 

1/4 tsp. salt 

4 eggs 

4 tbsp. butter, melted 

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour 

Crust:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 

1 tsp. salt 

10 tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces 

2 tbsp. vegetable shortening 

1. For the filling: Thoroughly wash lemons, then dry with paper towel. Finely grate lemon zest into a bowl. Using a 

mandoline or a sharp knife, slice lemons very thin; remove and discard seeds. Add slices to zest and toss with sugar and 

salt. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 24 hours. 

2. For the crust: Sift flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter or 2 table knives to work butter 

and shortening into flour until it resembles coarse meal.Sprinkle in up to 5 tbsp. ice water, stirring dough with a fork until 

it just begins to hold together. Press dough firmly into a rough ball, then transfer to a lightly floured surface. Give the 

dough several kneads with the heel of your hand to form it into a smooth ball. Divide dough into 2 balls, wrap in plastic, 

and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

3. Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk eggs in bowl until frothy. Add butter and flour, whisking until smooth. Stir into lemon 

mixture. 

4. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into two 12" rounds. Fit one round into a 9" pie plate and pour in filling. 

Cover pie with remaining pastry round. Fold edges of dough under, then crimp edges. Cut steam vents in top crust. Bake 

until edges begin to brown, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake until crust is golden brown, 25–30 minutes 

more. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.