SHAKER LEMON CUSTARD PIE

SHAKER LEMON CUSTARD PIE image

Yield 8 1 pie

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

6 small lemons (Trader Joe's bag)
2 cups sugar
Pastry for a 9-inch single-crust pie, such as Barry Maiden's Butter/Shortening Piecrust
4 eggs, beaten well
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2

Steps:

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 work, and add them to the bowl of sliced lemons. Chop the thinly sliced lemons coarsely, so that the largest pieces of lemon rind and pith are only 1 inch long, again gathering 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 and as long as overnight. Stir occasionally with a big spoon, to mix everything together well. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a 9-inch pie pan with crust, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Add the eggs, flour, and salt to the bowl of sugary lemons. Stir to mix 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. 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 degrees F and bake until the filling is bubbling and thickened, and the pastry crust 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.