I am by no means a food historian but I think it very well might be a good career option down the road. I absolutely love reading about the history of certain foods; how they came to be and how they've evolved over time. Do you?
I am a lucky girl because often my freelance writing gigs allow me the opportunity to research food history...and get paid for it. Very lucky girl, indeed.
This month, in a cherished Lexington local publication called the Chevy Chaser, I wrote about Shaker Lemon Pie.
Not too far down the road from our little Smith Homestead is Shaker Village~ a dreamy, dreamy place founded by a Shaker community and preserved meticulously. You can eat at the restaurant and for dessert get a slice of this delicious pie.
For the full article, head over to the Chevy Chaser site.
And below...the recipe~
Ingredients:
• 3 lemons
• 2 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 2 unbaked pie dough shells (homemade or store bought)
Directions:
1. Freeze the lemons for 30 minutes until firm. Using a serrated knife, slice lemons very thinly, tossing the ends.
2. Place a strainer over a bowl and begin removing the seeds from the lemon slices over the strainer. Squeeze the juice out of each lemon slice and place them in a saucepan. Repeat with all remaining lemon slices. Reserve the lemon juice collected in the bowl.
3. Add 2 cups of water to the saucepan with the lemon slices and boil for 5 minutes until the lemons are soft. Remove, strain and press the lemon juice through a strainer into a bowl. Toss the liquid (this is the bitter liquid from the rind).
4. Put the strained lemons, sugar, salt and 4 tablespoons of the reserved lemon juice into a mixing bowl. Stir.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch with the remaining lemon juice. Whisk. Add in the eggs and whisk until smooth. Add the sugar-lemon mixture and pour into a chilled, unbaked pie shell.
6. Brush the rim of the bottom crust with cream (this will act as a glue between both crusts) and gently place the top crust over the pie. Pinch the top and bottom crusts together and fold under. Flute the edges.
7. Brush cream over the entire top of the pie crust and cut 4 slits in the top.
8. Bake the pie on the lower part of the oven for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. After 20 minutes, lower the temperature to 375 degrees and bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
9. Remove and cool for at least one hour.
