THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’
LEMON PIES. – Four eggs, seven tablespoons white sugar; grated peel and juice of one lemon; half tea-cup of sweet milk. Beat the yolks, then add the sugar, lemon, and milk, and bake in crust as for custard. When done, beat the whites to a stiff froth, adding two tablespoons frosted sugar; spread over the pie, and place in the oven until the frosting is slightly browned.
~The Canada Farmer; A Fortnightly Journal of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Rural Affairs. Vol. 1. January to December, 1864. Toronto: George Brown, 1864.
THE UPDATED RECIPE
- 4 egg yolks
- 7 Tb. granulated sugar
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1 lemon (strained)
- ½ c. milk
- 4 egg whites
- 2 Tb. granulated sugar
- one 8-inch diameter uncooked pastry shell (I used the Rich Short Crust recipe).
Prepare pastry for a one-crust, 8-inch diameter pie shell.
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with a whisk, until they are light and lemon-coloured.
Add the 7 tablespoons of sugar, and beat together thoroughly.
Grate the zest of the lemon, and add it to the mixture.
Squeeze and strain the lemon juice, and blend it into the mixture.
Add the milk, and mix it in thoroughly.
Pour the filling into the uncooked crust, and bake immediately in a preheated oven, at 350F for approximately 35 minutes, or until the filling is set (and no longer jiggles in the centre, when the pie is gently moved).
Meanwhile, whip the egg whites with a whisk, gradually adding 2 tablespoons of sugar; continue to whisk until they form stiff peaks.
When the filling in the pie is just set, remove the pie from the oven, and pile the meringue decoratively on top, touching the pastry all around, so that the meringue does not “shrink” from the edges, while baking.
Return immediately to the oven, and bake at 350F for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, or until the meringue is faintly golden brown.
Remove from the oven, and allow the pie to cool completely on a rack before serving.
This is best eaten on the day it is baked.
Yield: 6 servings.
This lemon pie has a marvelous flavour and texture – truly any lemon-lover’s delight.
A note from Patricia: My friend Melanie was looking for a lemon pie recipe to make for her man-friend, and I suggested she try this recipe as I hadn’t tried it yet. She kindly sent me gorgeous photos after she had prepared it, and it looked so good I thought I should make one myself. January is National Citrus Month, after all, and I’m a huge fan of lemon in anything. I used the recipe for Rich Short Crust (I used half of the recipe and froze the rest), and substituted 1:1 gluten-free baking flour for the all-purpose flour in the recipe. Verdict? This pie was downright delicious – it had just the right balance of tartness and sweetness, the lemon base was silky smooth, and the fluffy meringue top was billowy and pillowy and nice and toasty. And it was remarkably easy to make (aside from fussing a bit with the pastry). What a treat!
Observations on Pastry.
An adept in pastry never leaves any part of it adhering to the board, or dish used in making. It is best when rolled on marble, or a very large slate. In very hot weather, the butter should be put into cold water to keep it as firm as possible; and if made early in the morning and preserved from the air until it is to be baked, the cook will find it much better. A good hand at pastry will use much less butter, and produce lighter crust than others. Salt butter, if very good, and well washed, makes a fine flaky crust.
~Rundell, Mrs.. Domestic Cookery for the Use of Private Families. London: Jones & Co., 1845.
PASTRY.
“Who’ll dare deny the truth, there’s poetry in pie?” – LONGFELLOW.
~Hood’s High-Street Cook Book. Lowell, Mass: The Ladies of High-Street Church. Republished by C.I. Hood & Co., Proprietors of Hood’s Sarsaparilla, 1885. p.17.
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the prog basket 