What was wrong with my Ohio Shaker Lemon Pie?
Last Thanksgiving I tried a pie from the Joy of Cooking that sounded amazing.
Called an Ohio Shaker Lemon Pie it consisted of lemons sliced paper thin and macerated in sugar. This recipe is similar.
The pie was beautiful. The flavor was overpowering. It was almost inedibly sour and bitter. I was the only person who finished my slice.
What did I do wrong or is this pie meant to be excessively sour and bitter?
Best Answer
I have this recipe on my short list to try: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/shaker-lemon-pie/
Few things I've noticed in her recipe and my own experience with pies containing whole lemons.
- The meyer lemons as she notes make a huge difference. Mind you their growing season is short and they are not available everywhere. If you have access to them, then all the better. Otherwise find the sweetest variety you can.
- If you can, select lemons with as thin rinds as possible.
- That all said, the shaker pie is designed to be sweet, sour and bitter. How bitter depends on the above.
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Why did my lemon pie come out watery?
If the meringue is swirled onto a cool filling and baked, steam in the reheating filling just reaches the meringue. As the pie cools, the steam condenses to form the sweet weeping (sometimes a pool) under the meringue. And when the pie is cut, the meringue is inclined to slip off the wedges.Why is my lemon pie bitter?
The white part of the lemon is the most bitter. If you're sensitive to bitter foods and your lemon has a thick rind, we'd recommend peeling away part (or all) of that white rind.Why is it called Shaker lemon pie?
Their lemons came all the way from New Orleans and were so dear that the Shakers believed it a sin to waste any part of them, so they devised a recipe that would use the whole lemon.\u201d So this pie is easy, easy, easy!What does lemon shaker pie taste like?
This pie is full of lemon flavor--whole Meyer lemons are sliced and macerated in sugar to soften, then enrobed in a rich filling and baked between two thin, buttery crusts for a pie that is tart, sweet, and sure to put a smile on your face.Shakers Lemon Pie - Home \u0026 Family
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Answer 2
You likely used sliced, unpeeled lemons.
The white stuff (the pith) is very bitter, and if a variety with a lot of pith and/or a very bitter pith was used, you get overwhelming bitterness.
While lemons and oranges are sometimes used with pith, there is usually sugar and heat (marmalade, candied peels) or salt (lemon pickles) involved - as in the maceration step of that recipe. Still, this can sometimes prove to not be enough.
Also, mind how thinly the recipe suggests to slice the lemons - having them thinner will aid maceration/degorging techniques (I would normally interpret a recipe saying "very thin" to mean "as you would get with a mandolin or usuba").
Also be aware that most lemons, as available from a grocery store, are processed in a way that makes them unfit for consuming whole and unpeeled.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Dziana Hasanbekava, Ksenia Chernaya, Jess Loiterton, Jess Loiterton