American Pie - Shaker Lemon Pie in an American Oil P-309 Pie Plate

What can possibly be more American than pie?  Well, pie baked in a Corning Ware P-309 pie plate in the American Oil (Amoco) promotional pattern, of course.   While it could be argued that an Apple Pie baked in said American Oil pie dish would be the pinnacle of pie perfection and American reflection, I would beg to differ.  While apple is the quintessential pie of the United States, I feel that there are many other pies that should not be easily discounted in their American-ness.   Shaker Lemon Pie happens to be one of them.   (AKA: Ohio Lemon Pie)

While Lemon Meringue pie, at least in this part of the United States, seems to be the most abundantly taken form.  This was not always the case.   The Shakers of the Midwest, while masters of fruit production, were unable to grow lemons in their community's climate.  According to one source, Lemons, which pack a hefty dose of Vitamin C and various other antioxidants, were one of the first items for which the Shaker community of North Union in Ohio began trading, back in the 1800s.  Hailing from New Orleans, these lemons were such a precious commodity that the Shakers, in their ever frugal practices, used the entire lemon for their pies, instead of just the juice.

Though still a form of custard pie, the inclusion of the rind with the sugar and eggs creates custard texture that falls somewhere between Lemon Curd and Lemon Marmalade.  The process of soaking of the thinly sliced rind and pith in the lemon juice and sugar promotes a sort of "candying" effect on the rinds, leaving them soft but slightly chewy.   In other words, this pie showcases the lemon at it's full potential. Sour, Sweet, slightly bitter, and completely delicious.

The major key to a successful Shaker Lemon Pie is thinly slicing the lemons.  The rinds must be as close to paper thin as possible or the sugar will not be able to penetrate far enough into the pith and reduce the bitterness during the soaking phase.  This is of paramount importance for baking as well, for the rinds will be tough, in the completed pie, if they are not thin enough.  I suggest investing in a mandolin before attempting one of these pies, unless you have wicked, Ninja-like knife skills. (which I do not)

Shaker Lemon Pie

4 medium Lemons
2 cups Sugar
1 tsp Salt
5 Eggs
4 TB Butter, melted
enough Pastry Dough (Pate Brisee) for a double crust pie (store bought or home made)

Corning Ware P-309 Pie plate

Cut the ends off of 2 of the lemons and slice as thinly as possible with a knife or a mandolin. (cutting the ends of the lemon off reduced the amount of "extra" pith in the pie filling)

Remove any seeds from the slices and place them in a medium bowl.

Using a zester, remove the zest from one of the remaining Lemons and add it to the bowl as well.

If you are making your own Pastry Dough, zest the final Lemon and place the zest in a small ramekin, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for use in your dough, otherwise, add it to the bowl as well.

Supreme the zested lemons, removing as much pith as possible, then slice thinly with a knife (removing seeds) and add them to the bowl as well.

Add the 2 cups of Sugar and 1 tsp Salt to the bowl and stir everything together to coat evenly.

Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. (24 hours is better)
The lemon slices and sugar should be stirred occasionally.

When you are ready to make your pie, preheat your oven to 400F degrees, gather the Lemon slices, Eggs, melted Butter, Pastry dough (I made mine) and your Pie plate, cause this part goes pretty quick.

Crack 4 Eggs into a small bowl, then separate the last Egg, reserving the White in another small bowl for brushing on the pie crust, and add the Yolk to the other 4 Eggs.

Whisk the 4 Eggs and 1 Egg Yolk briskly, until well combined.

Stir the melted Butter into the Lemon slices, stirring well.

Add the beaten Eggs and stir everything together until well combined, then set aside while you prepare the pastry.

If you are using store prepared pastry dough, go ahead and skip this next part.

If you reserved the Zest of a Lemon for use in your homemade pastry dough, simply mix the zest into the ice water, before adding it to your Flour/Butter mixture.

Roll out half of your pastry dough and line your P-309 pie plate, making sure there is at least a 1 inch over hang.

 

Pour the lemon mixture into the pastry shell. (gently flatten any "bent" slices that are sticking up out of the mixture, so that everything is nice and flat)

Roll out the second piece of pastry dough and cover the filling.

Use a knife to cut off any extra pastry, leaving 1 inch overhang.

Pinch the 2 pieces together, then fold the edges of the pastry under.

Crimp as you would for any other pie...  I normally just do a pinch crimp, but occasionally I like to press a fork in between the crimps, just for fun.

Beat the Egg White with a whisk until foamy, and brush the crust all over and sprinkle with Granulated or Turbinado sugar.

 Cut vent holes in the top crust to allow steam to escape.

Back pie 1 rack notch lower than the center of the oven at 400F degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350F and bake an additional 20-25. (Check the pie at 20 minutes)

If your crimped edges are becoming too browned (depending on how much butter is in your pastry) you may need to wrap the edges in foil or use a pie shield.

Remove pie from the oven and place on a rack to allow it to cool to room temperature. (it takes about 4 hours for this pie to cool down and for the custard to soft set)

Do not cut until the pie is completely cooled or the filling will be runny. (I actually jumped the gun a little, so mine was a touch on the runny side - but not terribly so)

Cut a large pie and enjoy with a nice cup of  Tea (Coffee doesn't really play all that well with Lemon Pies)

Where is your Corning Ware??
~~

Guacamole on the Half Shell? - My P-Series Shell Oil Avocado Medallion Collection

In late 1970 or early 1971 (it is not known for sure which date is correct) the Shell Oil Company's Credit Card Division began offering a special pattern of Corning Ware to it's card carrying customers.  The "Macrame" pattern, as it has become known, was available in either Avocado Green or Cornflower Blue until 1974.  Thus, the pieces available span the P-series as well as the A-series cut over in 1972.  This brings on a few problems when trying to determine exactly WHAT pieces were made.

Personally, I have a deep seated love for the P-series era of Corning Ware anyway, so I only collect pre-1972 pieces. It helps that the Petite pans, Pie Plate, Roaster and Loaf pan retained their P-series designation, even during the A-series era, post 1972.   Thus, there are technically MORE P-series pieces than there are A-series ones.

Thus far, I have been able to find the following pieces in Green Macrame......

This includes the P-2 1/2-B, the P-9-B, the P-41 Petite Pans, the P-332 Roaster, the P-315 Loaf Pan as well as the P-81 and P-82 Menu-ettes.  Sadly, I know the P-83 out there as well, cause I sold one 3 years ago on Ebay. (I can be SUCH an idiot sometimes!)

As far as the infamous 2 books are concerned... Neither mentions the Menu-ettes at ALL.  The P-309 Pie plate (I know for a fact it exists in blue) isn't mentioned either.

However, Kyle lists a P-1.5/A-1.5, a P-10/A-10 skillet, an A-84 (4 quart), though he states that it's a 5 quart.  Which means he's talking about the P-34.  (Very confusing, I know) He also mentions the P-43 Petite pan, but doesn't mention the P-41s which are in my photo above.  I would have thought it might be a typographical error in the book, but I have seen a photo of a P-43 petite on the corellecorner.com web site.  Randy & Debbie mention the roaster and the loaf pan, along with 2 covered saucepans, but not the sizes, as well as a skillet and a petite pan (instead of both sizes). 

The basic point, is that I don't think anyone knows for sure which pieces were actually made in this pattern.... I don't think they made the large roasters (P-21 & P-76) but you never know...   As I stated, neither of the books mentions the Menu-ette set or the pie plate, so your guess is as good as mine.

As far as the A-series pieces go, I know that production included an A-1 1/2-B as well as an A-8 skillet (I have them for sale on Etsy right now.)

Where is your Corningware??
~~

A Baker's Dozen - My P-Series Cornflower Collection (Part 3)

It's time for the bake ware portion of my collection...  There is a lot of it because it's what I like to do best.

The P-315 Bread Pan and the P-332 (2 quart) Baker. (Though this could be considered a small roasting pan as well)  Sadly, the plastic lid on the bread pan is the victim of age...  and being kept in the box for a very long time... 

Then there are my baking "sheets" the P-35-B broil and bake trays (Shown in both the original and modified design)   I only have these 2, but I would like to have a couple more.  I would also like more than one of the P-35-M cradles... 

Then, the Pièce de résistance of my Corning Ware bake ware collection... the P-321 and P-322 Cakes Pans and P-309 Pie plates.

I know it looks like "hoarding", but I assure you it's not.  I discovered a while back that it breaks the fundamental laws of the universe when a German's Chocolate Cake has anything less than 3 layers; thus, three P-321s were an absolute necessity to ensure the Cosmos remains intact.  Besides, this family LOVES German's Chocolate Cake.  I would like to have another P-322 "Utility" pan (Square Cake/Brownie Pan), but it is not as much of a necessity as the round ones were.  I can still make Blondies and Brownies at the same time... So it's ALL kinds of good.

Where is your CorningWare??
~~

Singing Happy Birthday, off Key - Key Lime Pie in a P-309

I make no bones about it, I love pie.  LOVE it!  So anytime one of my family members asks for birthday pie, instead of cake, I get all kinds of happy.  I enjoy making pie, not to mention eating pie.  So it's a win win situation all around.

This year, my mother requested a traditional Key Lime pie.  This tends to be somewhat on the difficult side, since Key Limes are seasonal, unlike the standard Persian variety.  It is VERY important when making Key Lime pie, to use KEY limes.  They are much more tart, without the astringent bitterness found in the standard Persian lime.  Yes, very important to use the proper lime.

As luck would have it, there is a brand of bottled Key lime juice on the market that you can use in a pinch. (and I have had to use it on more than one occasion)

You still have to use lime zest from a Persian Lime, but it's OK, it's all good. If you really want a treat, get yourself a Makrut (kaffir) lime and use the zest from that for an exotic spin on the Key Lime pie. (do not attempt to use the juice from a Kaffir Lime though, there isn't much and it's not all that tasty)

Since it's my mother's pie, I decided to go ahead and use one of my Corningware Pie plate (P-309) simply because I like the clean white look of the pie plate.

It just looks more classy to me than the normal clear glass pie dishes and I refuse to use metal pie plates.  Granted, I was raised on glass pie plates, cause mom and grandma wanted to SEE the bottom crust to make sure is was brown enough before removing the pie from the oven.  Key Lime pie, though, is usually entails a cookie crust, so this becomes a non-issue for the opacity of a Corningware Pie plate.  :-)

Key Lime Pie

8 oz Vanilla Wafers, crushed
2 TB Sugar
Pinch of Salt
Zest of 1/2 a Persian Lime or 3 Key Limes (they are significantly smaller)
4 TB Unsalted Butter, melted

3 large Egg Yolks
Zest of 1/2 Persian Lime or 3 Key Limes
Pinch of Salt
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2/3 cup Key Lime Juice

Corningware 9 1/2 inch Pie Plate (P-309)
Pyrex #443 Cinderella Bowl (it will make pouring the filling into the crust a little easier)

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

Place the Vanilla Wafers in a Zip-lock Bag, and crush with a rolling pin, then move to a bowl.

You can use a food processor for this, but I like to leave mine fairly coarse, cause I like a little crunch in my crust.

Add Sugar, Salt and Lime Zest.

Mix with a fork to incorporate it well.

Drizzle with melted Butter and stir with a fork to coat the crumbs....

When the mixture will clump when squeezed, you have mixed enough.

Pour the crumb mixture into the Corningware Pie Plate (P-309)

Press the crumb mixture down over the bottom and up the sides of the plate. (you can use a glass if you choose)

Toss the Pie Plate (P-309) into the oven and bake for 10 minutes (Just until the edges begin to brown).

When you remove the crust from the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350F degrees.Place the Egg Yolks in the clean bowl.

Whisk until pale.

Add Lime Zest and whisk again.

Slowly add the Sweetened Condense Milk, whisking constantly, then continue whisking for about 3 minutes to ensure everything is well combined.

Again, whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the Key Lime juice.

Continue whisking until everything is combined, then stop (the acidity of the Key Lime juice will begin to "set" the Egg Yolks) and immediately pour the filling into the warm cookie crust.

Smooth the top slightly with a spatula.

Place in the oven for 10 minutes to ensure the Egg Yolks are cooked.

(It doesn't take long, between the acid in the Lime Juice and the Heat from the oven, the Egg Yolks will be completely "cooked")
Remove the pie from the oven and cool to room temperature before chilling for at least 2 hours (you can freeze the pie if you like)

Cut a big slice and sing Happy Birthday to your Mamma!

Where is your Corningware??
~~

P.S.  Don't forget to enter the "Sidekickin' it Old School" giveaway...  Entries must be received before Sept. 30, 11:59 PDT