Enfield Shaker Lemon Pie Recipe

Four crackers rolled fine, one cup sugar, two eggs, one and one-thirds cups boiling water, pour over crackers and sugar and cover. When cold add eggs, juice and rind of lemon.

Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Grease an 8″ pie pan.

Place crackers in a plastic bag and using a rolling pin, roll them until finely crushed.

Put the crushed crackers in a heat proof bowl. Add the sugar and pour in the boiling water. Stir until combined, cover, and let rest until cool.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs.

Zest and juice the lemon. Combine with the eggs and cooled cracker-sugar mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes at 425° Fahrenheit. Reduce the temperature to 350° Fahrenheit and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Cool on a rack. Serve with whipped cream and raspberries.

 

Kitchen-Tester’s Notes: This is a very simple and easy pie to make with a good lemon flavor. Topped with whipped cream and fruit – delicious!

In another Martha Wetherill lemon pie filling recipe, she detailed using Uneeda Biscuit crackers, so I’m assuming that’s what she would have used in this recipe. Uneeda Biscuit crackers are no longer made, thus the Goya Cracker substitution. Goya makes several kinds of crackers. Please note the photograph when purchasing the crackers.

This recipe first appeared in Shaker Recipes for Cooks and Homemakers, by William Lassiter (New York: Greenwich Book Publishers, 1959, p. 154) and is attributed to Sister Martha Wetherhill. Shaker Recipes for Cooks and Homemakers was reprinted by Bonanza Books in 1978 under the title Shaker Recipes and Formulas for Cooks and Homemakers. Both editions are out of print, but are available at reasonable cost at www.abebooks.com or www.eBay.com.