Dear Lemon Pie,

When our spoons break through your impeccably browned blanket of crushed walnuts, glide through that delicate lemon filling and so satisfyingly crack your crumbly clove-laden crust, one word comes to mind - perfection.  You are the ideal finale to a joyful weekend filled with food and friends.  For that, we are grateful.

But of course, the end of one thing always marks the beginning of another.  While you, our sweet pie, are the period, no the exclamation point, on our weekend, you are also the inspiration for the very first post on this space dedicated to, well, friends, food and the infitine possibilities that emerge when the two are combined.

It's our goal that you might appear on the table of other friends, enjoyed over great conversation and savored with gratitude.  We hope you don't mind, but something so lovely must be shared.  It would be a mistake not to.  Because, simply put, life is sweeter when you're sharing food with friends.  

With love,

Steph & Lil

Nana's Lemon Pie, With a Twist

Note: Though not required, baking this pie while wearing your favorite stilettos seems to be effective and and excellent way to break in new heels. 

Clove Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 tablespoons (about) ice water

Mix flour, sugar, clove and salt in a food processor.  Add butter; pulse until coarse meal forms. Gradually blend in enough ice water to form moist clumps.  Form dough into a ball; flatten into a disk.  Wrap in plastic; chill 2 hours or overnight.

Once chilled, place the dough between two large pieces of parchment paper and roll into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.  Transfer to a pie dish.  Poke the bottom of the crust several times with a fork.  Place a piece of parchment paper over the crust and fill the pie with dry beans, lentils or whatever you have lying around that won't burn (this is to prevent the crust from bubbling up in the oven).  Bake at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes or until the crust is just golden brown.

Lemon Filling

1 1/2 cups milk (soy milk works great)

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

1 large lemon, grated rind

2 large lemons, juiced

1 tablespoon butter

Put 1 1/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup of the sugar and butter in the top of a double boiler.  Scald. Separately mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup milk and add to double boiler slowly while stirring (helps to have a friend stir while you pour).  Stir while thickening, then cook an additional 5 minutes. 

Mix egg yolks with remaining 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice and rind, add to mixture in the double boiler and cook 2 minutes.  Cool, stirring occasionally.

*It helps to have the three individual mixtures ready to go before starting the cooking process.  

Topping

Blend 1/4 cup of walnuts and 1-2 tablespoons of sugar into a food processor for a few seconds, or until the mixture reaches the consistency that you like.  

Putting it All Together

Once your crust is baked and the lemon filling and topping are prepared, pour your filling into the crust.  Sprinkle the walnut mixture over the top and bake at 300 degrees for 5-7 minutes until the walnuts are slightly brown, being careful not to let the crust burn.  Cool, serve and enjoy!