Scallion Bagel Pie With Lox, Onion and Thinly Sliced Lemon Recipe

Active time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Total time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Makes one 10-inch pie

A poppy seed crust forms the base of this pie, which is filled with a scallion cream cheese and adorned with lox, onions and thinly sliced lemons — reminiscent of an open-faced bagel sandwich.

This recipe incorporates the process of blind baking, which is when you prebake the crust before filling the pie. You usually blind bake for pies whose fillings don’t need as much time in the oven to cook through as the crust. By blind baking, you are giving the crust a head start.

Ingredients

Crust

• Poppy Seed All-Butter Crust (follow the recipe for All-Butter Crust, but add 1 tablespoon poppy seeds to the dry ingredients), rolled out, fit into a greased 10-inch pie pan, crimped and fully blind baked (instructions follow).
• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon water
• Egg Wash (recipe follows)

Filling

• 6 large eggs
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 6 ounces (¾ cup) cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 whole scallions, thinly sliced, both greens and whites

Toppings

• 10 ounces smoked salmon
• ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Blind bake a crust:

Prebaking, or blind baking, the crust ensures that you won’t have a soggy bottom, the crust will be fully cooked through, and flaky butter goodness will cradle your soft silky custard or cream filling. It is insurance for happy bakes.

You can fully blind bake the crust for a pie that isn’t going back in the oven, or partially blind bake for a pie that’s headed back in for a shorter bake when it’s filled.

Roll out your single crust, fit it into the pan and crimp. Place the prepped crust in the freezer for 10 minutes or until it is frozen solid. Take the dough out of the freezer and use a fork to prick all over the bottom and sides of the crust. This is called docking, which helps eliminate the air bubbles that can form when the dough is exposed to heat and prevents the crust from shrinking. Store in the freezer until ready to use.

Position an oven rack in the center, place a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack, and preheat the oven to 425°F.

Take the crust from the freezer and line it tightly with a piece or two of aluminum foil, making sure the crimped edges are completely covered and there are no gaps between the foil and the crust. Pour pie weights or whatever alternative (beans, rice, marbles, etc.) you are using into the crust, filling it to the top. Place the pan on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until the crimped edges are set but not browned. Mix the egg white with the water. This glaze acts as a seal between the crust and the liquid filling and moisture-proofs the crust that is exposed to the filling, preventing a soggy bottom.

NOTE: This mixture is not used on graham cracker/crumb crusts.

Remove the pan and the baking sheet from the oven, lift out the foil and pie weights, and let the crust cool for a minute. Use a pastry brush to coat the entire crust with a thin layer of the egg white glaze to moisture-proof the crust. Using a pastry brush, brush just the crimps with the regular eggwash (recipe follows) to give the crimps a golden brown. Return the crust to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. When the crust comes out of the oven it should be golden brown in color. Cool completely before filling.