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

Excerpted from ‘50 Pies, 50 States’ by Stacey Mei Yan Fong

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Published July 26, 2023

pie in pie pan; lox, sliced onions and sliced lemon on top of pie; coins, coffee cup, dollar bill and keys surround pan

Alanna Hale

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.

Egg wash:

Dough crusts always require an egg wash to make sure the pie comes out golden brown and that whatever finishing sugar, salt or spices you add to the top will stick.

For an egg wash, I combine 1 whole large egg, 1 large yolk and 2 tablespoons milk or water (whichever you have on hand) in a quart container and blend with an immersion blender or whisk until smooth. This has been the recipe that has given me the best golden brown on my bakes.

Make the filling:

Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, cream cheese, salt and pepper to combine. Add the scallions and whisk to incorporate.

Assemble and make the pie:

Place the fully baked pie crust on a baking sheet and pour in the filling. Bake on the center rack for 80 to 90 minutes, until the filling is just set. Let cool for at least 1 hour.

Top the pie:

Top the cooled pie with ribbons of the smoked salmon, the red onion, lemon and a little freshly ground black pepper. Slice and enjoy in your favorite park by your abode!

50 pies, 50 states book cover featuring one full pie, one half pie and several different pieces of pie on plates

Voracious

Bake With Stacey

Two more recipes from 50 Pies, 50 States for AARP members to try:

All-Butter Crust

Bakers have their preferences of which fat to use, like lard or vegetable shortening, but I’m all about the butter, baby.

Blushing Prickly Pear and Apple Pie (Arizona)

Blushing apples and candied ginger meld perfectly with the prickly pear for this pie, which is best to bake in late summer through early winter, as that’s the peak season for prickly pears in the Northern Hemisphere.

Read about Stacey Mei Yan Fong’s cookbook, 50 Pies, 50 States.

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