Cheap Tart's Stellar Lemon-Ginger Pie | Chicago

Cheap Tart's mastermind, Dinah Grossman (of pie-pop fame), had one objective for her baking company's spring line of pies: strong flavors.

Her Shaker lemon-ginger pie, with its filling of paper-thin lemon slices, is boldly citrusy. It's also sweet, aromatic and bright–and just the pie to shrug off dark-flavored, wintry doldrums and carry dessert into spring.

Though a tangle of lemon peels conjures images of marmalade, the pie's butter, egg and sugar binding brings the flavor closer to lemon curd.

The recipe (click here to download) uses every part of the lemon but the seeds, so Grossman recommends using unwaxed, organic fruit. If available, substitute Meyer lemons–at the tail end of their season–for a mellower dessert.

Macerate the lemons, candied ginger and sugar overnight so the flavors meld and maximum juice seeps from the citrus. Serve the pie with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche beaten with honey.

Not in the baking mood? Order the pie whole ($25) or in pie-pop form (12 for $30) from Grossman. She'll offer the pie until May, when strawberry-rhubarb and other late-spring combinations will take its place.