Cooking Corner - Key Lime Pie
Winter has set in with a vengeance. Not sure what others are thinking, but I’m thinking of Florida vacations of the past. For reasons we can all understand, no Florida this year. Palm trees, beaches and Key Lime Pie. Let’s get that Florida feeling without the travel hassles.
Let’s talk Limes. Key limes are native to Florida, small, tart, more perishable and with seeds. Difficult to get and deal with. Regular (Persian) limes are milder, no seeds and larger with more juice. Juicing limes this time of year is expensive and quite frankly, tedious. You can buy Key Lime Juice online. For this recipe, however, I am simply using Real Lime Juice you can find anywhere at a good price. Purists will think I am a heretic. I can live with it. You do what you think best.
This is a perfect melding of Acid (Lime) and Fat (Condensed Milk and Topping). Delicious.
KEY LIME PIE
9/10 inch pie pan
Ingredients:
8 ounces (weight) Graham Crackers or Crumbs
1 Cup unsalted Mixed Nuts – I used almonds, walnuts and pecans – whatever you have
½ Cup Sweetened Flaked Coconut – nuts and coconut make it special
4 ounces Unsalted Butter melted – Salted butter would be fine
FILLING
20 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk - 2 small cans
Zest of 2 Limes – Use a microplane or fine grater – just the green not the pith
1 Tbsp Vanilla extract
6 Large Egg Yolks – no white
6 oz Lime juice
¼ Tsp Salt
TOPPING
4 Tbsp Cream Cheese – this will keep it from melting – more like a frosting
½ Cup Icing Sugar – more or less to your sweetness preference
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Method:
Into a Blender or Food Processor – Crackers, Nuts, Coconut. When blended, slowly add the butter. I used the crumbs. So I only ground the Nuts and Coconut. Then I mixed in a bowl adding the butter, using a spatula.
IMPORTANT! The mixture should be the texture of wet sand. Err on the side of wetter – more butter. If it’s too dry it will crumble.
Place the crust mixture into the pie pan. No need to grease the pan – there’s butter in the mixture. Use a flat-bottomed utensil to press the crust. I use a 1 cup measuring cup. Start from the centre and it will work its way up the sides. At the top of the sides use your fingers to make it level all the way around. Take your time. Make it even. Make it pretty.
Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before adding filling.
FILLING
In a large bowl, add Condensed Milk, Lime Zest, Vanilla, Eggs, Salt. Mix well. Lime juice goes in at the last minute so as not to upset the eggs. Mix well again.
Pour into Crust. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Extract from oven and allow the pie to come to room temperature. Then into the Fridge. 2 hours minimum or overnight so it’s served cold.
TOPPING
Bring Cream Cheese to room temp. From fridge – 15 seconds in the microwave works.
Blend the Cream Cheese and Icing Sugar. Then add the Cream and whip. Mix master, whisk, whatever you normally use. The final consistency should be that of a frosting.
OR just use whipped cream, whatever makes you happy.
PRESENTATION
You can use a piping bag and put rosettes around the outside top and half lime slices in the rosettes. You can save some of the Zest to sprinkle on top.
I simply use the whipped frosting as a topping.
This will be okay covered in the fridge for a while and can be frozen.
