Sunday, July 25, 2010

Key Lime Pie: Backdated

So in my First! post I mentioned a Key Lime Pie I had made, and never got around to posting about it.  Apparently it was good...I adapted the recipe from one at Phoo-d, and will describe it below.


Key Lime Pie with a Ginger Snap Crust and Merengue Topping:
adapted from Phoo-d, who apparently adapted it from Gourmet

This is a dead simple and tangy dessert.  I combed the intertrons for a great pie recipe and found this one posted at Phoo-d's blog.  I then tried to figure out what to do with 4 egg whites, and ended up making a meringue.

Hardware

  • 9 inch pie pan

Crust:

  • 1 1/4 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (from about 12-14 cookies)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 tsp candied ginger, minced

Filling

  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice (from about 1 lb of limes)

Topping

  • 4 Large egg whites
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 degrees F.

Process the ginger snaps in the work bowl of your food processor, or seal them in a ziploc bag and beat them into crumbles.  Combine sugar, butter, and ginger snap crumbles in a medium mixing bowl.  I also added candied ginger, because I had it in my pantry.  I removed a small piece from the bag, cut it up really fine, and added it to the crust mixture.  I stirred with a fork, semi-cutting the ingredients together.  I then pressed it into a 9 Inch pie pan.  Bake for about 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool.  Leave the oven on.  Meanwhile, clean the mixing bowl.

Cut the key limes in half, and juice.  I use a citrus reamer, which is a big time saver since the limes are so tiny.  Seperate 4 eggs.  Retain the whites, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  [Raw egg warning!]. 

In the clean mixing bowl, start with the egg yolks and whisk to combine.  Add the condensed milk and continue whisking/ combining. Finally, add the key lime juice and continue whisking until the custard begins to thicken.
Pour the mix into the crust and return to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.  I cooled it overnight in the fridge, covered in shrink wrap.  It is suggested at least 8 hours.  This is a custard pie, and will continue fiorming and setting as it cools. Cover the cooled pie and chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.

To serve:  Whip the egg whites and 1/4 cup of sugar with a stand mixer or hand mixer (or whisk if you need a forearm workout), until stiff peaks form.  Apply to top of pie and let set, carmalizing with a torch is optional but fun.  DON'T BURN IT!.  Cut, serve, enjoy.

No comments:

Post a Comment