TWD: Florida Pie

I have been craving key lime pie for awhile now.  I think the craving first hit in early April when we first starting getting consistent warm temperatures.  Key lime pie has always been one of my favorites and when it was announced that Dianne of Dianne's Dishes had picked Florida pie...I just knew it had to be a version of key lime (I was at work and didn't have my Baking with me).  Key lime pie just screams summer to me.  Its tart, refreshing, and so delicious.  Come to think of it...its a great pie to have any time of the year!    

I usually try to make the chosen recipe mid week but this time around, I decided to wait until the weekend.  Since it was Mother's Day and I was heading home for the holiday to spend with my mom and the rest of my family, it was a perfect time to spread the Dorie.  

My youngest sister is my self appointed sous chef when I visit and she tackled the process of juicing the tiny key limes.  45 long minutes later we finally had enough juice for the filling.  Its not that the tiny limes took forever to release their tangy tart juices...no...she's just a bit of a perfectionist you see.  lol... she did a great job...I tease the poor child.

To make it a little bit easier on us, we decided to use a pre made crust. While I would love to make it from scratch it is just too much of a pain to do after last week. All of the key limes pies I have had were coconut less so I was not keen on adding it to the pie but after discussing it with my mom (after all...it was her pie) we decided to use canned coconut cream instead of making it as Dorie describes in the recipe.  As you can tell from the picture we used a little too much cream.

After the lime juice was ready, it was a pretty easy pie to put together. The excess cream rose up and surrounded the lime layer when it was added in but I really don't think it hurt the pie at all. In fact, the extra coconut cream got rave reviews from the tasters. 

The direction say to bake for 12 minutes but ours baked for a little bit longer than that.  It seemed to be too jiggly after 12 and even though it was going in the freezer after it cooled, I wanted to make sure it was done.  

We left the pie in the freezer until Sunday after lunch.  I decided to skip the meringue layer because I am not a big fan of it on any pie except for coconut cream...mmmm...coconut cream pie...yum. The first few slices weren't very pretty, the coconut cream oozed out every where but for some odd reason the third slice and later ones came out perfectly.  I had planned on making homemade whipped cream to top the pie but ended up using the canned kind with the cool little top that makes rosettes thingys. The pie was sooo good with the whipped cream on top. So much better than meringue! 

Don't forget to check out the other TWD Bakers and see their tasty results! Up next week is Traditional Madelines picked by Tara of Smells Like Home.

Florida Pie

1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust

1 1/3 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

4 large eggs, seperated

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)

1/4 cup of sugar

Getting Ready:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat.

Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thickened. Scrape the coconut cream into a bowl and set it aside while you prepare the lime filling.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the reaming juice, again mixing until it is blended. Spread the coconut cream in the bottom of the graham cracker crust, and pour over the lime filling.

Bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then freeze the pie for at least 1 hour.

To Finish the Pie with Meringue:

Put the 4 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking all the while, until the whites are hot to the touch. Transfer the whites to a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer in a large bowl, and beat the whites at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 1/2 cup coconut into the meringue.

Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the broiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Or, if you've got a blowtorch, you can use it to brown the meringue.) Return the pie to the freezer for another 30 minutes or for up to 3 hours before serving.

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours