Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Florida Pie (TWD)

I've been looking forward all week to get my hands on this week's Tuesday's With Dorie recipe, Florida Pie, which was selected by Diane at Dianne's Dishes. I've never tasted key lime pie, so this will be a first for me!

Although Dorie mentions the use of a ready made crust, I couldn't resist making a graham cracker crust (which came together in minutes, thanks to my trusty food processor).





The modifications made to the original recipe were:
- futher grinding down the coconut in the food processor, which gave the coconut layer a thick, creamy texture.
- omitting the coconut in the meringue
Also, freezing was an essential step for me, as it helps the custard hold it's shape, as cut slices.

I did overbeat the meringue, so the quick fix was to pipe it to hide the mistake!


Overall, I like the combination of key lime and coconut, but these great flavors were overwhelmed by a cloying sweetness coming from the sweetened condensed milk (I used the Nestle brand, perhaps another brand would make a difference?).

I plan on experimenting with the recipe (i.e. replacing the sweetened condensed milk with a homemade custard) to dial down the sweetness. Also, will try topping this with whipped cream instead of the meringue.


If you want to see more, check out the gorgeous creations of my fellow baking bloggers at Tuesday's With Dorie!





Florida Pie
Baking From My Home To Yours - By Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:
1 9-inch graham cracker crust, 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.

25 comments:

~Kimberly said...

Swirls of perfection!

Casa Costello said...

Love the meringue piping! Haven't done mine yet (last minute as always!) but think I'll omit the coconut too! Hx

Engineer Baker said...

Isn't it nice when hiding a mistake turns out so well? Beautiful swirls of meringue!

mimi said...

i'm not a meringue fan, but you make it look really lovely!

Heather B said...

I love your meringue! Great job!

The Food Librarian said...

Looks lovely! I also nixed the coconut in the meringue and swirled mine too (too three tries). Everything looks great!!

Christine said...

Mistakes?? Your meringue came out perfect, great pie!

Nina said...

oh my, your meringue is one of the prettiest I have ever seen. beautiful!! Nina @ Love Sweet Love)

CB said...

The piped swirled meringue makes your pie picture perfect! Great job!
Clara @ I♥food4thought

Gretchen Noelle said...

Really lovely job! Hope you enjoyed your first key lime pie!

amanda. said...

Absolutely gorgeous!

Susan @ SGCC said...

Your meringue looks beautiful! The piping looks so professional! Great job!

Natalie said...

The piping looks fantastic!

Shari@Whisk: a food blog said...

The meringue looks amazing!

Marie Rayner said...

I love, Love, LOVE your lovely little meringue swirls! Beautifully done!

Liliana said...

Amazing job! I love the swirls!

Jayne said...

What a great idea - grinding down the coconut. I'll have to try that. And your swirls look beautiful!

Anne said...

It looks beautiful- I love the swirls! I used eagle brand and I didn't think it was too sweet (but I did omit the coconut layer). Let us know how a custard works out!

ostwestwind said...

How nicely you decorated the pie, I like the swirls, great looking pie.

Ulrike from Küchenlatein

Dianne's Dishes said...

It looks fabulous! Sorry it wasn't quite to your liking.

Julius said...

Love the swirls! :)

Julius
from Occasional Baker

Mari said...

Your pie looks so professional, it's lovely!

Melissa said...

The meringue looks fabulous piped!

Peabody said...

Loving the swirls of meringue!

Jaime said...

great job! why didn't i think to pipe my meringue?

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