key lime pie

This recipe was perfected by my brother. He won 1st place at his works pie contest 2 years in a row with it.

A lot of time needs to be put into making it, but the result is worth it!

Key Lime Pie (last revised 3/14/2018)  

Crust

• 7 ounces (~200 grams) coconut cookies (see below for type)

• 0-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (approx, see directions below)

1. Preheat oven to 325º.

2. In food processor, pulse cookies into fine crumbs.

3. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl. 

Depending on consistency and amount of butter used in the cookies, you may need to add melted butter to the mixture.  The consistency should be like cookie dough: a little goey and only slightly crumbly.  If it's too dry, add 1 Tbsp of melted butter at a time until the correct consistency is achieved (this may sound complicated, but the butter content of coconut cookies varies a lot!).

1. Line the inside of the ring of a 9" springform pan with 2x layers of parchment paper (folded it half, then wrapped around). This will prevent the filling from directly touching the aluminum sides and overcooking. 

2. Brush the bottom of the springform pan with butter, just enough to uniformly coat it. Press crumbs evenly/firmly into bottom of the springform pan.  Bake ~10 minutes until crust just starts to brown, but do not over cook.  The crust will continue cooking significantly once removed from the oven. 

Optional:  Make ~30% more crust and press the crust up the sides of the pan, approx 1/2". I had a tough time with this, so I just did a flat-bottomed crust and later cut away the overcooked edges of the filling (more notes below). 

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Allow the crust to sit for 20 minutes before adding the filling. 

Filling

• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

• 5 egg yolks

• 5 ounces freshly squeezed key lime juice (approx. 25-30 key limes) (in a pinch, regular limes can be used, just double the zest...)

• 1 tablespoon lime zest (packed tightly into a measuring spoon) (use regular limes for zesting, makes it much easier)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In a blender combine the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, key lime juice, and zest. Blend on high for about 30 seconds, then stop, scrape down the sides, and blend for another 10 seconds.

2. Scrape the mixture into the bottom of the cooled crust. Tilt the pan around so the filling flows around evenly. 

3. Bake at 325°F for about 14 to 17 minutes, until it is firm but still jiggles slightly in the center (watch it closely, this pie will set up very quickly). The mixture which is touching the sides of the pan will slightly overcook, but that's okay because we'll cut that away. 

Allow it to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour. This will help it firm up and make it easier to spread the whipped cream topping. 

Whipped Cream Topping

• 4 ounces heavy cream 

• 1 tablespoon powered sugar

• 2 teaspoons mascarpone cheese (let rest to room temp before using)

• 1 full-size lime (for zesting on top)

1. Pour heavy cream into medium size bowl and whisk until the mixture just barely starts to thicken (you'll see air bubbles).

2. Then add the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar, and continue whisking until the mixture reaches a medium peak. By partially whipping the mixture before adding the sugar, it will whip up faster and easier. 

3. After removing the perimeter of the springform pan, use a wide-bladed knife and make a 45º cut around the perimeter of the pie to bevel the edge to remove any filling which was overcooked from touching the sides of the pan...(this may not be ideal, but it's how I dealt with it). Then go back around with the back (flat) side of a butter knife to smooth out any roughness. This will make it easier to cover with whipped cream. 

4. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream across the top. Apply more whipped cream on the sides, covering everything completely. Discard excess whipped cream (read: eat it). 

5. Grate zest directly over the top of the pie - approximately 1-2 full-sized limes-worth of zest. Do this from a height of at least 12" above the pie, so the zest spreads apart and doesn't clump together. 

Serve fresh and enjoy!  Store refrigerated. 

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More Notes (yes, really)

The cookies I use are "Mrs Thinsters".  I have found these at Costco, of all places, but they are also on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Thinsters-TOASTED-COCONUT-Cookie/dp/B011CY2Y2E

I tried a few other things previously, such as "coconut cookie rolls", which are little tube-shaped cookie things, but the results were dismal.  The first attempt with coconut cookie rolls result in a coarse texture in the crust.  For the second attempt, I tried grinding them finer (perhaps going overboard with my mortar and pestle...).  After mixing the fine coconut powder with butter and baking it, the crust was practically like concrete! 

I think the important thing is the ingredients of the coconut cookies.  For "Mrs Thinsters", the ingredients are: 

Coconut, Enriched Unbleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugar, Butter, Brown Sugar, Eggs, Salt, Whey, Baking Soda, Soy Lecithin

These cookies were so buttery that I didn't add any butter when I made the crust.  On an early test runs, I followed a recipe which called for 4 Tbsp which resulted in butter pooling around the perimeter of my springform pan...If I did it again, I might add 1/2 Tbsp of melted butter just to make it a tiny bit easier to spread out the dough. YMMV 

Another note on the crust, I was using an aluminum springform pan which transferred heat quickly, so the crust cooked up quick.  In a glass or ceramic dish, I'm sure the extra mass would cause the crust to cook much slower. 

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-Steve"

bon appetit