Tuesday, May 13, 2008

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Tuesdays with Dorie: Florida Pie


Being a Florida girl I had high hopes for this dessert. I've never had key lime pie (I've only eaten the crust) so I was hoping this would be a great introduction to a dessert that is so love and created near my hometown of Miami, FL. Making every bit of the dessert was fun and each of the parts tasted great. I just wasn't a fan of all the parts together. I felt like the coconut cream took away from the tartness of the lime filling. If I had reservations about the coconut cream, there was no doubt that Alex would too. I sat sat there nervously watching Alex as he took his first bite of the dessert and, as I expected, he didn't like it. The coconut cream part of the dessert just didn't do it for him. He liked every other part of the dessert but felt like the coconut cream really took away from the lime flavor. The next time I make this dessert will definitely be without the coconut cream. The good news is that I brought it into work and my manager loved it. What killed the dessert for me, made the dessert for him, so it's really all about preference.

I halved the dessert so make sure to go to Tuesdays with Dorie and check out all the blogs for the full recipe and thanks to Dianne of Dianne's Dishes for selecting this week's dessert.

Florida Pie
Source: Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

1 4.5-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust
½ and 1/6 cups heavy cream

3/4 cups shredded sweetened coconut 2 large eggs, separated
½ of a 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1/4 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)
1/8 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 (I used a springform pan).

Put the cream and 1/2 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.

The players.


Working with a stand mixer, preferable fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolk at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the remaining juice, again mixing until it is blended. Spread the coconut cream in the bottom if 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 2 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottom 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 1/4 cup coconut into the meringue (I omitted).

Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the boiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Of 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 us to 3 hours before serving.

I love the lighting in this picture.


You can really see the layers in this picture.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had the exact same opinion about the coconut cream! I loved the lime so much that I felt like the coconut was just a distraction.

Christine said...

I wasn't to sure about this pie. I love your pictures and you pie looks great!

Peabody said...

You should really try straight key lime pi...it's wonderful. I love the sun coming through the lime in the picture.

CB said...

Bummer it wasn't a fav but easily tweakable for next time right? Great job!
Clara @ I♥food4thought

Jayne said...

I love the pictures - especially the very first one and then the one where you liked the lighting. I liked the pie with the coconut, but at the same time, I want to make it without, so I can compare the two.

Heather B said...

your pie looks great! I prefered the pie without the coconut too. Pure key lime pie is heavenly!

Mumsy said...

Great job!

mimi said...

lovely pie, and beautiful photos! i hated the coconut cream but hubby loved it! i guess once you have the classic key lime, you really don't want to mess with the best!

Bumblebutton said...

Your photo with the translucent lime slice on top was really excellent!

Anonymous said...

You ain't alone in your anti coconut cream feelings. Your pic looks so frigging good!

Anonymous said...

Your pie looks fabulous. I made it without the coconut and it was very tasty. Worth trying again.

PheMom said...

Straight key lime is the best, but I didn't mind the layer of coconut cream. What I wasn't crazy about was the coconut in the meringue (and I even reduced the amount). It was just too much coconut, not enough lime. Don't give up on the lime though! I'll bet this lime filling with Dorie's tart crust would be PERFECT!

Gretchen Noelle said...

You will probably really like plain key lime pie. The lime filling was great in this but the coconut was distracting.

Melissa said...

Love the step by step pics!

Dianne's Dishes said...

Sorry you didn't like it that much. It's looks great though!

Casa Costello said...

Pics look great - I felt the same about needing more lime! Hx

Jaime said...

i love the light coming through the lime! sorry you didn't like it much - i'm with your manager, i loved it :)

not sure if it's just me, but your pics look extremely pixelated right now? not sure if blogger is messing them up?