Florida Pie

The TWD challenge this week was Florida Pie. Happily my hand is recovered although I cannot put it in the sun and so wear a fingerless cotton glove. I think I look rather tragically like Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan which dates me a bit. I made the pie at work this week - we have a quiet day on Tuesday testing recipes for next year so one extra pie made no difference.

Here in sunny England we don't have Graham Crackers so I guessed they are like Digestive Biscuits and made the crust with that. I left out the sugar though. The crust was delicate but fine.

I also, I am afraid, left out the coconut and cream bit. I am trying to lose weight and all that fat was the obvious thing to drop. I made the crust 7" to keep the filling deep instead. I also added the rinds from the limes to the filling mixture.

The meringue top was a coarse and I wonder if an Italian meringue with a sugar syrup would be better, but it all tasted lovely.

Jenni (who works with me) and I had one slice after our chilli (recipe test) lunch and both thought it might benefit from sharpening up - perhaps the juice of 3 lime and 2 lemons instead of all lime. We then took it over the to old folks lunch that the school hosts three days a week and they loved it - a clean plate was all that came back. I wonder how they will like the Madelaines next week! Interestingly I gave the carrot cake we made a few weeks ago to the staff at break - huge success. One of the sports masters asked me for the recipe and, lo and behold, made it that night.

Florida Pie

1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crus (I used 1 3/4 cups of biscuit crumbs with 2oz (60g) melted butter mixed together, then pressed into a 7" tin and baked for about 10 minutes. Then chill.

t1 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