Key Lime Pie

Happy Monday!

Here is the recipe that I use for Key Lime Pie. I love the citrus flavor! It's the perfect mix of sweet and tart. And yes, you can and should use regular limes, AKA Persian Limes. They are much easier to work with and impart the same flavor as the teeny-tiny Key Limes do.

Source: Cook's Illustrated

Lime Filling

• 2-3 teaspoons grated lime zest (Cook's Illustrated uses 4 but that seems like too much and can affect the texture)
• 1/2 cup lime juice from 3 to 4 limes
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Graham Cracker Crust

• 11 graham crackers , processed to fine crumbs (1 1/4 cups)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar (Cook's Illustrated uses white sugar but I like brown)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Whipped Cream Topping

• 3/4cup heavy cream
• 1/4cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 lime , sliced paper thin and dipped in sugar (optional)

For the filling:

Make sure to use a non-reactive bowl (glass, plastic but not metal) so they mixture doesn't turn brown.  Zest the limes and add to the egg yolks, whisk together. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. Add the lime juice and the sweetened condensed milk stir together.

For the crust:

Process the graham crackers in the food processor until fine crumbs remain. Pulse in the brown sugar until incorporated. Stream in the melted butter. Evenly press the crumb mixture into a 9-10" pie plate and bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

When the crust is done and still hot pour the filling into it. Doing this when the crust is hot prevents the crust from getting soggy. Bake the pie at 350F for 20 minutes.

Cool to room temp. and then refrigerate for 2 hours.

Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Photo taken from Cook's Illustrated.

Strawberry Tart

I've been known to make a mean strawberry pie but I wanted to try something new. Rather than reaching for the usual refrigerated pie crust (yes, I use it because it saves so much time and nobody can really tell the difference between homemade and refrigerated) I decided to try a cookie crust. I found a great recipe on Joy of Baking and I altered it to follow what I had in the pantry.

Here is my interpretation:

Shortbread Crust:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter - cold

A few drops cold water

Filling:

12 ounce bag frozen strawberries (I used some that I picked and froze last year)

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons strawberry jam

1 package (1/4 ounce) (7 grams) unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

4 cups fresh strawberries (risned and quartered)

For the Crust:

Place AP flour and powdered sugar in a bowl. Cut in the butter as much as possible. Add water so that mixture comes together enough to pat into the bottom of a tart pan. Pat the dough into the pan evenly and prick with a fork. Bake at 350 until golden brown about 15-20 minutes.

For the Filling:

Defrost the strawberries and place them in a pan over medium heat. Mash them until the juices have released. Add the jam and stir until that has melted in. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds and pulp. Take the juice and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Return the juice to the pan over medium heat and let the gelatin melt and disolve into the mixture. Squeeze in the lemon juice. There may be a foam that is light pink that has formed on the top of the juice mixture. Skim that off with a ladel prior to the next step. This foam occurs when you make jams as well, caused by the pectin in the jam. Let the mixture cool to room temp. Then pour it over the fresh strawberries.

Add the filling to the cooled crust and refrigerate until ready to serve.