TWD: Florida Pie

It's Tuesdays with Dorie time again! Dianne from Dianne's Dishes chose this week's recipe for Florida Pie - i.e. Key Lime pie jazzed up with some coconut!

Until Sunday, I had never had Key Lime pie - ever. There is always room in my stomach to try something new, though! I decided to make it to bring to my parents' house for Mother's Day. All in all, it went well, except that I overbeat the meringue. I had never made meringue before Sunday and I honestly was a little frightened by it. It was goin gwell though. I checked my stand mixer and it looked good to me at some point. But the instructions said to beat it until it was room temperature and I still felt the whites were pretty hot, so I kept the beater going. I checked not a minute later and the meringue had flattened, a lot. Despite my meringue being a bit flat, the pie overall was pretty tasty, just wished I had gone with my gut and stopped beating the meringue when it looked right.

I'm a big fan of coconut and I thought it was a great combo with the lime. It was a nice slice of tropical heaven!

Florida Pie
(from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)



1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), 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.