Tamara has asked if I’d fill in on the recipe front as she’s a bit swamped. I said sure, no problem. So far the food goddess tiara fits fine (though it doesn’t go with the rest of my ensemble), but the heels are killing me!
Anyhow, for your gustatory enjoyment: Key Lime Pie.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter) melted
2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
1 cup key lime or regular lime juice*
2 whole eggs
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.
Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Garnish with whipped cream, and slices of key lime or key lime peel.
ruemara
Funny, this. I’m about to do a vegan press crust with a random mess of ingredients. Ground sunflower seeds, vegan butter, wheat & brown sugar & coconut oil. The tart should be vegan cream cheese and berries.
Adam L Silverman
I apologize for not having a picture. I had one of a key lime pie I did for a promotion party for one of my students several years ago, but it seems to have gone AWOL.
Adam L Silverman
@ruemara: I don’t understand any of that, but you go and knock yourself out!
OzarkHillbilly
Take it from one who’s been there Adam, practice, practice, practice.
p.a.
Lurv key lime pie! Only thing I bake is cornbread, but this seems easy.
Adam L Silverman
@p.a.: Its very easy. It is also amazing. My mother does not like key lime pie, she loves this one. Everyone I’ve made this for, who says that key lime pie is a favorite, absolutely loves this one. Doesn’t take long and you’ll absolutely love the results!
OzarkHillbilly
@p.a.: Bread is easy too. Many breads.
ruemara
@Adam L Silverman: lol. A vegan crumb crust with a vegetarian butter that’s 1/3 ground sunflower meal for a nuttier crust.
I love key lime pie so I may reserve this recipe for a splurge day in the future.
TaMara (BHF)
@Adam L Silverman: That is my birthday pie! And I squeeze my key limes by hand*. Slacker.
*may or may not be a factual statement ;-)
rikyrah
Key Lime Pie……sigh..one of my favorite desserts EVER!!
Adam L Silverman
@TaMara (BHF): I’ve done the the squeeze by hand method too. But I can almost always find Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Juice, I can’t always find actual key limes. And while many claim that they can’t taste the difference, I can.
Also, this frilly apron you told me I have to wear when I do these posts tickles…
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: Adam, maybe you could post the photo in some random Adam thread next week? I use Evernote for my recipes – just added this recipe to my file – and it’s always nice to have a pretty picture with a recipe.
Kineslaw
I love key lime pie. I add a little more lime juice and make the crust out of gingersnaps. Yum!
WaterGirl
What aisle would the Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Juice hang out in at the grocery store? The banking aisle? The health food section? The high end food section?
ruemara
@WaterGirl: usually around the produce aisle. Where the limes & lemons are. If not, check the juices aisle.
muddy
@WaterGirl: At my local market it’s with the cocktail fixings. Not sure if this is usual. I suppose because of Rose’s?
ThresherK
@ruemara: You seem to have a lot more experience on this front, so: I’m allergic to sunflower seeds (also hazelnuts, pecans–both of which I miss–and walnuts, about which I care not).
What might I be able to substitute, that will act and bake the same, and without its own overpowering flavor, for this?
WaterGirl
@ruemara: @muddy: Thanks, you guys. I wouldn’t have thought to check either of those places.
Anoniminous
Herself is making a pizza with which we will have some beer I brewed.
The salad came from Jesus.
satby
@Adam L Silverman: I bought a key lime pie last week that my exchange daughters didn’t like at all, so I ended up giving the rest to a neighbor. I love key lime pie, so I’m trying this one on them next. Fortunately, so does the neighbor if they still don’t.
Van Buren
@TaMara (BHF): I order artisanal limes from a small orchard fertilized by the droppings of Key Deer. There’s really no comparison to commercial limes.
TaMara (BHF)
@satby: I have never bought a key lime pie that tastes as good as the recipe Adam posted (which is very close to my recipe) I’ve never figured out why – maybe not lime-y enough.
TaMara (BHF)
@WaterGirl: My store has it next to the regular limejuice. Also, if you didn’t see my earlier reply – I screwed up on the time I scheduled it – and when I got home I pulled it and rescheduled it for 9 pm, i think.
TaMara (BHF)
@Adam L Silverman: Dude, you’re suppose to wear pants with it.
I’ve squeezed key limes once and that was just too much work (for anyone who hasn’t seen them, they are about 1/2 the size of regular limes)
Adam L Silverman
@WaterGirl: If I can find the photo I will. I didn’t want to just post a photo from a google image search.
Adam L Silverman
@WaterGirl: At the Publixes here in Florida you can find it in the aisle with the bottled juices – like the Real Lemon and Real Lime and the nectars. I think it was the same at the Giant and the Wegman’s up in Central PA as well.
You can get it from Amazon and its Prime too!
amazon.com/Nellie-Joes-West-Lime-Juice/dp/B00C44Z66I/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid…
Adam L Silverman
@satby: Always good to have a plan B. As Clausewitz once said (paraphrasing from the original German): the enemy gets a vote!
Adam L Silverman
@TaMara (BHF): Now you tell me!
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: Thank you!
I looked at the amazon link and saw this right away:
I think what you linked to was the lime juice from Key West and this is the key lime juice. Yes?
Hal
Sigh.
gawker.com/melissa-harris-perry-probably-isnt-coming-back-to-msnbc-1761696137
After a very public spat with MSNBC over airtime, the television host Melissa Harris-Perry is probably not going to return to the network, or to her eponymous show.
Harris-Perry’s boycott was sparked by several instances in which MSNBC bumped her weekend morning show, Melissa-Harris Perry, replacing it with horserace election coverage. Harris-Perry walked off the show, which normally focuses on issues of social justice and racism.
Adam L Silverman
@WaterGirl: I’ve used both. I honestly can’t taste the difference. Usually I can find what I linked to in the stores everywhere, but not the latter. The latter is often much harder to find. There are other companies that also make key lime juice.
Adam L Silverman
@WaterGirl: Here’s the difference, from their own website:
keylimejuice.com/product/key-lime-juice-preservative-free/
And that’s why you can find the Key West Lime Juice in more places, because its got preservatives in it. So it travels and sits better.
Mike J
@Hal: Then she said she wasn;t going to be anybody’s flapjack flippin’ aunt Jemima[1], and then said she didn’t think race had anything to do with it. Which makes me think she does think race had something to do with it, but still wants to get another job in TV.
[1] not her actual words, but very, very similar.
p.a.
@OzarkHillbilly: I have the NYT recipe for no-knead bread, just haven’t done it. Did some bread years ago: ap flour and white vinegar/water mister for crust. Came out nice but I live in an excellent bread zone so if I were to do it it’s more for the workout than the quality.
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: Sadly, if anyone would notice the difference, it would be me. I have very discerning tastebuds. I also have expensive taste, without the money to go with it. Oh well.
Glad to know where to find this juice – I will definitely try to make the pie, I thought the idea of ginger snaps for the crust was rather intriguing, what’s your take on that?
WaterGirl
@Mike J: I’m sure it should be obvious, but I can’t quite decide whether you support the stand she took and the way she handled it, or not.
Adam L Silverman
@WaterGirl: If you like ginger, I don’t think it would be a problem, I like ginger snaps, but I, personally, would not introduce another dominant flavor to this recipe. This pie is definitely lime flavored. The sweetness of the condensed milk cuts the over the top pucker factor of the lime, but you’ll definitely know this is a (key) lime pie. I wouldn’t want anything to interfere with that. In this case the graham cracker crust is simply the delivery mechanism to get the key lime filling from the pie plate to your plate and from there onto your fork and into your mouth.
Mike J
@WaterGirl: I do and I don’t. I have no doubt that she thinks there was a racial component, no matter what her later backtracking said. And if she thinks it, I think there’s a good chance that’s true. She was there and saw it. I also think she’ll do better in the media world if she thinks about what she says in public about her ex-boss before she says it. Hell, if Burger King stopped scheduling hours for you, you still shouldn’t bad mouth your boss when you apply at McDonalds.
In short, I understand it, I think she’s right, and I think what she did was stupid, even if understandable.
debbie
I’m too lazy to make a whole pie. Far easier to grab a graham cracker and slather it with lime curd.
J R in WV
I used to bake a lot, back when hard work was keeping the weight off. So we would attend summer pie baking contest parties around the neighborhood, and I won a few of those, too.
Many of the women would remark, well “I use whole wheat flour for MY pie crusts!” and I would say, me too, you just need to sift it 3 times.
Anyway, special occasion evening at home, nice dinner, lemon meringue pie. We had yard birds, so the yolks of the hens were super golden, which makes the pie extra beautiful. And the meringue was special too, as the eggs were from yesterday. Baked just to a brown top, too.
After the stir fry was all gone, I served up two slices of the pie, it was beautiful, professional grade appearance pie. Together we each cut the tip of the pie slice with a fork and tasted it, only to each say “EEEEUUUU, that’s awful!!”
I left the lemon juice out, it was nothing pie. I fed it to the birds the nest morning. So good looking, so nothing tasting.
schrodinger's cat
Question for all the dessert gurus: What should I do with the canned mango pulp I have.
MomSense
The pie that I miss more than any other is banana cream. My grandma made the absolute best I’ve ever tasted. I wish I had paid more attention. I may have to do some experimentation to see if I can approximate it. My grandma was blind so she had a sixth sense about measurements.
Adam L Silverman
@J R in WV: Using good quality eggs is very, very important. It is worth the money to get them.
Adam L Silverman
@schrodinger’s cat: How much do you have?
MomSense
@schrodinger’s cat:
There is an Indian yogurt dessert that is a bit like custard. How would it be with mango?
debbie
@MomSense:
My grandmother made cherry pie with cherries from the tree in her back yard. Very flaky Crisco crust. I’ve never had better crust. Unfortunately, she was the of woman who would happily share a recipe but leave out an ingredient. That used to drive my mother nuts.
schrodinger's cat
@Adam L Silverman: What is your opinion of Dan Carlin and his history podcasts? A friend suggested it when I mentioned my interest in WW I. I just finished listening to Guns of August on tape.
schrodinger's cat
@MomSense: Are you thinking of Shrikhand? I don’t like shrikhand with mango. I was thinking of a cake or a cheesecake of some sort.
MomSense
@debbie:
Thank goodness I learned how to make her pie crust. Real cherry pie is delicious. That awful gelatinous food coloring stuff is not cherry pie.
@WaterGirl: @Adam L Silverman:
What if you didn’t use full strength ginger snaps but used more graham crackers or something else?
schrodinger's cat
@Adam L Silverman: About a pound of supah speshul Alphonso mango from India.
MomSense
@schrodinger’s cat:
Yes that is the one I was thinking of.
Adam L Silverman
@schrodinger’s cat: Never heard of him before you asked. Just looked him up: he has a BA in history and is a former radio host. So he’s not a historian. If you like his other work, give it a whirl. If something seems strange or doesn’t seem like its plausible, look it up in a real military history of WW I and go from there.
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: I love ginger! But I see your point about two strong flavors competing.
I have a great recipe for a flourless chocolate cake that has a pecan crust instead of graham cracker, and it’s SO much better than a graham cracker crust, which I think is always too sweet. Was liking the ginger idea as an alternate, but now I will ponder the possibility that the two flavors might not complement each other.
Mike J
@schrodinger’s cat:
Pork chops and apple sauce. But with mango pulp.
WaterGirl
@Mike J: Thanks for spelling that out for me. I’m kind of all over the map on this one. I suspect she has a fairly accurate take on the situation. I respect her calling them out on it, even publicly, but I wonder if there might not have been a smarter way to play it. On the other hand, she was willing to lose her show in order not to be used, and I have to respect that. In fact, I’m so all over the map about it that I wonder if I will see it differently a day from now or a week from now.
MomSense
@Mike J:
I did haddock in parchment with mango, carrots, peppers, ginger, celery, cilantro and thai seasonings. So delicious.
WaterGirl
@MomSense: That’s amazing.
Mike J
@WaterGirl: I think you and I are simpatico on this one. Tough cases make bad law.
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: What do you consider good, quality eggs? I use England’s Best, either cage free or organic. But I don’t know a lot about eggs.
WaterGirl
@MomSense:
My mouth started watering when I read “real cherry pie”. It’s my favorite. That goopy red stuff is really disgusting.
I’m not sure if I think ginger snaps would mix well with graham crackers, but you might be on to something with either mixing graham crackers with something or mixing ginger snaps with something.
schrodinger's cat
@Adam L Silverman: I had never heard of him either, my friend suggested his series on WW I.
Adam L Silverman
@schrodinger’s cat: So you’ve got several options: First drain and puree the pulp. Then:
1) you can mix it into the base cheesecake recipe I posted a while back for a mango cheesecake. Just add it to the batter until you get the depth of mango flavor you want – from mild to intense.
2) you mix it into the recipe above for a mango-key lime pie. You see that quite often here in Florida.
3) you can mix it into 24 ounces of mascarpone cheese with a 16 ounces of sugar and a tsp of vanilla. Then separate 3 egg yolks from 3 egg whites. Add the yolks to the mango pulp, mascarpone, and sugar mixture. Whip the whites until you have stiff peaks and then fold them into the mango-mascarpone custard. In a spring form pan layer slices of angel food or pound cake (whichever you prefer) till you cover the bottom. Cover with half the custard. Cover that with more slices of angel food or pound cake, then cover with the rest of the custard. Chill for several hours, unmold, and serve.
4) you can make a mango puree mousse. Scald 8 oz of heavy whipping cream and pour it over the mango puree. Add a tsp of vanilla. Let sit for five minutes and then incorporate/mix thoroughly. Basically you’re making a mango ganache. Whip 8 oz of heavy whipping cream until you have stiff peaks. Fold the mango ganache into the whip cream until thoroughly incorporate. Then portion out into serving glasses and refrigerate for several hours.
How’s that?
Adam L Silverman
@WaterGirl: I like these:
nelliesfreerange.com/
schrodinger's cat
@MomSense: About my Maine trip, I am trying to see if I can take off for a week. Husband kitteh is going to weeklong conference in Biddeford. I also have friends in the Bangor area and then I would like to make a trip to Acadia too.
p.a.
@schrodinger’s cat: The First World War, (the late) John Keegan
O. Felix Culpa
@ThresherK: I use ground almonds or almond meal. Nice texture with subtle flavor. I hope you’re not allergic to almonds too. Good luck!
schrodinger's cat
@Adam L Silverman: I love options 3 and 4. Instead of vanilla, I think I will put cardamom and a little nutmeg to give it an Indian twist.
MomSense
@schrodinger’s cat:
Oh cool. All of those places are doable for me. When will you be here?
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: I don’t think they sell those here, but their web page made me laugh!
Adam L Silverman
@schrodinger’s cat: Its one cup of sugar for the mascarpone custard. Basically I’m modifying my tiramisu custard here. I’ve done this with other things before – other fruits, so I know it’ll work. For the mousse, make sure you taste it and see if you need to add some sugar to it. I know mango is usually very sweet, but I don’t think you want a bitter mango mousse.
schrodinger's cat
@MomSense: In mid June.
Adam L Silverman
@WaterGirl: Whatever you’re local equivalent is. Also, if you want a higher fat content for a fuller mouth feel, use duck eggs. When I make creme brule, if I can get them, I use duck eggs. Makes the brule richer.
MomSense
@schrodinger’s cat:
Great. Do you want me to look for art or music offerings?
schrodinger's cat
@Adam L Silverman: Mascarpone custard is lot like srikhand, which is made with thick drained full fat yogurt cheese, the ratio of sugar:cheese is 1:1 too.
ruemara
@ThresherK: You might want, if you’re completely nut averse, to try a graham flour. It’s got a nutty flavor. You could also be quite bold and sub a lentil mash or flour. If you’re not completely nut averse, you can try almond meal, or cashew meal. Save a few pence and ground them up yourself in a coffee grinder you use for spices & nuts.
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: Interesting. When I want to go “richer” I go higher up the cream scale. I never thought about the eggs. thanks!
Adam L Silverman
@schrodinger’s cat: Okay. Sounds like you’ve got a plan.
Adam L Silverman
@WaterGirl: I picked the trick up from an Irish chef. He and his American born wife had a cooking show on when, I think, the Food Network first came out. It was the only thing he ever said that stuck.
MomSense
@ruemara:
I remembered that you eat a lot of cauliflower. Have you tried roasting one whole? I did last week and it was wonderful. Next time I think I will make some dipping sauces to go with it. I just made one tahini based sauce last time.
schrodinger's cat
@Adam L Silverman: I am leaning towards the mousse. Thanks for the recipe!
J R in WV
@Adam L Silverman:
I can get fresh hen eggs, either from neighbors OR at the farmer’s market in town.
But where do you go for Duck Eggs? I’ve never had them, sounds interesting in a dessert.
But you’re absolutely correct about eggs, the fresher, the more outdoors the hens live, the better the eggs, the better the foods you make with the eggs. Even if it’s just over easy with bacon.
schrodinger's cat
@MomSense: Sure! you can contact me at the bloggy email address of [email protected]
NotMax
For the sake of clarity and the kitchen-wary, suggest the recipe ought to read:
2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk.
/inner editor
WaterGirl
@MomSense: How do you roast a whole cauliflower?
WaterGirl
@NotMax: Wouldn’t sweetened condensed milk make it too sweet?
Paging Adam Silverman for clarification…
Adam L Silverman
@schrodinger’s cat: You are quite welcome. Happy to help. BTW: for chocolate mousse, just use 8 oz of chocolate. I use the Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips.
ruemara
@MomSense: I’ve chopped them and roasted them with a sprinkle of no salt seasoning. I’ve also done a coconut flour batter with hot sauce and made buffalo “wings”. I’m pretty full of cauliflower right now. Glad you liked it! I’ve really started to appreciate the lowly cauli.
Adam L Silverman
@J R in WV: You can usually find them at the specialty/swanky gourmet food stores.
Adam L Silverman
@NotMax: @WaterGirl: I’ve never seen a can of condensed milk that isn’t sweetened, but yes, you want the sweetened stuff. I usually by the Eagle Brand with the pull top.
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: The google says that unsweetened condensed milk is basically evaporated milk, but I don’t know if that’s true. In any case, thanks to NotMax, too, for the clarification. I edited my recipe.
The google also showed me how to make your own sweetened condensed milk, I may have to try that!
schrodinger's cat
@ruemara: I usually stir fry it with seasoned oil (tarka or phodni) with whole mustard and cumin seeds, turmeric and green chilies.
NotMax
Pot of garlic soup for tonight’s gathering done; tastes yummilicious.
Working on 6 lbs. of mashed potatoes right now, then a time-out to recoup and on to preparing the two pans of carrot souffle for the oven.
MomSense
@WaterGirl:
You brush it with olive oil and salt it and then roast it in the oven adding olive oil as necessary. The outside is crispy and the inside is tender but not mushy. The NYT did a video instructional. I’ve always been a big cauliflower fan but I had never tried this before.
WaterGirl
@MomSense: Humph. Seems like you would have to cook it forever, maybe an hour? In any case, I’ll google the NYT and see what they say. I like to put freshly grated parmesan on cauliflower instead of salt, I think it adds a nice flavor.
I may have to try it. thanks
MomSense
@schrodinger’s cat:
Thanks. I’ll see if here is anything fun happening at that time. It’s still a little bit early in the season. If you are going to Acadia there are some really nice hikes and tours you can do.
schrodinger's cat
@MomSense: Acadia was one of my favorite places to visit when I lived in Maine.
schrodinger's cat
@WaterGirl: I roast cauliflower and broccoli florets in the oven at 425 sprinkle with some water and olive oil and kosher salt.
In about 20 min to half hour when the cauliflower starts browning at the edges I pull it out of the oven and then heat some canola oil for the tarka. When the oil is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chilies and turmeric. When the mustard seeds begin to pop I add the cauliflower and broccoli florets, and toss them till they are coated with the tarka. Add a squeeze of lime and top with cilantro for garnish. Nutritious and delicious!
NotMax
Crap, crap, crap.
Mashed and mixed everything for the carrot souffle (cheated by using a well-rinsed and drained #10 can of sliced carrots), slid the pans into the oven and only then spotted the softened butter on the counter, which totally forgot to mix in. Dotted the top of each pan with butter instead
C’est la vie.
WaterGirl
@schrodinger’s cat: Interesting. So your cauliflower isn’t whole? And tarka = seasoning? (basically?)
What do mustard seeds taste like? (I know that sounds dumb, but that’s a spice I don’t have.) Does it end up tasting like curry?
WaterGirl
@NotMax: Been there, done that! (Different details, same thing.) At least butter is pretty forgiving about when/how it’s added.
Skepticat
@ThresherK: Cornflakes
schrodinger's cat
@WaterGirl: Tarka in Hindi, Phodni in Marathi means oil seasoned with spices and aromatics. What spices and aromatics depend on the recipe and your taste.
Curry is a spice blend, mostly used by Anglo Indian chefs usually has turmeric, cayenne, fenugreek seeds, it is a milder version of sambar powder. Curry powder and/or sambar powder is not used by cooks from other parts of India.