TWD: Florida Pie - Lime and Coconut

It's Tuesday again and you know what that means! More baking from Dorie's home to my home to your home, or Baking: From My Home to Yours via Dorie and her fabulous book of the same name - whichever way you want to look at it! All this comes courtesy of the Tuesdays with Dorie group, created by the fabulous Laurie of Quirky Cupcake. Joining this group has been such a blast the past few weeks. You can see a list of all the Tuesdays with Dorie posts I've put up so far at the bottom of this post.

This week's recipe choice for the Florida Pie comes to us from Dianne of Dianne's Dishes. I love lime and the pie sounded great. I wasn't sure that the coconut was going to be too much for my taste, but I wanted to try it out anyway. Bake on, right!? Right.

I went for it and just cut the recipe proportions basically in half (crust in half, filling down to a third - as a lesson learned from the last time) to make a smaller version in a 4.5" Springform pan. It turned out great and was absolutely delicious. The coconut probably was a little too much for my taste. I would probably go ahead and leave the coconut out of the meringue next time I make it. The coconut "creme" at the bottom just on the crust was perfect for me. Either way, the flavors were wonderful. D will probably like this one more than usual, probably in large part due to the fact that for once around here there was no chocolate in sight.

Make sure to check out the Tuesdays with Dorie blog for all the other TWD creations from the group.

Florida Pie
(From Baking: From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan)
1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235 - added at the bottom of this recipe), 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.

Graham Cracker Crust
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

To Make the Crust:
Butter your 9-inch pan (springform or pie plate). Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. Turn the ingredients into the pan and press into the bottom and up the sides. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.) Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the pan on a baking sheet (as in directions above). Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the fillings above.

Other Tuesdays with Dorie:
Peanut Butter Torte (& Bars)
Fluted Polenta & Ricotta Cake
Bill's Big Carrot Cake
Marshmallows - Dark & White Chocolate

Don't forget to check out the giveaway I'm doing!