Sunday, July 8, 2012

Key Lime Pie, Finally!


It has really been a while since this food blog was last updated, and in fact, during a recent visit to Stockholm, the status of the blog was enquired into (by more than a single person!)--had it been abandoned?

As usual, there are many explanations and excuses our Cantabrigian Swede-Pole could try: math research and a busy travel schedule taking up all his time; the twin temptations of pubs and coffee shops preventing evenings being spent cooking at home;  the continuing battle with bean-eating slugs and snails leaving him exhausted and despondent. These are all pretty lame--a better excuse is that our mathematician's house has been receiving a fair amount of visitors, both local and from abroad, in these last couple of months. This has been very nice indeed, as the British would say, and a lot of cooking (and even BBQing in the garden!) has been happening; writing a food blog post is, however, a solo activity really.

Another thing, beside food blogging, that used to be happen more frequently, at least last summer and fall, was the making of key lime pie--that empress of deserts! It really is the world's most delicious pie, and it's pretty easy to make; so it seems very hard to come up with reasons for not eating it more often. ("Every day! With bacon, for breakfast! Try the high carb high fat (HCHF) pie diet!")  Clearly, this current reduced intake of zesty pie would eventually have a detrimental effect on our blogger's health. (Citrus fruits are good for you!) And so, on this sunny evening, a delicious key lime pie was made, and enjoyed in the garden together with a cup of tea and some Kingsley Amis.

Advertisement: the availability of home-grown french beans seems to be within the realm of possibility, so stay tuned for blog entry featuring bean casserole.

Ingredients:

4 limes
1 can of condensed (sweetened) milk (400g/14 oz.)
4 egg yolks

250 ml/1 cup of flour
150g/5 oz. of butter
salt

1 pie form




Start by preparing the pie crust. Preheat the oven to 325F/150C. Cut the butter into strips, and then into little cubes. In a large bowl, mix the flour and the butter carefully. Add cold water, about half or one third of a cup, until the dough has the right texture. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and use a pin to roll out the dough; it should be pretty thin. (And adapted to the size of your pie form obviously). Prepare the form, making sure the "walls" of the form are lined, and then place the crust in the oven.

While the crust is in the oven, it's time for some lime action. Wash the limes carefully, and then zest them, using one of those cool zesters if you have one (I don't), or a grater. Keep the limes; we'll need the juice! After you're done with the now not-so-green little fruits, it's usually a good time to remove the pie crust from the oven.




Pour the lime zest into a large bowl, add 4 egg yolks, and whisk everything together. Pour the condensed milk into the bowl, and give the filling another beating. Finally, cut the limes in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Give the filling a mixing in between the individual limes. (You'll notice that the condensed milk reacts in an interesting way with the acid in the lime juice; the texture gets a little thicker. Apparently there are versions of key lime pie that are not baked, but rely on this souring process alone.) Depending on your preferences and the brand of condensed milk you're using, you may want to add a little sugar to the mix.




Finally pour the filling into the crust slowly, and use a spoon to make sure it is spread evenly. Bake the pie at the center of the oven for about 15 minutes. Take out the pie and let it cool off. Done!




Serving suggestions: "The Life Pursuit" by Belle & Sebastian on the side, a cup of Taylor of Harrogate's Yorkshire tea with milk.