Key Lime Pie with Whipped White Chocolate Cream
- For the Graham Cracker crust:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1⁄4 tsp kosher salt
- 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- For the filling:
- 3 cans sweetened condensed milk
- Finely grated zest of two limes
- 1 cup key lime juice
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 recipe Graham Cracker Crust
- For the whipped white chocolate cream:
- 7 ounces white chocolate, chopped
- 2 tsp unflavoured powdered gelatin
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1. To make the Graham Cracker crust, preheat the oven to 375F. In a medium bowl, stir the graham cracker crumbs (you can use digestive biscuits if you can’t get Graham Crackers), granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and butter until combined.
2. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom, corners, and up the sides of a deep nine-inch pie pan. Bake for seven to 10 minutes, until fragrant, dry, and toasty. Let cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
3. Make the filling. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, lime zest, key lime juice, whole egg, and egg yolks until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared crust and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pie after 20 minutes, until the filling is set and the centre doesn’t jiggle when you move the pan. Let the pie cool completely.
4. Make the white chocolate cream. Put the chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl and fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small bowl, combine the gelatine and water and let stand until the gelatine has softened, about five minutes. In a small saucepan, bring the cream and vanilla paste to a simmer over medium heat, then whisk in the gelatine mixture. Remove from the heat. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the chocolate, whisking continuously as the chocolate melts. Continue to whisk until fully combined and uniform, then transfer the bowl to the ice bath.
5. Using a handheld mixer, whip the white chocolate cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Before adding the cream to the pie, make sure there’s not a lot of condensation on top of the pie. If there is, very lightly dab it with a kitchen towel. Dollop, spread, pipe, or spike the white chocolate cream on top of the pie and serve. This pie can be stored in an airtight container or covered well with foil or plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Reprinted with permission from The Good Book of Southern Baking by Kelly Fields with Kate Heddings, copyright (c) 2020. Published by Lorena Jones Books, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.
