Hello again! It has been a little too long since the last time that I put up a new post. Life is busy and sometimes it’s even busier! That’s how it has been lately. So, I was thinking about my next post, being this one here, and wondering what I should use as my key ingredient and it hit me. Actually, I was walking through the grocery store and saw a cute little bag of key limes and it was over from there! Then, I was thinking okay, what am I going to make with these little guys. But then again, there is probably nothing that highlights them more than key lime pie. I decided to stray away from the graham cracker crust, even thought it is fool proof, and went with a chocolatey coconut crust. Partially inspired by when my husband and I went to Kermit’s Key Lime Pie Shoppe in Key West and had a taste of that famous treat dipped in chocolate. It tasted especially good because we had accidentally gotten sunburnt badly from snorkeling.
So here are some facts about these little packs of flavor-
Key Limes
-yellow when they are ripe
-contain higher acidity than regular limes
-are mostly from Mexico and Central America
-are used in the official state pie of Florida
-National Day is September 26th
So with that being said let’s make some Key Lime Pie
First, we will start with the crust. Combine 1/4 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup cocoa in a saucepan.
Then, bring to a boil for 1 minute, remove from heat and stir it 1 1/2 cups of coconut and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Return the saucepan to the burner and while stirring, cook for 1 more minute. Pour into 9 inch pie plate to cool.
For filling, combine 2 cans sweetened condensed milk, 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup key lime juice and just enough green food coloring to get a nice color for the pie.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Key Lime Pie with Chocolate Coconut Crust
Crust:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
Filling:
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup key lime juice
Green food coloring
Combine crust ingredients minus the vanilla and coconut in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil for a minute. Remove from heat and add the coconut and vanilla. Return to heat and while stirring cook 1 more minute. Pour into 9 inch pie plate and cool. For the filling, whisk 2 cans sweetened condensed milk, 4 egg yolks and 1/2 cup key lime juice. When all is combined, add just a few drops of green food coloring for a limey green color. Pour on to the crust and bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins. Garnish with extra key limes.
I have been thinking a lot about the little things in life and what joy they can bring. While my husband and I were walking the Old Indian Trail near Tamarack Wildlife Refuge, we caught a glimpse of this fawn nestled by a fallen tree. It is times like these that it is so worth stopping and taking a closer look around. Just look at those big brown eyes!
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pant for you, my God. Psalms 42:1