Tuesdays with Dorie: Florida Pie

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This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe selection, Florida Pie, was the perfect choice for me. Not only do I live in Florida, but this pie is a variation of Key lime pie, which is Mr. SGCC's favorite dessert. In fact, it is one of the very few desserts that he does like. Finally, a dessert creation from me that my husband will actually eat! Many thanks go to our host for this week, Dianne of Dianne's Dishes for picking this one. Mr. SGCC salutes you!

Key limes or Citrus aurantifolia, are the fruit of tropical citrus tree and are related to lemons, oranges, and kumquats. They are native to Southeast Asia, and probably originated in Indonesia or Malaysia. As opposed to the hybrid Persian limes that one usually finds in stores, Key limes are smaller, rounder fruits with a thin yellowish-green rind. They are aromatic and very juicy, with a very tart and acidic quality. Key limes were grown commercially in the Florida keys for many years, until the great hurricane of 1926 destroyed all the citrus groves in the region. Key lime trees can still be found growing prolifically all around South Florida and the Florida Keys.
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Making Key lime pie is one of the most popular uses for Key limes. Key lime pie is made with key lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk, usually baked in a graham cracker pie crust, though originally they were baked in a traditional pastry crust. No one really knows for sure who "invented" the first Key lime pie, but the most popular theory is that William Curry, Florida's first self-made millionaire, had a cook known as Aunt Sally, who created the pie sometime in the late 1800s. The pie relies on sweetened condensed milk because, up until the construction of the Overseas Highway in 1930, there was no refrigeration in the Keys and thus, no fresh milk or ice was available. Since there was no fresh milk, local cooks had to rely on canned sweetened condensed milk, which was invented in 1856 by the Gail Borden (Sound familiar?).

On July 1, 2006, by action of the Florida Legislature, Key Lime Pie was designated as the Official State Pie of the State of Florida. This wasn't the first time that legislation was proposed regarding the Key lime pie. In 1965, Florida State Representative Bernie Papy, Jr. introduced a bill calling for a $100 fine to be levied against anyone advertising Key lime pie that was not made with key limes. That bill did not pass!

Dorie's Florida Pie is essentially a traditional key lime pie lined with a layer of coconut cream. It is brilliant because that layer of sweet creaminess really balances out the tartness of the Key lime filling. I opted to use a store bought crust for this pie. I was pressed for time and succumbed to convenience. Please don't throw rotten Key limes at me! Dorie says in the book that she usually does this too, so I figured it was okay.
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There is also an age-old debate as to the proper way to top a Key lime pie: meringue, whipped cream, or neither. Dorie's recipe calls for a meringue topping which is either broiled or torched. I decided to top mine with freshly whipped cream sprinkled with a little toasted coconut. I like it better that way. So sue me!

All in all, everyone here in SGCC Land really enjoyed this dessert. It is an interesting and delicious twist on an old favorite. I wouldn't hesitate to make this again.

If you're into Key lime pie, or coconut or Dorie, please take some time to check out some of the other great versions of Florida Pie at Tuesdays with Dorie.
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Dorie's Florida Pie
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1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), 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, separated
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
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Getting Ready:
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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 remaining 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.

To Finish the Pie with Whipped Cream:

Freeze untopped pie for 30 minutes.

Whip 2 cups of cold heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Pile whipped cream over the top of the pie and top with toasted coconut, if desired.
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Enjoy!

Comments

Engineer Baker said…
Beautiful pie! I love how creamy it looks when you slice into it!
Anonymous said…
It looks great! I wish I had used whipped cream and toasted coconut as a topping as well.
Anonymous said…
It looks sticky gooey and chewy. love the history of the`key lime.
Jayne said…
What a gorgeous pie!!! And the background info was really interesting - thanks for including all of that for us!
Anonymous said…
the toasted coconut on top looks great. wonder how exactly they would have gone about figuring out which pies were made with key limes and which ones weren't in order to fine $100... :)
Heather B said…
I love all of the whipped cream. It looks just like meringue. yum...yum...yum! Great job!
Oh my friggin word this looks good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love redi-made crust. Who the phuck wants to make pie crust??? NOT ME!!!! I am thinking I need visit this Dorie woman. And, I love any dessert that requires a blow torch.
test it comm said…
I have never had a key lime or a key lime pie. The lime and coconut combo sounds good. Your pie looks great! That slice looks so creamy!
Gretchen Noelle said…
Lovely looking pie!! I think the whipped cream with toasted coconut looks perfect!
CookiePie said…
SGCC - once again you are a girl after my own heart! I'm not a meringue fan, so I think whipped cream is definitely the way to go... and this pie looks gorgeous!
Leah said…
Beautiful photos, my favorite is the cross section!! Absolutely gorgeous!
mimi said…
wow, look at all that whipped cream!! it looks so delish, great photo!
Natalie said…
Oh that whipped cream looks fantastic!
Nina Timm said…
OOhhh, this looks so creamy and delicious!!!!!
Anonymous said…
This is one of my favorite pies!! But have never made it myself! I rely on all my baking friends that feel sorry for me and offer to bake me some!
We have a "mexican lime" tree that we have dubbed our "margarita tree". Is this the same thing as a key lime? Some say "yes", some say "no", and some are just confused.
What's your opinion?
wow--that looks great! that big tall slice has me wishing ours wasn't all gone!
grace said…
all right, all right, i'll eat some. no need to twist my arm. :)
You won't have to justify the whipped cream to me. I'll take whipped cream over mergingue any day. Very yummy looking pie.
That slice of pie looks absolutely delicious!
Fitness Foodie said…
That looks so yummy. I love lime and coconut flavors - very tropical.
taste memory said…
since moving to Fla. I've come to love key lime pie ~ have not tried the Florida Pie yet but this looks stunning and delicious!

Great pix btw...
JG said…
True key limes can be very hard to find, but almost anywhere in florida you can find wild orange trees...The fruit is very sour and makes a great substitute for key limes...Lots of old timers make wonderful sour orange pies substituting the orange juice for the key lime juice in their favorite key lime pie recipes
Peter M said…
I want this pie now...for brekkie!
RecipeGirl said…
Your version looks pretty darn tasty. But then again I would expect nothing less from you, Florida girl! I would have added coconut too. YUM!
Marie Rayner said…
Your pie is sooo beautiful! I love the lime garnish also! Well done!
CB said…
Perfectly purdy pie! Great job!
Clara @ I♥food4thought
Sharon said…
Oh, yum. I want a piece! It looks great. I think I like the idea of whipped cream better than the meriange.
I won't be throwing anything at you Susan for making a premade crust.I would take that route many times, although I can but pie crust dough at one of the local orchards. Florida pies are cropping up every where and sure sound droolworthy:D
That was a perfect recipe for you! It is also Mr Cannelle Et Vanille's favorite but I don't make it often... don't know why. This looks fabulous!
The whipped cream looks divine! Looks great!!!
ostwestwind said…
Wow, a great looking pie! An official State pie ;-), I don't know if Germany has any...

Ulrike from Küchenlatein
Nic said…
Oh yeah! Lovin' that slice photo!
(How funny about the key limes, I don't think I've ever had a 'real' key one.)
Jen said…
This looks completely amazing. I love key limes and I love coconut! YUM!
Barbara Krieg said…
I. AM. MAKING. THIS. PIE. RIGHT. NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anonymous said…
Your pie looks fabulous! The toasted coconut is a wonderful touch.
Anonymous said…
A pool of drool now exists under my desk. Too lovely for words.
Susan @ SGCC said…
Thank you all so much! I'm thrilled that you like the pie. I really appreciate that you thought enough to leave a comment and I will try to catch up with these as soon as I can. I'm in the midst of a crisis right now and it is eating up a lot of my time. I will talk more about it in a future post, but for now, thank you all for coming around. It means a lot! :)
Heather said…
I love that you drop some science with your recipe. We're starting to get a taste of summer weather, but I'd settle for a taste of that pie. :P
Julius said…
I love your blog! Glad you liked the pie (I loved it as well). Looking forward to your next posts.

Julius
from Occasional Baker
giz said…
Key limes aren' always that easy to get here and the difference is really phenomenal. It's worth holding out for the little beauties Your pie looks soooo good - I haven't had a real key lime pie since I was in Floida. I feel cheated .. sniff sniff
Joanna Schmidt said…
OMG. Totally fabulous. My mouth is watering. Here in Florida so I should probably try to make this thing. You did such a beautiful job.
Mari said…
Your pie looks just gorgeous, and I personally think the use of whipped cream is just fine! ;-)
Anonymous said…
Susan. Kill me now. I can't take life any longer with this pie to stare at! YUM!
Anonymous said…
I CANNOT TAKE ALL THE PICTURES OF THIS DELICIOUS PIE. THEY ARE KILLING ME.

also, key lime pie should ALWAYS be topped with fresh whipped cream. screw meringue.
Oh your pie looks so good! I would love just one tiny little slice please!
Melissa said…
Gorgeous! Love the toasted coconut!
Melissa said…
Gorgeous! Love the toasted coconut!
I love a good KLP and I love the look of your pie! It looks different from the KLPs I'm used to, but that's a welcome change--there's nothing worse than a dish that gets so typecast that it never veers from the standard template in any way. This looks delicious!
Cara said…
Thanks for sharing all the info about Key Limes and Key Lime Pie. I learned something new!
Anonymous said…
Yum! The toasted coconut looks fab! Hx
I want to put a fork in that pie right now!! exquisite!
that is one of the most beautiful pies I have ever seen. With both lime and coconut, definitely a favorite of mine already, Susan!
CRS said…
Wow, that's gorgeous!
Anonymous said…
Nice job!! I love how you topped that pie, and this challenge is making me drool.
Helene said…
Fantastic job! This makes me salivating so bad I think I'll just muster up the energy to get it done tonight!
Cakelaw said…
I need a huge slice of this - now!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amy said…
Ooh whipped cream! I would like that so much better since I hate meringue. Your pie looks delish! :)
Jaime said…
beautifully decorated! great job!
Made this today.....it is fabulous. Didn't have any key limes so I used regular. I like this MUCH better w/regular crust than the graham crust. I think the regular crust cuts the sweetness of the coconut and filling. I used the whipped cream topping also. Holy Crap...we need the paddles.
Anonymous said…
OK, this looks awesome and I learnt the difference between Key Lime and other Lime...(something Australians are usually unsure of)...gotta make it now! thanks

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