Since my cousin Cindy moved to Seattle a few years ago, we don't get to see her very often. But she recently came to DC and Tom and I hosted a dinner for her and other family at our house, with Tom taking responsibility for all of the savory food and me taking on dessert. The week before, Tom and I had visited my parents in Los Angeles and my mother taught Tom her recipe for Taiwanese beef noodle soup (or at least the 21st century version of it, because now she uses an Instant Pot). So Tom made beef noodle soup for everyone and I decided to make a Frosty Lime Pie for dessert. It seemed like the perfect option because: 1) I could make it in advance, which was critical for a weeknight dinner; 2) a frozen citrus pie would be cold and refreshing on a hot summer day; and 3) my cousin Larry's wife had mentioned offhand just a few days prior that she was craving key lime pie.
I've made frozen pie recipes that don't require you to turn on your oven at all. This isn't one of them; both the crust and the filling are baked. The crust is a mixture of graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt. You're supposed to press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan, but I often struggle to get slices of pie out of pie pans, so I used a 9-inch cheesecake pan with a removable bottom instead. I baked the crust briefly and let it cool.
The pie filling is egg based. You beat egg yolks until thick; add sugar and beat until pale and thick; add lime juice (I used Nellie & Joe's bottled key lime juice) and lime zest; heat the mixture over a double boiler until thickened; cool the mixture to room temperature; and fold in egg whites that have been beaten with salt and sugar until stiff and shiny. I poured the filling into the crust and baked the pie until the top was browned. I let the pie cool before putting it in the freezer, where it stayed for about 24 hours before I served it.
The pie was easy to serve, especially since I was able to remove the entire pie from the cheesecake pan and place it on a cutting board to slice it. My first impression of the pie was that it was incredibly tart, almost too tart (the recipe does include a note about cutting back on the lime juice to make it less tart). I served the pie with plain whipped cream and in retrospect, I wish that I had made sweetened whipped cream instead. The texture of the filling reminded me a lot of a semifreddo or frozen mousse. It was clearly frozen, but not dense or difficult to eat. If I had not made this pie, I would not have known that the filling had been baked.
Even with its bracing tartness, everyone enjoyed the pie. My cousin Larry is a huge fan of sour foods and it was right up his alley. The cold temperature, tart flavor, and light texture made this a wonderful summer dessert. I would make it again, but I might cut back on the lime juice next time!
Recipe: "Frosty Lime Pie" by Pearl Foster, printed in The New York Times.
Previous Posts:
I've made frozen pie recipes that don't require you to turn on your oven at all. This isn't one of them; both the crust and the filling are baked. The crust is a mixture of graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt. You're supposed to press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan, but I often struggle to get slices of pie out of pie pans, so I used a 9-inch cheesecake pan with a removable bottom instead. I baked the crust briefly and let it cool.
The pie filling is egg based. You beat egg yolks until thick; add sugar and beat until pale and thick; add lime juice (I used Nellie & Joe's bottled key lime juice) and lime zest; heat the mixture over a double boiler until thickened; cool the mixture to room temperature; and fold in egg whites that have been beaten with salt and sugar until stiff and shiny. I poured the filling into the crust and baked the pie until the top was browned. I let the pie cool before putting it in the freezer, where it stayed for about 24 hours before I served it.
Even with its bracing tartness, everyone enjoyed the pie. My cousin Larry is a huge fan of sour foods and it was right up his alley. The cold temperature, tart flavor, and light texture made this a wonderful summer dessert. I would make it again, but I might cut back on the lime juice next time!
Recipe: "Frosty Lime Pie" by Pearl Foster, printed in The New York Times.
Previous Posts:
- "I Say Curd, You Say Cream: Lime Cream Tart with Ginger-Cream Cheese Crust," July 24, 2016.
- "Getting Lucky with Lemon: Lemon Icebox Pie," June 19, 2015.
- "Plainly Delicious: Lime Mousse Tart," October 25, 2014.
- "Salty-Tart-Creamy-Crunchy-Sweet: Sunrise Key Lime Tarts," October 23, 2012.
- "Ask and You Shall Receive: Key Lime Pie," February 11, 2012.
- "The Name Is No Lie: Very Tangy Lime Bars," November 17, 2010.
- "Key Lime Sugar Cookies," August 15, 2008.
Comments