In my defense, I just wanted to make sure that the poached pears I made earlier are consumed in a timely manner (read: before next weekend rolls in) - and you know the best (fastest) way to get someone to eat something is by smothering it with rich, velvety chocolate. Consider it killing two birds with one stone.
Shortcrust Pastry:
[ 2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the surface + 1 1/8 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon sugar + 8 oz (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces + 1/3 cup ice water ]
Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor to combine. Or you can do it old school and use your hands.
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumb (If using hands, rub the pieces butter of into the flour).
Add ice water and pulse until just combined (the dough will still be crumbly).
Shape dough into a disk, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ gas Mark 4.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness and roll into a pie tin. Prick the bottom with a fork.
Bake blind weighted with rice/peas/beans/whatever floats your boat for 15 mins
Remove weight, bake again for another 10 mins until golden. Set aside to cool
Chocolate Ganache:
[10 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate + 1 1/3 cup heavy cream]
Using a microwave or a double boiler, heat chocolate and whipping cream in medium bowl
Heat (if using microwave: on HIGH for 2 minutes) until chocolate is almost melted, stirring every minute.
Beat with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended.
Pour into crust and cover. Refrigerate 2 hours.
After the 2 hours, get ready to prepare the poached pears:
**How to fan a pear: (Instructions from Christie’s Corner)
Take the poached pears and cut them in half. Scoop out the seeds with a melon baller or a spoon.
Place one pear half, cut-side down, on a cutting board. Using a sharp, thin-bladed knife, slice the pear into very thin slices across the axis (horizontally), keeping the shape intact (so even after it’s sliced, it still looks like an intact pear half).
Gently press your hand down upon the curve, fanning the slices back towards the wide end of the pear, like dominoes.
Slide a palette knife under the sliced pear half, keeping the fanned shape, and transfer onto the ganache in the pie shell.
Refrigerate for another 2 hours or overnight before serving.
Enjoy!
I think I owe a short explanation for the title - I couldn’t (wouldn’t, shouldn’t) call this a Key Lime Pie for the obvious reason that there isn’t any in it. Cake-y because that’s exactly how the pie was. The texture of the filling resembled that of cheesecake, which is purely accidental because my filling wouldn’t thicken (I think the eggs I used were too small) so I added some flour in attempt to help it set. I actually don’t mind it being a bit cake-y at all because the tartness of the lime combined with the creaminess of the condensed milk was an almost exact replica, taste-wise, to that of cheesecake. So, uhm, I guess I couldn’t really call this a failed Key Lime Pie and so decided to slap another name on it instead. No judgement please.
Lime Cake-y Pie (my somewhat failed attempt at Pioneer Woman’s)
[1 1/2 cup cracker crumbs (graham, saltines, digestive biscuits etc etc. I used coconut biscuits - I know right, how predictable) + 1/3 cup sugar + 1/3 cup melted butter (I used margarine) + 1/2 cup (key lime, if you have it) lime juice + 2 egg yolks + 1 tablespoon lime zest + 1 can 14-ounce condensed milk + 1/4 cup all-purpose flour]
Crush crackers in a food processor or ziploc bag with a rolling pin to make 1 1/2 cup crumbs.
Pour them into a bowl and stir in sugar and melted butter.
Press into a pie pan
**I lined my pie pan with parchment paper, leaving tags, just so I can pull it out and serve it outside the pan.
Bake at 150 degrees C for 5 minutes or until golden and set. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.
Mix lime zest, lime juice, and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add in condensed milk and mix on high until smooth and thick.
Pour mixture into crust and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour—more if possible.
Candied Citrus:
[1 lemon or 3 limes, sliced thinly + 1/2 cup sugar + 1/2 cup water] OPTIONAL: 2 tablespoon sugar
**You can alter the amount of sugar and water according to the amount of citrus you want to candy, just keep the ratio of water: sugar as 1:1
In a pan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil.
Add the lemon or lime slices and leave it 5 minutes.
Take the slices out and drain on paper towels.
** The liquid you just blanched the lemons in is now a lemon-y simple syrup and can be used as a sweetener for your tea, lemonade etc.
Sprinkle 1/3 teaspoon of sugar on each slices and leave for 15-30 minutes. Set aside.
Top each slice of pie with a piece of candied lime (and whipped cream!) and serve.
Enjoy!
Well, pretty much anyone really. Then I would make…
Chocolate Silk Pie.
The Oxford English Dictionary traces the first use of the word “pie” as it relates to food to 1303, noting the word was well-known and popular by 1362.
“Pie…a word whose meaning has evolved in the course of many centuries and which varies to some extent according to the country or even to region….The derivation of the word may be from magpie, shortened to pie. The explanation offered in favour or this is that the magpie collects a variety of things, and that it was an essential feature of early pies that they contained a variety of ingredients….Early pies were large; but one can now apply the name to something small, as the small pork pies or mutton pies…Early pies had pastry tops, but modern pies may have a topping of something else…or even be topless.
-The Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson
Topless pie indeed.
Who wouldn’t like a slice of (topless) pie?
1. Crust:
155g (chilled till hard) unsalted butter + 1 tsp salt + 115g all-purpose flour + cold water (use only if needed)
Break up pieces of butter into chunks.
Mix into flour&salt until it resembles coarse meal. Add as little water as possible.
Form a ball, stick in the fridge for 30 mins. Roll out to pie tin.
Bake blind weighted with rice/peas/beans/whatever floats your boat for 15 mins at 160 degrees celsius.
Take it out. Remove weight, bake again for another 10 mins till golden.
2. Filling:
115g butter (unsalted) + 170g semi-sweet chocolate + 100g sugar + 3 eggs
On a double boiler, melt butter and chocolate, set aside.
Mix eggs and sugar till pale lemony-colour
Mix egg mixture into melted chocolate
Pour into pie crust.
Bake for 10 mins at 125 degrees celsius
Take out, set aside, refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight recommended!)
SERVE! (with whipped cream/ice/cream/whatevercreamfloatsyourboat)
