Lime Custard Pie

This week our local market had a sale of limes, and I decided to celebrate "national pie day", (3.14.15), and "St. Patrick's Day", (3.17.15), with my easy, delicious, lime custard pie, (no dairy needed).  This recipe will make one 9 inch pie, and the most often comment you will hear is "this taste just like key lime pie!".  The filling take 5 simple ingredients, and only 20 minutes from start to finish.

First you will need to prepare you pie crust, (it can be a graham cracker crust or a pie dough crust - your choice), just as long as it is already baked and ready to go.  I prefer the graham cracker, since this is a light pie, (I think a lighter pie does well with a light crust).  If you are pressed for time, you can also buy your crust from the store.

For the filling you will need:
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
limes, (depending on the size, enough for 1/2 cup lime juice - my were rather large, I only needed
2 1/2)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

First, grate 1 Tablespoon of lime zest, (about 1 lime), set aside.

 Juice 1/2 cup lime juice.  As noted, I picked out fairly large limes and only need 2 1/2 limes, (I always buy an extra lime or two just in case, and I always bring my limes to room temperature, then roll them over the counter under the palm of my hand pressing slightly, so they release more of their juices).

In a medium saucepan, whisk the 4 eggs.

Whisk in the granulated sugar.

 Whisk in the salt.

 Whisk in the lime juice.

Whisk in the lime zest.

It is important to remember to whisk well after adding each ingredient.  Now place the saucepan over medium heat.  After one minute when the mixture has warmed up slightly, add the butter.

I cut my butter into 4 pieces, so it will melt easier.

Continue whisking, as the butter melts.

 Continue cooking the mixture over medium heat, whisking until it thickens.  Do not, (I repeat DO NOT), let the mixture come to a boil - this will cause the custard to separate and you will need to start over.  It will take about 10 minutes for the custard to thicken, (depending on the size and weight of the saucepan and how much heat it absorbs).

Once the mixture has thicken nicely, remove from the heat.  Notice the nice bits of lime zest in the custard.

Immediately pour the custard into the pie shell.

Now comes the hard part.  Let the pie set on the counter for at least 1 hour to cool to room temperature and set.  Just forget about the pie, even though it smells wonderful and you will be tempted to taste it.  Just lick the spoon or the pan, if you must.

After it has cooled, I like to whip some cream for the top, just around the edges and the center.  You can now store your pie in the refrigerator, (uncovered), until you are ready to serve.  If you would rather not garnish with whipped cream, a few thinly sliced limes pieces look very nice scattered about the top.

And there you have it, lime custard pie.  Another way to serve this for a crowd, is to prepare and bake your crust in a 9 X 13 inch pan, then pour the custard over the crust, (be sure to spray the pan first).  Then cut the pie into squares for serving.

The comment I hear most often is "this taste just like Key Lime Pie".  It's the addition of the lime zest that give it the extra plus.

Don't forget my Easy Irish Soda Bread for your St. Patrick's Day celebration.

Enjoy!

Fresh Pumpkin Pie

Those who have been following us, and using their pureed pumpkin so far have made Pumpkin Bread and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Now lets make some Pumpkin Pie.  This recipe makes 2- 9 inch pies and is SO easy, (only 1 bowl).  I like to make my pies the day before - so the spices can marry with the pumpkin while setting up in the refrigerator, (oh, so good!!).  First get your pie shell ready, (you can use a graham cracker or a pastry crust, your choice).  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  I like to pre-bake pastry crust for 3 minutes before pouring the pumpkin custard into the shell, (but it's not totally necessary with this recipe).  For holidays, I like to use a 2 inch deep pie pan, (the slice gives a much nicer presentation), but for everyday pies and for this demonstration I am using a 1 inch pie pan that was handed down from my grandmother, (I love this pie pan, because it has the slider bar which makes removing every slice, even the first, easy).

For this recipe you will need:
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teas ground cinnamon
1 teas cloves
1 teas ground allspice
1/2 teas ground ginger
1/2 teas nutmeg
1/2 teas salt
3 large eggs, (or 4 medium eggs)
3 cups pumpkin puree
1 can evaporated milk
1 teas vanilla extract
NOTE: you can also substitute for the sugar ONE of the following:  1 1/4 cup honey,  1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup natural sugar, 1 cup agave, 1 1/4 cup Splenda, (artificial sweeteners work better if you use a mix of 50/50 with sugar), or 1/3 cup Stevia.

In a large bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.  Give this a stir to mix everything well.

Note:  If you want to use 4 teaspoons of "pumpkin pie spice" instead of the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger and nutmeg you can - but I think the flavors are so much better when you use this combination of separate spices.

To the sugar spice mixture add the eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Mix on low speed.

Add the pumpkin puree, and continue mixing on low speed.

And the mixture is ready for the pie shell.  It will be very thin, but don't worry it will set up nicely during the baking.

 Here is the pre-baked pie shell.  It's not browned, just slightly set up, and ready for the custard.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the shell to about 1/4 inch from the very top.  Be careful not to overfill.  Some people will set the pie shell on the oven rack and pour their custard into the shell, (so they don't have to carry the filled pie pan to the oven and worry about spilling, but I just set my pan on the counter next to the oven, fill it, and gently set it in the oven).
Note:  What do you do with extra custard? I simply fill a greased baking dish and make a crustless pie, or fill muffin tins.  Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 45 - 60 minutes, (depending on how large your pie pan is), until a knife inserted comes out clean.

And there is your pumpkin pie, (completely from scratch).  Yes of course you can use canned pumpkin, but the taste won't be as wonderful as it is if you are using your own fresh pumpkin puree.
Note:  I wrap some foil around the edge of my pie to prevent the edges from burning.

 And here's the excess custard, I baked in a square baking dish.  Less calories without the crust.

It's so hard to resist a piece of warm pumpkin pie, but let it cool and add some whipped cream or ice cream.  I like mine plain.
Want to make your pie a little more special?
Top the pie with marshmallows during the last 15 minutes of baking, then remove the pie, turn on the broiler and place the pie under the broiler for 1 minute until nice and golden.
Want to take another step: sprinkle some chopped pecans and drizzle with caramel syrup.
Another special touch:  Add a layer of peanut butter to the pie crust bottom, then pour your pumpkin pin custard into the shell and bake.

And remember, you can make these pies and freeze them ahead of time.  Just cover tightly with plastic wrap after the pie is completely cool and pop it in the freezer, then when your ready for the pie, remove it from the freezer, put it in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, you can then warm it in the oven, (350 degrees for about 15 minutes), or the microwave, (just a couple of minutes).  And it's just like freshly made pie.

Let me know how your family liked your freshly made pumpkin pie.    And what special touches did you add to your pumpkin pie.  Up next, I'm thinking maybe something pumpkin for the breakfast crowd.

ENJOY!!