TWD: Florida Pie

Did it ever happen to you that nothing goes right during cooking? Well, it happened to me last night. I guess I should not push myself to do it when I didn't feel like cooking, but I still carried on because I've bought all the ingredients for Florida Pie already.

It's disastrous right from the start! I misinterpreted the amount of cookies crumbs needed for the pie base. The recipe mentioned 1 and 3/4 cup, but instead of measuring it with a cup, I calculated the weight instead. So I had too much cookies crumbs and too little butter, and no matter how I mixed it, the mixture was still very dry. I still tried to press the mixture onto the mini tart pans though, and I was hoping that by freezing it before baking, it will turn out alright. But of course, my silly plan did not work, and right after baking, when I tried to touch one of the crusts, it crumbled immediately.

But by then, it was too late to back out because I've already prepared the lime cream. So I've decided to leave the pie crusts as they were and continued with the cooking of shredded coconut and cream. And I made yet another mistake with the amount of coconut. The amount shown in the ingredient list is 1 and 1/4 cup, and the "1/4" cup is actually meant to be used later in the meringue base. But I used it all with the cream, and the mixture turned out a tad too thick even before cooking.

Third mistake happened when I tried to brown the meringue. I have not done this before and I did not know how long it will take to achieve the desired result. So I was washing up the utensils after I put the pies in the oven, and just within a few minutes, I could smell that something's burning! I immediately took the pies out from the oven but the meringue on some of the pies were slightly burnt. The pie in the picture above were one of the few pieces that happened to be in the cooler zone of the oven, and lucky for me, at least I still have a picture to show on this post.

I can't comment much about the recipe as my Florida Pie was a failure. All I can say is that the lime cream tastes good, and even though I've put in all the condensed milk called for, the cream was not overly sweet and it tasted just right with the lime juice.

Hopefully, I will be more alert when I try out the recipe for TWD next week and in the mean time, check out the entries from the other bloggers here.

Florida Pie Recipe
(From Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)

Ingredients:
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, seperated
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)
1/4 cup of sugar

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat.
2) 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.
3) Working with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks in a large bowl 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 reaming 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.
4) 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.
5) 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.
6) 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.