Florida Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Getting Ready: 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 or 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 on 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: Preheat the broiler. 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 ½ 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.

Steps:

• To Make Lime Filling: In a large mixing bowl, whip cream cheese until fluffy. Add condensed milk, lime juice, lime rind, and salt. Whip until mixture is smooth. Pour into graham cracker crust. Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly.
• To Make Topping: In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Add vanilla or lemon extract and confectioners' sugar. Continue to whip until cream forms stiff peaks. Place topping in a fine-mesh sieve and place sieve over a bowl to catch liquid that drains off. Cover topping tightly with plastic wrap and allow to drain for 2 hours.
• Before serving, discard liquid that has drained from topping. Spread topping over pie.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Line unpricked crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice., Bake until bottom is lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until golden brown, 5-8 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350°., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in water and orange juice. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer (mixture will be thick). Remove from heat., In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gently stir in lemon juice, butter, and lemon and orange zests., For meringue, in a large bowl, beat egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until soft glossy peaks form., Transfer hot filling to crust. Spread meringue over filling, sealing to edge of crust; swirl top with the back of a spoon., Bake until meringue is golden brown, 13-16 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour. Chill 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Toss in the butter cubes serially, to keep them separate while coating them evenly in flour. Using a fork, cut the butter into the flour, continuing to toss them as you do, until they're roughly the size of peas.
• Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice water over the flour-and-butter mixture. Using your fork, toss to incorporate, then continue to add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to come together as you stir it. Using your hands, fold the dough over itself a few times, adding just enough water so that it holds together.
• Form the dough into a disk about 1-inch thick, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to a couple of days.
• When you're ready to make the pie, first prepare the pie shell: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 12 inches in diameter, then fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim and crimp edges, then, using the tines of a fork, pierce the bottom crust 8 to 12 times. Line dough with a sheet of parchment paper, and spread evenly with pie weights. Place the pie crust on a baking sheet, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the edges are set. You want it slightly underdone. Carefully remove the pie weights and parchment, and let cool completely on a rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• Make the filling: In a large bowl, use a whisk to beat the egg yolks until they are thick, then gradually beat in the condensed milk, then the lime juice. Stir in 1 tablespoon lime zest.
• In a medium bowl, use a whisk to beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold them gently into the condensed-milk mixture. Pour into the cooled pie shell.
• Place the pie back on the sheet pan and bake until the filling is just set in the center, about 20 minutes. It need not be completely firm because the filling thickens as it cools.
• Cool the pie on a rack, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Serve topped with whipped cream and about 1 teaspoon grated lime zest.

Steps:

• For Crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely chop nuts in processor. Add ground cookies, sugar and butter and blend in using on/off turns until moist crumbs form. Press mixture firmly onto bottom and sides of 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass pie dish. Bake crust until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool.
• For Filling:
• Boil grapefruit juice and 1/4 cup sugar in heavy medium saucepan over high heat until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over lime juice and let stand 10 minutes. Add gelatin mixture, white chocolate and 1/4 cup cream to grapefruit mixture and whisk over low heat until white chocolate and gelatin melt and mixture is smooth. Pour into large bowl. Refrigerate until cool but not set, whisking occasionally and scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula, about 2 hours.
• Beat cream and sugar to stiff peaks. Spoon whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe 15 rosettes of cream around edge of pie. Place 1 lime slice rounded side up between each rosette. Fill center with chocolate curls if desired. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate.)

Steps:

• For the Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Toast until fragrant, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool slightly, then finely chop. In a large bowl (or a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), whisk together butter, egg yolk, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Stir in flour and walnuts to combine, then knead mixture with your hands a few times to form a soft, pliable dough.
• Press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of a standard 9-inch pie dish. Prick at 1-inch intervals with the tines of a fork; refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes or, covered, up to 1 day.
• Bake crust 15 minutes; if it's puffing in places, flatten it with the bottom of a dry measuring cup. Continue baking until crust is golden brown and set, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack.
• For the Filling: Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt to combine. Whisk in juice, 1/3 cup water, and egg yolks until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Boil 30 seconds; remove from heat. Stir in orange zest, lemon zest and juice, and butter until smooth. Immediately pour into baked crust; smooth top. Let cool slightly, then refrigerate until cold and set firmly, at least 4 hours or, loosely covered (once cold), up to 1 day. Cut into wedges and serve cold, with whipped cream.