Put De Lime In De Coconut . . .

"Brother bought a coconut, he bought it for a dime
His sister had another one, she paid it for the lime

She put the lime in the coconut, she drank 'em both up
She put the lime in the coconut, she drank 'em both up
She put the lime in the coconut, she drank 'em both up

Put the lime in the coconut, she called the doctor, woke him up, and said

Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take,
I saidDoctor, to relieve this bellyache,
I saidDoctor, ain't there nothin' I can take,
I saidDoctor, to relieve this bellyache"
~Harry Nilsson

Ok, now that I have you all groovin and swingin around the kitchen to a snappy calypso beat, it's time to talk about this week's Tuesdays With Dorie challenge, and if you are thinking it must have something to do with limes and coconuts and palm trees, then you would be correct! This weeks recipe was Florida Pie as chosen by Dianne of Dianne’s Dishes .



Mmmm . . . lime and coconut, two of my most favouritest of flavours, all rolled up into one delicious Pie! What could be more delicious!



The recipe did present a challenge for me on several levels. One, you cannot get pre-made graham cracker pie crusts over here in England, and, in fact . . . . you cannot get graham crackers over here, and two, you cannot get flaked sweetened coconut, except at a premium price from a company that sells imported American products.

I could have made my own graham crust using a graham pastry that I have used several times in the past for blueberry tarts, but I wanted to stay as true to the recipe as I could, and so I did what I always do when it comes to having to use graham crackers that I just don't have. I used Digestive Biscuits. They always work perfectly and are the best substitution. Thankfully I did have a small store of sweetened coconut and I was very grateful that I did, so with those two problems solves it was full steam ahead!



This was such a lovely recipe. The digestive crust was very easy to do, as were the coconut cream and the filling. I reckon it took me about 10 minutes to reduce the cream and coconut to what I felt was the proper consistency. A timing in the recipe would have been helpful for this, as I was never quite sure really if I had reduced it enough, but I took a chance and went with it anyways!

The lime filling was probably one of the easiest fillings I have ever made for a pie and was indeed very similar to some lemon squares that I make sometimes at Christmas. Quick as a wink, I had the pie baking in the oven and then out on the counter cooling for a bit before freezing it and doing the meringue.



Now I am not a real fan of cooked meringue, and so I decided after reading the recipe through, to go with making meringue the old fashioned way, and the way I have always done it, and my mother before me . . . by just beating my egg whites with the sugar until stiff. It's always worked for me, and it's lovely and soft, which is the way both Todd and myself like our meringue. I have also never been fond of the look that blow torches give to meringues either, all kind of burnt and blackened. I just think meringue looks so much better if you just lightly brown it alal over in a hot oven, and so that's what I did. I also sprinkled some of my precious store of flaked coconut on top of the meringue so it would dress if up a bit! I thought it turned out lovely! (Because I did a traditional meringue, I was a teeny bit afraid to stick it into the freezer for the required time at the end, and so I just chilled it in the refrigerator and it turned out picture perfect!)



All in all, I thought this was a lovely recipe that I will make again. It was just sweet enough without being over the top and I loved the delicious flavours of the coconut and lime combined. We ate it yesterday afternoon, sitting out at our picnic table and basking in the warm sunshine of an English spring day. Todd enjoyed his every mouthful as did I, and I do confess to digging my fork into it several more times before I fell into bed last night . . . just to check like . . .you know . . . to see how it was holding up . . . ummm . . . more checking may be required this morning!

Psssttt!!! I used light sweetened condensed milk so fork digging is allowed!

Don 't forget to pop on over to the Tuesdays With Dorie page to see all the other lovely entries for this weeks challenge. Next week Tara of Smells Like Home has chosen…
Traditional Madeleines. I have never made Madeleines from scratch, so I'm looking forward to that!



*Florida Pie*

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 Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)
1/4 cup of sugar

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 of 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 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.

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:

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.

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.