2008-03-14

Coconut Key Lime Pie

Happy Pi Day! Here's my contribution to this wonderful event organized by Alanna at Kitchen Parade. Key lime pie is one of my husband's favorite deserts and key lime is The Kid's favorite flavor of soy yogurt, so I decided to attempt an egg and dairy free key lime pie. This was taking on a bit of a challenge, because the three ingredients in the filling of a key lime pie are egg yolks, condensed sweetened milk, and key lime juice. Most vegan recipes adapting custards use silky tofu, but I wanted to go back to the pie's Caribbean roots, so instead I sweetened and reduced coconut milk and used Ener-G Egg Replacer to thicken it. The result was amazingly rich and creamy. I did make the pie a little sweeter than traditional key lime pie, since I'm not able to use either whipped cream or a meringue topping to counteract the tartness.
Crust:
16 graham crackers (equal to 1 3/4C after crushed)

2 Tbs turbinado sugar (use brown sugar if not available)

1/2 C dairy free margarine, melted
Filling:

2 13.5oz cans coconut milk
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C key lime juice
1/4 C Ener-G Egg Replacer

Preheat oven to 350°F. Crush graham crackers in a food processor, then add sugar and margarine. Give the food processor another spin, then press the mixture into a 9" pie pan with the bottom of a round glass or measuring cup. Press up along the sides with the side of the glass, using your fingers to even it out and keep it from going over the side of the pie pan. Once the crust mixture is evenly distributed, bake the crust for 8 minutes.
Set the crust aside, then pour both cans of coconut milk and the sugar into a small or medium heavy bottomed pot. Bring to a low boil, stirring continuously. Reduce to a simmer, then continue to stir as the coconut reduces for thirty minutes. (Yes, that's a long time to hover over a pot. You may be able to walk away, but I'm not nervy enough to leave an experiment to its own devices! Plus it did tend to clump up a bit when I stopped stirring.)
Remove the pot from the heat, then stir in the key lime juice. (The first time I made this, I also added lime zest, but it gave the pie an unfortunate cream of broccoli appearance.) Remove roughly half a cup of the mixture from the pot. That Pyrex measuring cup you just used to pour in the lime juice is about perfect for the job, just have a saucer or small plate ready to catch the drips. With a small whisk, stir the egg replacer into the half Cup of coconut mixture until smooth, then pour it back into your pot, and continue to stir together until completely incorporated and nice and smooth. Return pot to the heat, and stir continuously while it cooks for another five minutes. You may need to use the whisk again to prevent clumps.
Pour the coconut mixture into the crust, then allow to cool until room temperature before covering and refrigerating overnight. The first time I made this, it was ready to eat after a two hour chill, the second, it required an overnight stay in the fridge. If you need the pie ready sooner rather than later, just place it in the freezer, as it is also wonderful frozen, just allow a little time to warm up before slicing.
Update: Lisa at My Own Sweet Thyme had a playlist for her Lemon Meringue Pie, and I wasn't able to resist any longer:


Much, much later update
: I'm sending this recipe to Madhuram's Eggless Cooking for her powdered egg replacer recipe round up. (Say that three times fast!) Madhuram included a request for tried and true recipes, not just new posts, so I am submitting my lovely key lime pie, since it is without question the most impressive dish I've coaxed out of a box of Ener-G powder.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've never thought about adding coconut to a key lime pie, but that sounds amazing! I'm going to have to try that the next time I make one. Your pie looks great!

Lisa said...

That filling sounds great. I am really intrigued by the addition of coconut milk. I like the taste of coconut but not the stringy texture of coconut flakes.

My family has been asking for a Key Lime Pie. I think this might be the one. It looks just right (I love the photo) but has that added surprise ingredient. Very fun!

Thanks!

Annina said...

Good morning.

The drink next to my apple cinnamon pie is a "mini"-Latte Macchiatto. :-) A 1dl Latte Macchiatto. :)

Anonymous said...

This sounds really yummy! I have made dozens of KLPs by request, but I personally find them too tart for my taste - this sounds like the perfect alternative. Thanks for posting!

xoxox Amy (a new DB)

Nicole said...

This is one of those desserts I was always sad Scott had to miss. I am definately going to try it! If I decided not to use the egg replacer would I use 1 or 2 eggs? Thanks again for letting me (a complete stranger) spy and steal your recipes! :) I'm forever thankful!

Deborah said...

Yum! This makes me excited for spring and summer!

Anonymous said...

I use coconut milk for pie also, but had never thought to attempt a key lime pie. So, here is my lazy version:
I used a keebler graham crust (free of dairy and egg), and Dr. Oetker's coconut pudding (free of dairy and egg), and freshly squeezed key lime juice. It was fantastic! Thanks for the idea!! Kathleen

Lisa said...

Fun video! I'm so glad you found my playlist inspiring and went ahead and added some music too.

I finally have key limes and coconut milk in the kitchen. Maybe today is the day...

FoodAllergyMom said...

Emily loves anything lime! I am so excited to make this for her that I ran right out and bought some coconut milk...Then I realized I am out of her special order GF graham crackers(grrr). I don't want to wait 2 weeks. Do you have any suggestions for a GF crust or should I just break down and make homemade crackers?

Libby said...

I just saw your comment...my son loves lime, too. We don't have any gluten issues, so I don't have any specifically gf suggestions. If you are really impatient, you could just make the filling, and then serve it with a crumble made with a gf flour on top, maybe oat? The filling is very rich, so I wouldn't have it by itself. Let me know what you try and how it turns out!

FoodAllergyMom said...

Oats is brilliant, another of her favorite foods! I just found a recipe for an oatmeal pie crust that I think I can alter and make it work. Thank you! As a matter of fact...I'm having a terrible time coming up with recipes for my blog lately. If this works out would you mind if I post the recipe with credit and a link to you?

Libby said...

Go right ahead, I would be flattered!

Beyond Curries said...

That's one amazing pie Libby. Actually I have not tasted a key lime pie before. I think this is the recipe for me.

Lucie said...

As for whipped topping, can your son have Rice Whip or Soy Whip? (http://www.soyatoo.de/us/our-products/)

My son also has multiple food allergies (he's a GF vegan by medical necessity) and he loves the stuff. We find it at our local Whole Foods; I'm not sure if you have one nearby.

Miss M. Possible said...

This recipe is great. Thanks for sharing!

I wonder, since the coconut milk needs to be reduced, would it not have been easier to use cream of coconut and add coconut milk or another liquid to get the proper thickness? I wonder this because I have coconut cream and am craving a key lime pie but I don't eat dairy. And I'm looking to avoid all that stirring!

Homeschoolmom said...

I just tried this pie. The crust is very good. The filling is gummy and sticky, like I put gelatin in it. I had a timer and stayed with it the whole time. When I added the egg replacer, it was immediately set. I went ahead and did the five minutes additional---maybe not??? I used Goya Coconut Milk in a can, no extra thickeners it said on the can. Do I use less egg replacer? Thanks