Key Lime Pie - Without Condensed Milk

Key Lime Pie is a dessert we really like but, invariably, find far too sweet. Since it is made with condensed milk, it isn’t simply a matter of just cutting back on the sugar. So I put on my lab coat (figuratively speaking) and went to work. Since it turned out so well, I just had to share it with you. 

Since it's made without condensed milk, you can control the sweetness. Even if you prefer to use more sugar than I do, it will still be considerably less than a pie made with condensed milk.

Besides its excessive sweetness, the other problem I have with condensed milk is that the sugar in it is often beet sugar, and a high percentage of the sugar beets grown in the US have been genetically modified to resist herbicides. Since the US does not require labels to designate whether the sugar is from sugar cane or beets, you never know unless a manufacturer volunteers the information. 

Then there’s the matter of the limes. From what I’ve read, there is very little commercial key lime production in the Florida Keys these days and Key lime juice that is bottled there is often juice from imported Key limes. So let’s just throw the whole “authenticity” thing out the window! But to be perfectly accurate, we could just call my pie “Lime Pie.” 

But whatever variety available to you, look for limes with the thinnest, smoothest, least “pebbly” skins that have a lot of yellow rather than bright green and that yield to gentle pressure. They will have more juice and better flavor than the big, pretty, rock-hard, evenly green limes. 

Do you prefer your lime pie with whipped cream or meringue? I wouldn’t say No to one with meringue, but I really prefer it with whipped cream. 

Key Lime Pie – Without Condensed Milk 

(Makes one 9-inch/23cm pie) 

The Crust – A Graham Cracker Crust 

1 1/2 cups (4.5 ounces/128 grams—9 whole crackers) graham cracker crumbs
1/8 cup (0.875 ounce/25 grams) sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon ginger 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
5 tablespoons (2.5 ounces/71 grams) unsalted butter, melted 

The Filling 

3 large eggs
3/4 cup (5.25 ounces/149 grams) sugar
1/2 cup (4 ounces/118 ml) heavy cream
1/2 cup (4 ounces/118 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest from organic or unsprayed unwaxed limes

1/8 teaspoon salt 

Note: Key limes are not as widely available as Persian limes, so I use Persian. There are about 5 medium Persian limes in a pound (16 ounces/454 grams), each lime with an average yield of 2 tablespoons of juice and 2 teaspoons of finely grated zest. Four of them should yield enough juice for the recipe, but have a fifth on hand, just in case; today I needed 4 1/2 limes. 

1 Preheat oven to 325F/165C/Gas3. Lightly butter a 9-inch glass pie plate. Combine crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and melted butter until the mixture comes together. If you used a food processor to make the crumbs, you can mix the crust in it as well. If you used your fingers or the rolling pin/plastic bag method to make the crumbs, you can mix the crust with a fork in a small mixing bowl. The mixture should be a bit crumbly but hold together when squeezed. 

2 Press the crumb mixture evenly and firmly over the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate just to the top; don’t make a raised rim. I used a flat-bottomed stainless steel measuring cup to get it even and well compacted. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Place it on a wire rack to cool completely while making the filling. Leave the oven on. 

3 In 2-quart bowl (I use a 2-quart glass measure), whisk together eggs, sugar, cream, lime juice, lime zest and salt until well combined. Pour filling into prebaked and completely cooled pie crust. Bake for about 25 minutes, until just set and still with a bit of a wobble in the center. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the center should read 145F/63C. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 3 days loosely covered, before serving. 

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Jean

Recipes for November and Beyond

It was bound to happen eventually. For the first time in 8 years and 9 months of blogging, I got sick at a time I didn’t have a new post ready to go. 

So I’m popping in, between coughs, to refer you to recipes from the first week of November for the past 8 years, starting with last year.

These are comfort food recipes for the cold months ahead. So Pin and share your favorites. And stay well!

Hope your November is off to a better start than mine! But I'm sure I'll be back in the kitchen soon. Happy November! 


2017

Chili Verde

2016

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy and Broth

2015

The Ultimate Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate

2014

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

2013

Brussels Sprouts Salad

2012

Swiss Steak

2011

Homemade Granola and Granola Parfaits

2010

Hazelnut Shortbread

Jean

Pork Chops and Apples

Pork Chops and Apples is a well-remembered dish from my childhood, but I make it differently. My mother browned the pork chops and made the sauce/gravy on the stove, then transferred everything to a big yellow oven-proof bowl that easily held 12 pork chops and lots of apples. 

Now I have the bowl, a vintage 1960s Pyrex 4-quart nesting mixing bowl. Though I rarely use it—somehow it seems more precious than other more delicate and valuable items that were my mother’s—I enjoy getting a glimpse of it now and then in the deep, high cupboard over the refrigerator.

Separated in age from my three (all older) siblings by a 6-, 9- and 10-year gap and having parents with their own stresses and strains, my early and middle childhood days were often quite chaotic. But whatever else went down on any given day, it all stopped for dinner. Food was what brought the family together.

Food was what brought 

the family together.

The cooking of older food writers she liked, such as Patience Gray, Elizabeth David and Julia Child, was inspired by their travels. But my mother never felt the need to travel. Her food took her anywhere she wanted to go. From the best of British and American cooking to the most complicated Chinese dishes, she was an inspired cook.

Had she been just an average cook, or a "good plain cook,” I wonder if her food would have had the same power to bring everyone together around that big table in the very middle of the kitchen. I doubt it. (Two essays that fit well with this post: Life Lesson in a Flame-Colored Pot and The Pork Chop Incident.)

So here it is: my stovetop Pork Chops and Apples. I had to make it up as I went along because my mother stopped making it once there were no longer six (and often more) at the dinner table, which was before I started writing things down as she cooked. They don’t taste like her pork chops, but they taste good!

This takes about 45 minutes from start to finish and can be made ahead (details in the directions below) for busy nights. Great with Perfect Mashed Potatoes and a vegetable or two.

Pork Chops and Apples

(Makes 3 servings)

The Apples

2 medium (about 6 ounces/170 grams each) Golden Delicious, Granny Smith or other good baking apples
2 tablespoons (1 ounce/28 grams) unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

The Pork Chops

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3 5-ounce 3/4-inch-thick boneless loin pork chops (pastured pork)
3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce/30 ml) brandy
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces/355 ml) lower sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 Don’t peel the apples. Quarter them and with a paring knife, cut out the core from each quarter. Slice each quarter into 3 slices.

2 In 12-inch skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and sugar; stir in the apples. They should be sizzling. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until caramelizing a little. With slotted spoon, transfer apples to a plate.

3 Add the teaspoon of oil to the pan and swirl it around. Place the chops in the hot pan, sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Over medium to medium-high heat, cook for about 5 or 6 minutes until well browned. Turn, season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook for about 5 or 6 minutes until well browned. Transfer to a plate.

4 Add the butter to the skillet. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in brandy, then balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan. Then whisk in broth, marjoram and thyme. Simmer and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes or so. Or longer—as long as it takes for the sauce to be nicely thickened and the flavors concentrated.

Note: This dish may be made ahead to this point and the pork chops, apples and sauce all refrigerated separately. Twenty minutes or so before serving, thoroughly heat up the sauce in the skillet. Add the pork chops and apples to the skillet, cover and simmer until heated through. 

5 Return chops and apples to pan, along with any liquid that collected on the plates. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer over very low heat, covered loosely, for about 10 minutes to warm them through. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. 

Jean

Pumpkin Custards - Individual Crustless Pumpkin Pies

Pumpkin Custards are the solution when you’ve got gluten-free, wheat-free, grain-free or refined-starch-free people coming for dinner. As long as they’re not also sugar-free, egg-free or dairy-free, that is. 

I don’t do sugar-free desserts using stevia or artificial sweeteners, but those who do will know how to adapt the recipe for whatever they use. (Is anyone else having a hard time giving a dinner party these days?!) 

Of course, at this time of year we are bombarded with pumpkin recipes, so many readers will have already moved on. But I’m a year-round pumpkin fan and couldn’t resist putting another one out there.

This time I used a couple of little round half-pint jars, too, because that turns an individual pumpkin custard into a totable/toteable (?) lunchbox dessert. And there’s enough room in the jar for whipped cream!

Mr Delightful was missing the pie crust, so I crushed a couple of Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread Rounds to sprinkle on top. Loved it!

Baking these in a water bath is really easy and gives the custards such a wonderfully smooth texture. No need to get complicated, putting a tea towel in the bottom of the baking dish or anything; the ramekins won’t rattle around.

Are you ready for some pumpkin?

Pumpkin Custards – Individual Crustless Pumpkin Pies

(Makes 6)

1/2 cup (3.5 ounces/99 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon non-GMO cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs
1 15-ounce (425 grams) can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) or 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cup (10 fluid ounces/296 ml) milk

1 Preheat oven to 300F/150C/Gas2. Put the kettle on, heating water for the water bath. Place six 7-ounce ramekins or custard cups (or half-pint jars) in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.

Note: These are similar but slightly larger white ceramic 8-ounce ramekins. 

2 In medium bowl (using a 2-quart glass measure makes it easy to pour the filling into the custard cups), whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt and spices. Whisk in the eggs, then the pumpkin and then the milk. 

3 Pour the filling into the ramekins. Close to the oven, pour the hot water into the baking dish at least halfway up the side of the ramekins and nearly to the level of the custard. Place in oven, being careful not to slosh water into the custards.

My very favorite thermometer: ThermoWorks Super-Fast Thermapen MK4

4 Bake for about 60 minutes (maybe check at 55 minutes, all depends on your oven) or until it registers 175F/79C on an instant-read thermometer. The custards should still be slightly jiggly and will firm up as they cool. Forget about the old knife coming out clean thing; they would be waaay overbaked.

5 Cool completely, about 1 hour, on wire rack, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 or 4 days. Serve with softly whipped cream. I sweetened and flavored 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream with 1 teaspoon of real maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Note: If you’re making these in the half-pint jars for a picnic or lunchboxes, whip the cream to a stiffer consistency so that it will hold up for a few hours. Top the custards with the cream (and shortbread crumbs, if you like) and put the lids on. Don’t forget to pack spoons!

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites.

Jean

Pimento Cheese - Pimiento Cheese - A Southern Classic

Pimento Cheese (pimento is pronounced puh-MIN-uh, by the way wink wink) is an iconic Southern food that's been around for over a hundred years, but my Southern grandmother never mentioned it; I had to learn it on my own! There are many variations, but it's basically shredded sharp or medium Cheddar, mayonnaise and pimientos. 

Delicious on a hamburger, hot dog or bacon sandwich, it's more often just slapped on some soft white bread for a quick sandwich, cold or toasted. Apparently, you can also stuff celery with it, spread it on crackers or dip tortilla chips in it. But I only ever seem to serve it with crudités or in tea sandwiches.

It "must" be made with real mayonnaise. Many Southern cooks swear by Duke’s mayonnaise, but I have to make do with Hellmann’s/ Best Foods or my Homemade Mayonnaise. Duke's is still made in Greenville, South Carolina, and sold throughout the South. Sticklers for authenticity can always do mail order!

Purists may not add anything to the basic ingredients, but I can't resist a little dill pickle and dill pickle juice along with black pepper and a pinch of cayenne. You can add a few chopped green olives, red wine vinegar, Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce, so I might have to give that a try in the next batch. 

Some like it blended smooth, but I'm among those who prefer it a little chunky. Does your family have a pimento cheese tradition? Would you like to start one? I’d love to hear your thoughts on pimento cheese.

Pimento Cheese (Pimiento Cheese) 

(Makes 3 cups)

1 pound medium or sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 4-ounce jar pimientos, drained and diced
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped dill pickle

2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, optional 
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 In a 2- to 2.5-quart mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients until well blended. Leave it a little chunky, as I do, or use an immersion blender to make it as smooth as you like. Transfer to serving bowl and cover. Chill for a few hours or up to one week.

2 Serve with a crudités platter, crackers, tortillas chips or bread. Spread on hamburgers, hot dogs or bacon sandwiches. Use it to make a cold or toasted cheese sandwich or, as I have here, tea sandwiches.

Jean