Monday 25 June 2012

Key lime pie and dancing naked under a full moon.



I made my key lime pie yesterday, delicious it was too, made from from Hairy Bikers recipe which you can find below.
My friends ate half and left me with the other half in the fridge. Shame, I will have to eat it all. One slice gone with lunch. I also made 4 litres of elderflower cordial yesterday afternoon too, will bottle it tomorrow.

Finally a day free of rain! I was out at the first sociable hour, cutting the front and back lawn. I planted up some iris that my mum brought over yesterday and some marigolds that I grew to help out the tomatoes. I don't think any insect would bother with the toms quite honestly, they are a bit sad looking. I am hoping that the sheer numbers of plants I have will at least provide some sort of crop, even if each plant doesn't produce much.

All my roses are now covered in buds, can't wait to see them come out. The climber is my personal favourite and personal triumph considering it is on a North facing wall. research does pay off!

Had a chat with my neighbour this morning, he asked me how my time was in Guernsey. I had to wonder how he knows so much about me considering that I have never offered the information that I even went to Guernsey at all. I wonder what else he knows or thinks he knows about me and where his source of information is coming from? The other day the gardener chap that I have coming to do some work for me later this summer knew what I did for a living and even the names of the operas I was in this year - more information I have never given (especially since I had never spoken with him before in my life). It made me chuckle. It's to be hoped I never decide to take up witch craft and dancing naked under a full moon, although it might be fun to try, see what they make of that.


Key Lime Pie


(I used the cheapest value digestive biscuits I could get which were about 39p and I didn't bother with cream of tartar because I didn't have any, also vanilla essence has always done me rather than vanilla extract, makes the whole thing very cheap to make)



Ingredients
For the base
For the filling

Preparation method
1.     Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2.     For the pastry base, finely crush the biscuits by placing into a plastic bag and bashing with a rolling pin (alternatively, pulse to crumbs using a food processor). Transfer to a mixing bowl.
3.     Melt the butter in a saucepan, then pour over the biscuit crumbs. Add the sugar, then mix well to combine. Evenly spread the biscuit mixture in a 23cm/9in pie case, making sure to cover the sides of the tin as well. Level off any excess biscuit mixture.
4.     For the filling, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until pale and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice and condensed milk until smooth and creamy, then mix into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the mixture into the pie case.
5.     In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Gradually fold in the sugar, vanilla extract, salt and cream of tartar, then whisk again until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue mixture over the filling in the pie case, using a fork to form the meringue into peaks.
6.     Bake the pie in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the meringue is golden-brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Place into the fridge to chill completely before serving.
7.     To serve, cut slices of the key lime pie and serve with a scattering of blueberries and a few spoonfuls of whipped cream.

33 comments:

  1. Mmm that pie looks good! Maybe your neighbours have been reading a certain blog? :)

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  2. Recipe looks delicious!!! Thanks for sharing. I love a good key lime pie!

    Now that is weird about the neighbors/gardener huh? Hmm...maybe they follow your blog, haha. Now the whole dancing naked under the moon, no need to take up witchcraft, just go do it anyway and have fun! LOL!;-)

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    1. it really is delicious! Not only have I never made one, but I have never tasted one either!

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  3. The key lime pie looks lovely...I'll see if I can find a gluten free version. It's amazing how people know all your life story especially if you live in a village. You know that song "Whispering Grass...the tress don't need to know" perhaps your garden is talking LOL x x x

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    1. I guess the only part you would need to change is the biscuit base.

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  4. Naked moon dancing. If done alone you may look bonkers...I'd have a few friends round to really get tongues wagging!
    Jane x

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    1. What a great idea! A naked moon dancing party.

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  5. Very nice too!. I don't know why Dan, but every time I come on your blog (for the past few days anyway), I get an alert that says "authentication required" password protected by www.birdoosh.com. Obviously I just cancel it and can then view. Any idea what this is?

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    1. I tell you, I have such tremendous problems with blogger at the moment! I struggle with uploading pictures, struggle with comments and sometimes struggle with simply writing the thing, it drives me mad. I am sorry it does that when you try to view, hopefully it will pass, but I can't explain it I am afraid. Thanks for persevering and viewing anyway.

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  6. The pie looks lovely. It seems your neighbours have been doing their homework!

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  7. Thanks for the recipe. Maybe your neighbours read your blog!
    Love from Mum
    xx

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    1. Its certainly delicious, I can recommend.

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  8. I immediately thought your neighbour perhaps reads your blog?

    I must share also that there was a photo of the key lime pie as per the title of this blog entry....so I was a bit nervous scrolling down due to the other part of the title....

    Teehee!

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    1. I will make sure to photograph it if I do!

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  9. Darn it, no pics of you dancing naked in the moonlight.... lol. That really would get tongues wagging in the neighbourhood.
    I found that living in a village, you only have to give one person a snippet of information and it goes round like wildfire. Perhaps they are secretly proud of their opera singing new kid on the block and are following your career.

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    1. Don't you worry, if I do it I will make sure there is photographic evidence!

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  10. Ooooh...that looks delish!! I may give that a little try:-) I followed your recipe for elderflower cordial this week and now have 4 wine bottles full - thanks for posting the recipe:-)

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    1. I'm delighted to hear that! Let me know how it goes, I love it and make some every year. It usually lasts quite happily through til next elderflower season if you make enough of it. Make sure you remember where the elderflower trees are, because there are loads of things you can do with the elderberries in Autumn!

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  11. I shall be blatantly stealing that there pie recipe! I have several of he ingredients and shall be topping up this weekend .Mmmmmmm
    Thanks

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  12. I think you have some local blog readers!
    The pie looks yummy btw! :)

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  13. I'm also getting the funny message mentioned above, but I'll keep ignoring it. The Hairy Bikers' book seems to have some pretty good recipes - last week while on holiday we had Hairy Bikers recipe tea cakes. They were totally delicious.

    Tawney

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    1. Sorry you too are getting the message. As I said to datacreata i have enormous trouble with blogger and I hope they iron out. I didn't however know that other people had trouble with seeing my blog too. Hopefully they are problems that will iron out. Meanwhile I will report it.

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  14. You are following a blog called "Birdoosh" and it requires a password so everytime we sign onto YOUR blog, we are prompted to sign in the password for Birdoosh. To prevent us seeing that prompt, you'll have to 'unfollow' Birdoosh.

    Sounds like your neighbors are reading your blog! I know that some of my nabes read mine and I'm always flattered what they know about my gardens. Glad you are enjoying yours.

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  15. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I don't even remember what birdoosh was and I would never have realised that was the problem, anyway I am now not following it and hopefully the problem is resolved!
    Can't thank you enough!

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    1. That works. No more prompt when visiting your blog. :-D

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  16. Well done Kris, hopefully that has solved it Dan as when I came on your blog this time, it didn't appear!

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    1. That is good news, well done Kris and glad everything is back to normal.

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  17. Everyone has been talking about the Countrywise programme so I'll definitely have to check it out on the ITV player. I guess the secret of the Isle of Man is out now :)

    Key Lime Pie is one of my absolute favourites and yours looks just divine! I've never used cream of tartar when making it before either so I think it's perfectly fine to omit it. It's just put in there to give a bit of creamier texture to the filling anyhow.

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    1. yes, your secret is certainly out. No, I didn't seem to miss the cream of tarter, I would have put it in if I had some, but didn't seem worth buying some specially.

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