Lime Meringue Pie
Kevin Donnelly

Having a lime tree in my backyard, I am very fond of lime desserts, including my Key Lime Pie. For this Mini-Tasting, I chose to take a Lemon Meringue Pie recipe, and substitute limes for the lemons.

Ingredients

• Homemade Pie Crust*
• 5 large egg yolks(use the whites in the meringue below)
• 1 1/3 cups (320ml) water
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (38g) cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh Lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. lime zest
• 2 Tbsp. (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

Meringue

• 5 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Pie crust: I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin making Lime meringue pie. I always make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out and blind baking (next step).
2. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Partially blind bakey our pie crust. (Follow blind baking instructions through step 9.) Tip: You can get started on the Lime meringue pie filling steps while your crust is blind baking. But making the filling is time sensitive because you will temper the egg yolks, so if multi-tasking isn’t your thing, just wait until your crust is done blind baking before beginning the filling.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).
4. Watch the video above to see how I work through each of the following steps.
5. Make the filling: Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside. Whisk the water, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, Lime juice, and Lime zest together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. The mixture will be thin and cloudy, then eventually begin thickening and bubbling after about 6 minutes. Once thickened, give it a whisk and reduce heat to low.
6. Temper the egg yolks: Very slowly stream a few large spoonful’s of warm Lime mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Then, also in a very slow stream, whisk the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan. Turn heat back up to medium. Cook until the mixture is thick and big bubbles begin bursting at the surface. See my video above as an example. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the butter. Spread filling into the warm partially baked crust. Set aside as you prepare the meringue. (Don’t let the filling cool down too much as you want a warm filling when you top with the meringue in step 7. The warm filling helps seal the two layers together, preventing separation.)
7. Make the meringue: With a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and salt, then continue beating on high speed until glossy stiff peaks form, about 2 more minutes. Spread meringue on top of filling. (I like to make decorative peaks with the back of a large spoon. See video above.) Make sure you spread the meringue all the way to the edges so that it touches the crust. This helps prevent the meringue from weeping.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the meringue is browned on top. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool at room temperature for 1 hour before placing in the refrigerator to chill. Chill for 4 hours before slicing and serving.
9. Cover any leftovers and store in the refrigerator. Lime meringue pie tastes best on day 1 because it doesn’t keep very well. No matter how hard you try to prevent it, the meringue will wilt and separate over time. Best to enjoy right away.

Shrimp, Bean & Leek Stew

Ingredients
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest and 2 Tbsp.
lemon juice
1 tsp. sweet or smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, grated
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 lb. peeled, deveined large shrimp
(tails removed)
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 large bunch of leeks, trimmed and
halved lengthwise, white and green
parts sliced crosswise 1/2-inch
thick (or 1 large onion, minced)
1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans or
other white beans, rinsed
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions
COMBINE lemon zest, paprika, garlic, 3/4 tsp. salt and 3/4 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss
to coat.

MELT butter over medium-high heat
in large pot.

ADD shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and starting to curl, 2-3 minutes.

TRANSFER shrimp to plate using aslotted spoon; set aside.

ADD leeks, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until leaks are soft and starting to brown on the edges, 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

ADD beans and chicken broth and bring to a boil over high.

LOWER heat and simmer, 8-10 minutes.

STIR in reserved shrimp and any juices from the plate, parsley and lemon juice.

SEASON with salt and pepper.

—Recipe courtesy
OCWS member Janet Peal

After Janet Riordan tried this Milk Chocolate Pistachio Tart at her women’s group dinner, she just had to share it with OCWS members at the last Mini-Tasting.

“I loved it immediately (I mean really, chocolate crust with a chocolate filling, toss in pistachios, damn, yum),” says Janet, a 20-year member. “I enjoy baking and always try to include new recipes.”

While this version calls for safflower oil, Janet substituted cannoli oil for its taste. When it comes to the chocolate, Janet uses Dove milk chocolate candies. She also notes that she made the tart the day before serving and it was just as fresh and delicious.

Milk Chocolate Pistachio Tart

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray for pan

Crust:

¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup unsalted shelled pistachios, chopped

¼ tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Pistachio Paste:

½ cup unsalted shelled pistachios

¼ cup sugar

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. safflower oil

Filling:

5 oz. milk chocolate, chopped

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup whole milk

1 large egg, beaten

Garnish:

Finely chopped pistachios

Directions

Crust:

COAT 9-inch fluted round tart pan with removeable bottom with cooking spray. Make the crust

WHISK together flour cocoa powder, chopped pistachios and ¼ tsp. salt.

BEAT butter on medium speed until fluffy, about three minutes.

ADD sugar and beat until pale, about two minutes. Reduce speed to low and add vanilla, then flour mixture until just combined and dough holds together when pressed between two fingers.

PRESS dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

ROLL out dough between two pieces of clear plastic wrap to create an 11-inch round, ¼-inch thick piece.

PRESS dough into bottom and up sides of tart pan. Trim excess dough flush with edges of pan using knife.

REFRIGERATE until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees.

BAKE until firm, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely; reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Pistachio Paste:

PULSE pistachios, sugar and ¼ tsp. salt in food processor until mixture begins to clump together.

ADD oil and pulse until smooth and paste-like.

SPREAD evenly into bottom of cooled tart shell, pressing firmly with the bottom of a measuring cup until flat and smooth.

Filling:

PLACE chocolate in heatproof bowl. Heat cream and milk in saucepan over medium heat until almost boiling; pour over chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes.

WHISK slowly until smooth. Let cool 10 minutes.

STIR in eggs until combined.

PLACE tart shell on baking sheet and pour in filling.

BAKE until just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool.

GARNISH with finely chopped pistachios.