This pie is called a slab pie because it is in a rectangular shape, like a slab of marble. I like this shape very much; it serves more people, it’s easier to cut slices, and it makes a perfect base for a flag pie! The crust is enriched with eggs and a little bit of sugar, which I personally prefer to plain pie crust. It is still very flaky but the egg, sugar and vanilla add lovely flavor. The little star cut outs make the pie look very festive.
The filling is a basic key lime pie filling. I cannot get fresh key limes where I live (sob) but my store does carry the bottled juice. It’s not perfect, but I think it is better than using Parisian limes. If you cannot find the bottled variety, I would use fresh lemon juice. Either way, the filling is delicious and very easy to make. I love how the tart, creamy filling contrasts with the fresh berries.
I like to top this with fresh raspberry sauce and whipped cream. I can never get enough raspberries and I always want whipped cream on my pies. Try this out for your July 4th party!
Ingredients:
3 cups pastry flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter (very cold)
1 whole egg plus 1 yolk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
4 tablespoon ice water
1 tablespoon vodka
2 cans of sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¾ cup key lime juice
18 ounces raspberries, divided
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
9 ounces blueberries
¼ cup sugar plus 1/8th teaspoon nutmeg and 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Whipped cream
Method:
Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or pulse in a food processor until you have pea sized chunks. Add the egg and yolk, the water, vanilla and the vodka. Add the water one tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes together. Dump it onto a floured board and form it into two discs. One disc will take ¾ of the dough and the other ¼ of the dough. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a half hour.
While you wait, make the raspberry sauce. Add ¼ cup sugar (use more or less depending on the sweetness of your fruit) and 12 ounces of raspberries into a high speed blender with one tablespoon of lemon juice. Process until smooth. Push the sauce through a strainer to remove seeds and refrigerate.
Roll the large piece of dough into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Lay the pie crust into a 10 by 13 by 1 inch dish. Shape the dough to fit the pan, with a one inch border along all sides. Dock the dough. Line with foil and pour in pie weights. Return to the fridge for 10 minutes.
Roll out the second smaller piece of dough. Sprinkle it with the spiced sugar and cut out star shapes. Place them on a parchment sheet lined baking sheet. Return to the fridge for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake both the crust and the cut outs in the oven for 15 minutes, until the stars are golden brown. Remove the stars to a wire rack to cool. Remove the foil and pie weights from the pie crust and bake a further five minutes. Remove from the oven.
In a large bowl, combine the condensed milk, egg yolks, salt, lemon zest and key lime juice. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the filling is set.
Allow the pie to cool, and then top it with the remaining raspberries, blueberries and pie stars. Refrigerate until you plan to serve it. Cut into squares and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and some lovely fresh raspberry sauce. Enjoy!
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