Last year (2009), I participated in the first KCRW Good Food Pie Contest.  While it was fun, there were a few weird things about that event, not the least of which was that it took place in a mall.  Competing with over one hundred fifty pies, my humble Caramel Pumpkin, even with its high fluted all-butter crust, lacked the glitz and glamor of those flashy meringue-topped concoctions of which I’ve honestly never been a fan. 

I think I make a pretty good pie, so I was disappointed that I didn’t place, but I developed a stragegy for this year: I would make a visually dramatic pie, I would make a pie with an exotic crust, I would pull out all the stops to get this pie noticed.…or so I thought.  My planning began over the summer, before the pie contest was even announced; unfortunately, I started a new job that week and had to work all weekend, forcing my withdrawal from the pie contest at the last minute.  I’m OK with it, and had made a practice pie, so I’m sharing some pictures and the recipe for the pie I would have made, if I hadn’t spent Labor Day weekend assistant editing an infomercial for, ironically, a convection oven.

Key Lime Pie

Super easy to make, this pie still tastes pretty sophisticated, as the crunchy spiciness of the ginger snap crust contrasts the cool lime custard.

Trader Joe’s triple ginger snaps (or whatever they call them) work great for the crust, but this time I wanted to step everything up so I made my own (and used the leftovers to make ice cream sandwiches).  From a recipe originally published in Gourmet, these gingersnaps have been a perennial staple of my holiday “Cookies and Cocktails” party.  I find them spicy and delicious, but one of my Chinese friends thinks they’re weird because they are made with five-spice powder, which is traditionally used to season meat.  So, just a heads up.

- crust -

1 to 1 1/2 c ginger snap crumbs (from homemade or store bought cookies)
4 to 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Combine, adding more butter or crumbs to make a workable mixture, and press as thin a layer as possible into a 9” pie plate, or, for added drama, a springform pan. 

Bake in preheated 350 oven for 10-12 minutes, until a shade darker, then let crust cool while assembling filling.   Leave oven on.

(If using a springform pan, place it on a baking sheet so butter doesn’t melt and smoke on the oven floor— I learned this the hard way.)

- filling -
4 large egg yolks at room temperature
1/2 c key lime juice (10-20 “key” or “Mexican” limes depending on size and juiciness)
2 tsp lime zest
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Beat yolks until light, then add juice, zest, and condensed milk.  Mix well and pour into crust.

Bake 15-20 minutes (again, on baking sheet for springform pan) or until slit poked in custard does not reseal— custard will set more as it cools.

If using a springform pan, cool completely before CAREFULLY un-molding.  Et voila!

For the contest I wanted my pie to be more visually striking than just a 9” round expanse of custard, so I tried out some decorating techniques.  I pressed some raspberry jam through a sieve to remove the seeds, mixed some creme fraiche with a little water to get a thinner consistency, then drizzled each in patterns over the pie in an attempt to figure out what shapes worked best.  It wasn’t exactly what I was envisioning, but I actually liked the abstract look of it— not too fussy, but still kind of pretty. 

In the end, I was happy with the look and flavor of the pie, even if I wasn’t able to compete in this year’s contest.  But I’m not gonna lie, I really want to know what Zoe Nathan would have thought.