Lime Whip Pie

Several weeks ago, my friend Beth and I had a conversation about our love of key lime pie. At the time, I was freshly returned from a trip to Maine, and was still thinking about the blueberry cream pie I had made while there. I decided the blueberry pie was a prime candidate for a lime flavor intervention.

I knew that people folded curd into whipped cream to make mousse-like desserts, so I decided that I would start my Lime Whip Pie by making some lime curd. My first attempt at curd was disastrous, but my second attempt was successful, and I used it to make a Lime Whip Pie to share with friends during the hurricane.

What I like about this pie is that the texture is light and the taste is refreshing.  If the idea of making lime curd scares you, but you still want to try this pie, just buy some high-quality lime curd at the grocery store. You won't be disappointed, especially since this pie is so quick and easy to assemble once you have the curd ready to go. 

Notes:
Don't be afraid by the multitude of steps! To crush the graham crackers, you can put the crackers in a Ziplock bag and roll them with a rolling pin, you can pulse them in a food processor, or you can crumble them in a large bowl and use the bottom of a cup to finely crush them. This time I used a food processor, and had nice uniform crumbs.  I used a glass pie pan for this pie; if you use a metal pan, you may need to reduce the crust baking time. I like to make the curd and bake the crust the night before I am going to make the pie. Once the crust is cool, I cover it with a piece of plastic wrap so it stays crisp and leave it at room temperature. In the morning, I assemble the pie with the chilled curd, leaving enough time for the pie to set before serving in the afternoon or evening. If you buy lime curd, you may need two jars, depending on the size of the jars. Overall, you'll need about 1½ cups of curd, but if you have a little less, that is fine; your curd layer just won't be as thick. I recommend chilling the curd (whether you make it or buy it) before you use it, to speed up the setting of the pie.   

Adapted from Bountiful Blueberries:  Cookin’ the Blues

Crust Ingredients:
1⅓ cups graham cracker crumbs (1 sleeve of graham crackers/~8 large graham crackers)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Pie Filling Ingredients:
4 ounces low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar, divided use
½ cup low-fat sour cream
1 batch of chilled lime curd (~1½ cups), divided use
1⅓ cups heavy whipping cream

Optional:
Lime zest for garnish

Yields one 9-inch pie

Make and Bake the Crust:
Place an oven rack at the middle level of the oven, and preheat to 350ºF. Crush the graham crackers until they are fine crumbs, and place them in a medium-sized bowl. You should have about 1⅓ cup of crumbs. Drizzle the melted butter over top of the crumbs, and add the vanilla. Stir until all of the crumbs are evenly coated with butter. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch pie plate, and press the mixture into the pan to form an even crust.  Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes, or until it is browned.  Set the crust aside to cool. 

Make the Cream:
When the pie crust (and curd) are cool, prepare the cream mixture. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Beat in the sour cream and ½ cup of lime curd. In a separate large bowl, whip the cream until it forms medium-stiff peaks. Stir a third of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream. 

Assemble the Pie:
Spoon half of the cream mixture into the baked (and cooled) pie crust, and smooth out the top. Spoon all of remaining lime curd (~1 cup) on top of the cream layer, and use a spatula to spread it out so it is evenly distributed. Spoon the remaining cream mixture on top of the curd layer, smooth out the top, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the pie for about five hours, or until the pie is set. Refrigerate any leftovers. 

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