Thursday, July 26, 2012

Raspberry Key Lime Pie 5/5 Spoons

Whew. Well yesterday was a rough one guys. I lost my job and I'm still kind of confused and wondering what to do. I will say though, that I'm mostly glad. I really didn't enjoy my job and after finding out some dirt on the position, I didn't want to be involved in that company anyway. So to celebrate the end of my crappy position and the new job that my roommate is starting, I made this Raspberry Key Lime Pie!

I was watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (don't judge) and some cafe made a Raspberry Key Lime Pie and I was inspired. I've never made a Key Lime Pie and kind of had an itch to do so (with some serious prodding from my roommate's taste buds). I adapted the pie recipe but made up the raspberry and whipped cream topping. There are a lot of parts but they are all easy and come together fast. Here we go!


Ooh la la right?

Adapted from Emeril Lagasee's Key Lime Pie recipe:

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 1/2 c. graham crackers (crushed, this is about one packet of graham crackers)
4 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar (it seems like a lot but it really caramelizes in the oven and holds the crust together)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mash and smash the graham crackers until tiny and add butter and sugar. Mix. Pat into a 9-inch pie plate and bake until the crumbs are brown. About 20 minutes. Let cool before adding the filling.

Filling:

1 c. key lime juice (those little guys are hard to juice BUT it's worth getting the real thing if you can, they also have it bottled at most grocery stores)
2 cans sweetened condensed milk (14 ounce cans)
2 whole eggs
1 T. lime zest (I added it to the batter instead of putting on top for maximum lime flavor!)

Mix all the filling ingredients together and pour in cooled crust. Turn oven down to 325 degrees and baked pie for 15 minutes. Let cool for awhile on counter and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Raspberry Topping:

1-12 ounce bag frozen raspberries, thawed and drained
1/4 c. sugar
1-2 t. lemon juice
2 T. cornstarch

Let raspberries thaw and let them drain over your cooking pot to get out as much juice as possible. Put the juice in a measuring cup and add enough water to it to make 3/4 cup. Put all ingredients in a pot on the stove and cook on med-high until it is thick and bubbly. Make sure to keep stirring so it doesn't burn. Strain in a colander and push on the raspberries to get the delicious juice but not the seeds. Let cool before adding it to the pie.

Okay, so once this is cool, top the pie with it as much as you can. There might be too much so just spread it out to the edges. Now for the whipped cream!

Whipped Cream:

1 c. heavy cream
1-2 T. confectioner's sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

Make sure your stainless steel bowl and beaters have been in the fridge for awhile otherwise your cream won't whip as well. It will take awhile but whip, whip and whip your cream, add the sugar and vanilla in while whipping. It might seem like it won't happen but then all of a sudden, whipped cream! Don't over beat it though, because you will end up getting weird butter.

So yeah, decorate as you wish. Or just spread the cream over the top to make a beautiful layer on layer pie. Here is the inside:


I feel so excited to be back on here and have more time to do something I love. I am actually considering try to apprentice with a local bakery because I need to see this whole no job thing as an opportunity to work on me and do what I love. I hope you make this pie and share it with people you love!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Instagram Pics!

I feel terrible that I haven't been on here in forever. Here are some Instagram pics with some of the stuff I've been eating and loving and enjoying in the past few months. I promise I will be back soon but working full-time has crushed my spirit a bit (I don't mean to sound depressing, it will all be okay). Enjoy!

Seitan Pepperoni pizza (homemade whole wheat crust, Yves pepperoni, spinach and pineapple)


Chocolate Fun Cake w/ Peanut Butter Frosting


Coconut layer cake w/ Blueberry filling and Blueberry Cream Cheese frosting (for a special friend's birthday!)


Portuguese Orange Olive Oil cake (I will definitely be making this again)


I started making my own veggie broth (and it's so good and so easy and nice to know that I can control my ingredients!)


I'm usually pretty good about health lunches for work like this one: Brown basmati rice w/ tamari glazed tofu and broccoli. So easy and so filling.


Vegan S'mores Pizza from Dimo's Pizza in Chicago


I promise I will be back soon. Thanks for hanging in there everyone!