A Cooling Dessert for Summer

A Cooling Dessert for SummerBy Wolfgang Puck, Tribune Media Services


I remember many years ago going to Miami to visit my friend Maida Heatter, the cook, writer and teacher who is justly called "The First Lady of Desserts." Maida served me a fabulous pie she had made with a citrusy filling that was fragrant and perfectly balanced, not too sweet, not too sour and perfectly creamy.

"Where did you get the wonderful lemons?" I asked her.
"Honey, those aren't lemons," Maida said. "They're Key limes." And she led me to her back yard, where a tree was filled with yellow fruit no bigger than golf balls.



Maida gave me a bunch of her Key limes. Better yet, she shared with me her easy recipe for Key lime pie. With my own little variations, I've been making it ever since, sometimes with the fruit that Maida sends me and sometimes with Key limes from the artist Robert Rauschenberg's home in Florida.

Key limes, as I learned from Maida, are a specific variety of lime, with yellow skins and flesh and a much more aromatic scent and pleasantly acidic flavor than familiar large, green, oval Persian limes. Although they originated in the Middle East, Key limes got their name after their propagation flourished in the Florida Keys. Today, however, they aren't grown much commercially in the U.S., largely because the tree's abundant thorns make harvesting difficult.

The good news is that you don't need fruit sent to you by a dessert queen or a pop artist to make great Key lime pie. All you need is Key lime juice. And the easiest way to get that for most people is from a bottle, since the vast majority of Key limes are grown and juiced abroad today. Look for bottled Key lime juice in well-stocked supermarkets and gourmet shops, as well as from online sources. You can sometimes find Key limes sold in markets as "Mexican limes," too. And don't worry if you can't find the fresh fruit or its bottled juice. This recipe here works great with regular Persian lime juice, too.

As you'll see in the recipe, I've made a couple of simple changes to the recipe I first learned years ago. I like to use a regular single-crust pastry pie shell, though you should feel free to substitute your favorite homemade or store-bought graham cracker crust if you prefer. And, just before serving, I sprinkle granulated sugar over the filling, then quickly caramelize it under the broiler or with a small hand-held butane kitchen torch (available in kitchen-supply stores) to give the pie a crunchy topping like you find on crème brûlée. Of course, offer a little chilled whipped cream on the side for the perfect end to a summer meal.



KEY LIME PIE
Makes one 9-inch pie
1 frozen store-bought single-crust pastry shell for a 9-inch pie, defrosted
4 eggs, preferably organic
4 egg yolks, preferably organic
2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons for caramelizing
Water
1 cup Key lime juice
3 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

With the defrosted pastry round, line a 9-inch fluted tart tin with a removable bottom. Line the pastry shell with coffee filters or parchment paper, then fill it with pie weights or dry beans. Bake the shell until it turns golden brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature, then remove the pie weights or beans and the paper.

In a large stainless-steel bowl, combine the eggs and egg yolks. With a wire whisk, thoroughly whisk in the 2/3 cup sugar, then the lime juice.
In a saucepan large enough to hold the stainless-steel bowl resting securely on its rim, bring to a boil 2 to 3 inches of water, checking first to make sure that the water level is low enough so that it will not touch the bottom of the bowl when it is placed on top of the pan. Reduce the heat to as low a level as possible, so that the water remains hot but only barely simmers. Place the bowl on top of the pan and immediately start whisking vigorously until the egg mixture turns light colored and thick enough to mound on itself when a little bit of it is dropped from the whisk. Be very careful to whisk continuously and not to let the mixture get too hot, so that the mixture stays creamy and the eggs do not curdle.
Remove the bowl from the heat and scatter the butter pieces evenly over the top of the mixture. When the butter has melted, fold it into the mixture.

Pour the filling into the tart shell. Smooth the top evenly with a long metal spatula. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill thoroughly for several hours.
Before serving, preheat the broiler or light a small butane kitchen torch. Remove the pie from the refrigerator and evenly sprinkle the sugar over the filling. Put the pie under the broiler or heat the sugar by waving the butane torch over it until the sugar melts and turns a deep caramel brown. Watch carefully, as this will happen very quickly, to avoid burning the sugar.



Remove the pie from its ring and carefully transfer the pie to a flat serving dish. With a sharp knife, cut the pie into wedges and serve immediately.