Key Lime Pie Minis

I have always had a sweet tooth (if you couldn’t already tell from the amount of baked goods on this blog). I blame my mother, really, who would always order dessert at restaurants even if no one else was ordering anything. And being the amazing, supportive daughter that I am, I would never want someone, let alone my mom, to eat dessert alone and thus, felt obliged to order the sweet stuff as well. Of course, I would eat it all because I couldn’t waste a single bite. That would be rude. And I am just really thoughtful like that.

And then my sister and I would have a bowl of vanilla fudge twirl ice cream almost every single night growing up. We may or may not have snuck an extra bowl when my parents left us with Mrs. Bowers, our babysitter. Only the three of us know the truth. I really had no chance of disliking sweets growing up. The odds were clearly against me. So, when I made my list of qualities in the perfect boyfriend or husband, a love for dessert was dangerously close to the top of the list. I am sure you can imagine the horror I felt when on an early date with my now husband, he refused the dessert menu. Yes, you read that right. “Oh gosh, no thanks. I am stuffed.”

Now, anyone that has enjoyed dessert after a large dinner knows very well that there is no such thing as being stuffed. Isn’t that the saying, “There’s always room for dessert?” And I know that this is against all diet rules ever created, but it might as well be a crime to refuse dessert at a fancy restaurant. I feel strongly about this if you haven’t gathered. But even so, I decided to keep my mouth shut when Andrew the H refused dessert. We were on one of our first few dates after all, and he had other things that I liked going for him. I didn’t want to scare him off just yet with a good dessert rant. Anyway, don’t they also say that you can change some things about a man? I was taking a risk.

Fast forward a few months later. I was feeling pretty comfortable in the relationship and thought it was the right time to drop the dessert bomb. I may or may not have had a few glasses of wine. Liquid courage, if you will. It went something like this, “Look, Andrew. I get that you think you are stuffed, but you always, and I mean always, ask to see the dessert menu. Especially on date night. And there may not be anything that you think looks good on the menu. Sometimes that happens. I’ve never experienced it, but I hear that it is true. But you never ever refuse the menu. Plus, what about your date, i.e. ME?! So dessert menu always? Are we good? You got it?” Nods and got its all around.

Weelllll, apparently, he absolutely did not get it. On several occasions, he “forgot.” And after a few death glares across the table and a couple of under the table kicks, he would say “Brookie?” as in “why don’t you answer the waiter/waitress’s question?” At least at that point I could say in my most innocent, surprised voice, “Why, yes! We would just be delighted to take a look at the dessert menu.” Smile. End scene.

Now for the happy ending in all dessert fairy tale love stories. I am happy to report that after five plus years, Andrew the H has finally gotten it. And the man who once claimed that he “didn’t really like dessert” seems to have no problem cleaning the last drop of ice cream off of his dessert plate (SEE you really can change them! Disclaimer: This does not apply to all traits of man; there are some things that you can not change unfortunately. Like always leaving the kitchen cabinet doors wide open. Every. Single. Time. Sigh.).

Well, something rather curious has happened since Andrew started acknowledging his love for dessert. Every time there is key lime pie on the menu, Andrew will order it. Won’t even look at the rest of the menu. Slams his dessert menu down and proclaims that he is ordering “The Pie,” which always means key lime pie not to be confused with other more popular pies. It really is interesting. I mean, I like key lime pie, too, but it isn’t always my go to order (chocolate molten cake on the other hand most definitely is).

So when we got the news that ol’ Andy had passed the bar in Virginia, we obviously had to celebrate with dessert, and the only thing that seemed appropriate was key lime pie. Since I love all things miniature or personal sized, I decided to make personal key lime pies. Or key lime pie-lets. They are pretty cute, huh? Plus, Andrew had already suffered through the bar exam in Texas the year before so this was sort of a double whammy celebration. Two bar exams under your belt calls for that sort of thing don’tcha think? Because if that doesn’t qualify for personal sized key lime pies then I really don’t know what does. Now. We are currently taking suggestions for other states to try our luck (or rather Andrew’s) at passing the bar exam. My vote is for New York or California, you know, for the challenge.*

*Apparently, these are the toughest bar exams. But this is a lie. No more bar exams for Andrew, I don’t think. But hey, never say never, right?

Key Lime Pie Minis
Adapted from several sources, most notably Karen Barker’s Sweet Stuff, a must have dessert cookbook

{Makes four 4-inch personal sized pies or  one 9-inch pie}

Crust:
1 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut (preferably the frozen kind, defrosted)
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted

Key Lime Filling:
4 egg yolks (reserve whites if making the meringue topping)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (I didn’t have this so didn’t use, mine came out fine)
1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup key lime juice
3 tablespoons key lime zest (optional)
Choose from Rum Cream Topping or Meringue Topping below.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate or the 4 mini tart pans.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, sugar, and melted butter in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate or tart pans, tamping down the crumbs to form an even crust. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly golden. Reserve and prepare filling.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cream of tartar. Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk. Gradually whisk in the lime juice till well combined. Stir in the lime zest, if using. Pour the mixture into the prepared shell.

Bake at 350° for approximately 15 minutes, until the filling is just set. Remove from the oven, cool completely, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Before serving, prepare topping (choose from either the rum cream topping or meringue topping).

Rum Cream Topping:
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
3 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut, toasted til light golden brown

Whip the cream till lightly thickened. Gradually whisk in sugar and beat to soft peaks. Beat in vanilla and dark rum and whip until medium stiff peaks.

Spread about two thirds of the whipped cream over the pie filling. Place the remaining cream in a pastry bag fitted with a large open star tip and pipe a shell border or a series of whipped cream rosettes around around the perimeter of the pie. Alternatively, you can spread all of the whipped cream on the pie, making peaks with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the whipped cream with the toasted coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Egg White Meringue Topping:
4 large egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

Place the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until the egg whites form soft peaks, about 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly add the sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt. Beat until the whites form stiff, glossy peaks, another 1 to 2 minutes. Do not over mix or the whites will dry out.

Place the meringue in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe the meringue onto the chilled key lime pie in dollops that run in concentric circles, completely covering the top of the pie. Alternatively, spread the meringue on the pie and using the back of a spoon, create peaks and dips in the topping. Use a blowtorch to caramelize the meringue. Or broil the pie under the broiler of your oven until golden brown. Watch carefully because the meringue can easily burn under the broiler. Keep the door partially open and as soon as soon the meringue begins to brown, remove from the oven.