Put the Lime in the Coconut

Yep, I did it…put the lime in the coconut (and now you’ll have that stuck in your head all day…sorry, but it could be worse) that is.  And why? Because it’s one of my favorite days of the year…Pi(e) Day!  3.14, March 14. My husband says he won’t be able to stand my enthusiasm in 2015, when it’ll be 3.1415. He’s the math geek who thought of THAT, not me.

Anyway, on with the pie.  I love Key Lime Pie, but the rest of my family finds it too tart.  Likewise, I love coconut pie and the rest of the family resists it, as well. Being the great mom and wife that I am, I thought, I’ll just combine them anyway and if I have a whole pie to myself, well, that’s just a sacrifice I’ll have to make.

Much to my chagrin, I mean surprise, everyone agreed this was one of the best pies I’ve EVER MADE. So I only got my fair share, two slices.  On different days. Oh, and I didn’t even tell you about this photograph.  I live in a really dark house, and so I usually take my photos outside with natural light.  I made this pie on Sunday, thinking that with the time change, it would be plenty light when it was ready to photograph. Well, we had rain all day and it was possibly the gloomiest day of our entire stay in Wisconsin.

The photos were dark and blurry and totally unappetizing. So I let the family eat half the pie and saved the rest to photograph on Monday. Monday was cold but not rainy (yet) so I hauled my kitchen stool outside onto the sidewalk, then staged the background placemat. I sliced the pie and placed it perfectly on the plate and set the whole shebang on the placemat. I went inside, fetched my camera, and returned.  I took the lens cap off and turned the camera on…and a sleet began pelting the pie, my camera, and me!

I was so frustrated, I was forced to eat a bite of pie. Then I decided I could recreate the shot on the porch, with natural light but protected from the sleet/snow. Finally I was happy with the results, even though my stress bite of pie is missing!

Pie-Title

This pie completely blew my socks off, I have to say. The filling is almost the same as Key Lime, but the coconut milk adds so much flavor and mellows the lime a bit. The crust is a scrumptious blend of gingersnaps, butter, and toasted coconut, but you could use a store-bought graham cracker one instead.  I thought about meringue for the top, but ended up with whipped cream instead, so one less cooking step.  This really isn’t hard to make…but it is pretty hard to resist!

Coconut Key Lime Pie

Crust:

  • 1-1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (I used the food processor)
  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (10 minutes at 325 degrees)
  • 3 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling:

  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat-free)
  • 7 egg yolks (see why I used fat free milk?)
  • 14 oz light coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup Key lime juice (I used Nellie and Joe’s)

Topping:

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla

1. Combine crust ingredients and press firmly into pie pan, deep dish 9” or regular 10”. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Whisk together filling ingredients until smooth and pour into prepared crust.

3. Bake about 40 minutes, until only the middle is jiggly. Remove from oven and let cool at room temp for an hour or so, then refrigerate at least 3 hours, until firm.

4. Whip cream to stiff peaks, then fold in sugar and vanilla. Spread over pie and top with toasted coconut, unless your children have been snacking on it and you have none left to make your pie pretty.

Serves 8-10

Click here for the printable recipe

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About Megan

My various hats: mom to three crazy teens and one quirky dog, wife of 27 years to my retired GI Joe, and high school math teacher. After my husband's retirement from the Army, we've settled in the Pacific Northwest. Crafting, cooking, photography, and reading keep me sane (that's a relative term!) and I hope you'll enjoy following along as I navigate the chaos of life!
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4 Responses to Put the Lime in the Coconut

  1. Stephanie A. says:

    Yum yum, yum yum. I love that you used gingersnaps and coconut for the crust. Brilliant!

  2. Hi Megan, popping over from the party at live, laugh, rowe. This looks delicious and I love the sound of this recipe – very different and unique! Thanks so much for sharing and am pinning! Have a good weekend!

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