I was tempted to make another Lime Meringue Pie because....well, how can you resist?! However, reason prevailed and "trying new things" is important. Also this Lime Chiffon Pie requires the use of gelatin which I generally hate working with so it presented somewhat of a challenge. Finally, the concept of lime sugar really appealed to me as it is a combination of my two favorite flavours - sweet and tart.
To begin with, to me, this dessert was reminiscent of a graceful, elegant elderly lady. The luscious cream representing carefully blow dried and primed hair. The lime sugar, like lace gloves. However, when I came to make it, I realised that Chiffon Pie is just the extremist bastard love child of Meringue Pie. It's messy, a little conceptual and time consuming.
It's everything a Meringue Pie is not and when it comes together it is like actually eating a cloud (hence my earlier little Cloud Lime-Cloud 9 play on words....we've been doing a lot of figurative language in class this week). The end of the story is, this Lime Chiffon Pie is the lightest, fluffiest thing in my house at the moment. Considering I own this dog....
.....that is saying a lot.
Lime Chiffon Tart
Base
250gram packet butternut snap cookies
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
75 grams butter
*this base actually became very hard and difficult to cut, if I were to make it again I would use my tried and true Scotch Finger Biscuit base however, this base is delicious and it works beautifully with the lime flavour
Filling
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
3 teaspoons powdered gelatine
2 teaspoons lime rind
2/3 cup caster sugar
4 egg whites
Topping
300ml thickened cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar mixture
Lime sugar
1 tablespoon lime rind
2 tablespoons caster sugar
As with all deliciousness, this pie starts with crushing up biscuits, adding cinnamon and melted butter. Combine all of these things and press into the base of a springform pie dish or a fluted pie dish if you're fancy and own one of those.
For the filling, separate the eggs and leave the whites to sit for the moment. Place the yolks, half the sugar (that's 1/3 of a cup!) the lime juice, water, gelatine and lime rind into a large heatproof bowl. Sit the bowl over a simmering saucepan of water (exercise caution with steam, hot water etc).
Get your electric mixer ready and have your iPad nearby because at this point you are in for a long wait. As your yolk mixture sits over the simmering water you need to whisk it. Choose a low setting so that you don't end up having an egg shower. Whisk the mixture until it doubles in size and resembles thick, fluffy goo. To begin with you will say things like, "Nothing is happening." "Is this right?" and there will be many times when you ask, "Is this done?". Just keep whisking. Just keep whisking....and so on.
Once it's at the point where your arm is about to fall off and it looks like this (light and creamy) you are ready to give your buzzing arms a rest.
Let this mixture cool to room temperature...this might mean popping it into a little ice bath to speed the whole thing up if you are on a time limit.
While the yolk mixture is cooling, place the egg whites into a bowl and begin mixing all over again. This whole processes becomes easier if you have a mix master but if not, just keep those arms a-whisking. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (what does that even mean?) then gradually add the other half of the sugar, beating until it is all dissolved.
Fold the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture until it is combined. It should resemble a light, fluffy slightly goopy mixture. Pour the mixture over the biscuit base a refrigerate until set (about 4 hours).
Once the pie is set and just before serving, whisk up the cream and the icing sugar until the cream is fluffy (like everything else in this post). Smother cream over the pie filling.
Finally in a food processor, combine the lime rind and the caster sugar. Once combined this will form moist sweet-sour clumps to sprinkle over the top of the cream. Get ready to eat a tangy amazing cloud.
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