Key Lime Pie

I just love to have visitors to my blog, I've taken some time to prepare this recipe and to blog it so I would be so grateful for some feed back. Please leave a comment or better still visit come over & visit me on my Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/la.difference.catering where I'm available all day most days .

Light, fresh and tangy , I'm sure there couldn't be a better dessert to finish your summer dinner with.
Once the pastry case is made it's just a matter of zesting some juicy limes and squeezing out the juice to add to condensed milk & eggs. The recipe is so simple and the result is just amazing. This recipe should serve 10-12 people.

I used a deep 11" 28cm loose bottomed quiche tin oiled well.

If you prefer to measure your ingredients rather that weigh click onto this link Easy Conversion Chart

The pastry (unsweetened shortcrust as the filling is sweet enough)

4oz/125g cold unsalted butter cubed
4oz/125g Vegetable shortening (Trex or Cookeen)
1lb plain white flour
pinch of salt
approximately 3tbsp cold water to bind.

In a large bowl rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
Add a couple of tbsp. of cold water and bring the pastry together to form a ball adding a little more water if needed,

Flatten, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until you are ready to bake it.

Gently roll out the pastry quite thinly. (you will have plenty enough left over to make jam tarts)
Line the greased tart tin with the pastry carefully pushing it into the edges. Leave an overhang of around 1" of pastry in case it shrinks while baking.
Refrigerate again for around 20 minutes.
Set the oven to 190c/375F/gas 5

Scrunch up a piece of parchment paper big enough to cover the tin and fill with baking beans, rice or whatever you use.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 12 minutes
Remove the paper & beans and continue baking until the pastry is golden & crisp approximately another 7 minutes.
Remove from the oven & trim off the excess pastry to the top of tin.

For the filling.  

6 to 8 Limes depending on the size
 you will need to zest 5  and you will need around 200ml/7fl oz lime juice in total
2 13oz/400g tins of condensed milk
6 large eggs separated
whipped cream & lime slices to decorate

set the oven to 190c/375f/gas 5

Whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry
whip together the egg yolks & condensed milk
Slowly add the lime zest and juice, mix well
Fold in a few tbsp. of the egg white to loosen the mixture
Then fold in the rest.
Pour into a large jug

Place the tart case on an oven tray and place it in the centre of the oven
Carefully pour in the batter until it almost reaches the top of the pastry. Do not overfill any spare mixture can be cooked in an oven dish (cooks treat)
Bake for around 20 -25 minutes or until the filling is set.
Leave to cool completely on a wire rack before gently removing from the tin.

Decorate with whipped cream and slices of lime

Dor's Rhubarb & Ginger Cheesecake

Rhubarb & Ginger has to be one of my favourite combinations so it wasn't too hard to figure out how to use up some of the glut of rhubarb that I had in the garden. Along with that I found 3 tubs of Philly in the fridge, I'm always tempted to buy too much when there's a supermarket offer going.

I usually make this baked Cheesecake with a digestive (Graham Cracker) base but I used Ginger Nuts (ginger cookies ) to add to the ginger flavours in the topping.

The recipe will make around 12 portions but just 6 of us managed to polish this one off in one sitting. Okay we're just damn greedy but we don't eat it every day.

This is a plain cheesecake that will work so well with many other toppings.  Try mixing sliced strawberries with a little icing (confectioners sugar)  They will get a lovely sheen on them and top the cheesecake with them... you can do the same with most berries.  Or try adding lemon zest and sultanas to the cheesecake mixture to make a wonderful old fashioned dessert.

Here's the RECIPE :-

You will need a 9/10" loose bottomed Springform tin, greased then lined with parchment paper to come about an inch or so above the tin.

If you prefer to use cups & spoons for measuring then here's some easy Conversion Charts

For the base

a 300g packet of Ginger nuts / ginger cookies crushed to a fine crumb
100g unsalted butter melted
3 tbsp.sugar

Mix well together, press into the bottom of the tin and refrigerate to set it (about 40 minutes)

For the Filling

750 gms of Philly or another good quality whipped cream cheese
300ml of sour cream or double cream if you can't get it
6 eggs separated
150g caster sugar
the zest of 1 lemon
1 dessertspoon of vanilla extract
2 tbsp. of corn flour (corn starch)
a sprinkle of sea salt ( about ½ tsp)

Using a hand whisk, place the egg whites in a bowl and whip until stiff but not dry
in another bowl place everything else and using the same whisk beat until smooth.
Fold in the egg whites making sure there's no white bits of egg white to be seen
Place the batter over the biscuit base to about 1" below the top of the tin
There may be a little too much batter so don't overfill your tins just pour it into a dish and bake later (cooks treat)

Place in the centre of a pre-heated oven 170c/325f/gas 3 for around 1& 10 mins hour. Don't be tempted to open the door, keep a keen eye on it though in case it browns too quickly. Turn the oven off and leave cheesecake in the oven for a least a couple of hours to really set up. There should be no wobble at all at this stage.
 Place on a wire rack to cool completely and leave in the baking tin until you are ready to serve it.
I left mine in the fridge well wrapped overnight and it was perfect the following day.

For the Rhubarb topping

1lb young rhubarb stalks
150g or so of caster sugar
around 2 level tsps of cornflour or arrowroot to thicken the juices
1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
around 4 or 5 pieces of crystallised ginger chopped
or 1 tsp of ginger powder added to the rhubarb before cooking

Chop around 1lb/500g washed rhubarb into about 1½"/ 3cm pieces and place in a non metallic oven dish with around 150g of caster sugar (according how sharp you like your rhubarb) and 1 tbsp of water.
Cover with foil and bake at 180c/350f/gas4 for around 30 minutes or until soft
Baked this way the rhubarb holds it's shape.
Place the rhubarb in a sieve and collect the juices. You'll find that it will keep making a little more as it sits.
Place the juices in a pan and add a little slaked corn flour/starch/arrowroot and the redcurrant jelly and cook until it starts to thicken. It should be of a thickened but still pourable consistency

To assemble

remove the cheesecake carefully from the tin and remove the parchment paper.
Place on it's serving plate
Arrange the rhubarb over the top.
Scatter over the chopped ginger
Carefully spoon over the slightly cooled thickened juices and serve.