Lime Custard Pie With Basil Cream And Pistachio Praline

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You’ll be amazed how tangy lime and sweet basil complement each other. Note that the cream and the praline need to be made ahead.Reprinted with permission from Magpie © 2015 by Holly Ricciardi, Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group.

Servings

servings

Lime Custard Pie with Basil Cream and Pistachio Praline

Ingredients

basil cream, for serving (recipe below)
pistachio praline, for serving (recipe below)
1/2 recipe recipe flaky piecrust (see notes), chilled overnight
4 large egg yolks
1 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of fine salt
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
15 gram water
63 gram sugar
10 gram corn syrup
100 gram pistachios, roasted, salted, and chopped

Directions

Prepare the basil cream and pistachio praline as directed below, set aside.
Lightly flour a smooth work surface and a rolling pin.
Take a chilled disk of dough out of the fridge. Give it a couple of firm squeezes just to say hello, then unwrap it and set it on the floured work surface.
Set the pin crosswise on the dough and press down firmly, making a nice deep channel across the full width of the disk. Turn the disk 180 degrees and repeat, making a second indentation, forming a plus sign.
Use your rolling pin to press down each of the wedges, turning the dough 45 degrees each time. This will give you the beginnings of a thick circle.
Now, rolling from the center outward and rotating the dough a quarter turn to maintain a circular shape, roll the dough out to a 13-inch circle with an even thickness of ¼ inch.
Set your 9-inch (23-cm) pie pan alongside the circle of dough. Brush off any loose flour, carefully fold the dough circle in half, transfer it to the pan, and unfold.
At this point, the dough will be lying across rather than fitted into the pan. Now, without stretching the dough, set the dough down into the pan so that it is flush up against the sides and bottom. The best way to do this is to gingerly lift the dough and gently shift it around so that it settles into the pan bit by bit. Use a very light touch to help cozy it in.
To flute the edge, fold the overhang under to form a 1-inch wall that rests on the lip of the pan with the seam slightly below the pan’s top edge. Go around the edge of the pan and use a very light touch to firm up the wall to an even thickness from the bottom to the top and all the way around. Flute the edge of the crust at about 1-inch intervals, pressing from the inside with the knuckle of your index finger while supporting on the outside with the thumb and index finger of your opposite hand. Don’t pinch the dough, you want the flute to look like a thick rope.
Transfer the crust to the refrigerator to chill while you make your filling or to the freezer to prepare it for prebaking (see the next page). Alternatively, at this point the crust can be covered tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days or double-wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months (defrost overnight in the refrigerator before filling and baking or prebaking, or at room temperature for 30 minutes).
To prebake the shell, chill the panned, fluted piecrust in the freezer until firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F with a rack in the center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut an additional 13 x 13-inch square of parchment.
Set the pan on the lined baking sheet. Set the square of parchment in the pie shell and gently smooth it into place, pleating as needed to fit it up against the bottom and sides of the shell. The edges of the paper will project beyond the rim of the pan; just leave them standing straight up.
Fill the shell to the top with dried beans. Gently stir the beans around with your fingers to ensure that there are no air pockets (especially down in the corners where the sides and bottom of the pan meet). Top up with more beans as needed to come level with the top of the fluted edge of the piecrust.
Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the shell for 25 minutes.
Set out a wire rack and, alongside it, a mixing bowl. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and set it on the rack; bring together the points of the parchment (which won’t be hot to the touch), and carefully lift out the beans and transfer them to the bowl.
Slide the baking sheet back into the oven and bake the crust another 7 minutes (or until pale golden) for prebaked, or 10 minutes (until golden brown) for fully prebaked, depending on your recipe’s requirements. Cool on a wire rack.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put the yolks in a large bowl and use a handheld electric mixer to beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Lower the mixer speed to medium, pour in the condensed milk, and beat for 4 minutes. Slowly add the lime juice, pouring in a thin stream and beating constantly until the mixture starts to thicken, about 1 minute. Add lime zest, ginger, and salt and mix on medium speed until smooth.
Set the prebaked piecrust on the parchment-lined baking sheet and pour the filling into the shell, smoothing the top. Carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the pie 10 to 12 minutes, or until firm at the edges but still slightly jiggly at the center.
Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the pie cool completely to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight (at least 12 hours and up to 3 days) before slicing and serving. Serve cold, each slice topped with a dollop of basil cream and plenty of pistachio praline.
Combine the cream and sugar in a medium saucepan. Set the pan over medium-high heat and stir constantly until the mixture is steaming but not boiling.
Take the pan off the heat, tear the basil leaves into strips, and gently stir the strips into the hot cream. Cover the pan and let the mixture steep for 30 minutes.
Pour the infused cream through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl and set the bowl in the refrigerator for several hours, or until very well chilled.
When the cream is thoroughly chilled, use a handheld mixer at high speed to whip the cream to medium peaks. Use the basil cream immediately or keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
In a saucepan add water, sugar, and corn syrup. Stir to combine. Place over medium-high heat and allow sugar mixture to boil and turn a golden color without stirring. Remove from heat and quickly stir in pistachios and stir until well coated. Immediately, pour out onto a silpat or parchment paper and allow to cool completely. Chop in to chunks with a knife.