I dragged my boyfriend to KCRW’s annual Pie Contest at UCLA this past weekend and now I am in a sugar coma. Please send help.
Pie competitions incorporate some of my favorite things: pie, cooking, and competition. Sound about right? I figured I had to at least enter something, so I picked the two most difficult categories I could find and spent an entire Saturday attempting some pie creations. Though I didn’t take home any gold, (there were over 300 pie entries, okay?!) I did have a ton of fun running around my kitchen experimenting with sugary creations.
This recipe pulls from a few different places, but I have to credit Vegan Blueberry for pointing me in the right direction for the filling.
Ingredients:
for the crust
8 – 10 graham vegan crackers (no honey)
3 tbsp sugar
pinch salt
1/3 cup vegan butter (melted)
for the filling
1/2 cup cashews
14 oz coconut cream (1 can)
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
scant 1/4 cup frozen spinach (for color)
1/2 cup water
4 tsp agar powder
for the meringues
1/2 cup aquafaba (unsalted chickpea water)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
3/4 tsp agar powder
3/4 cup caster sugar
for the topping
3 key limes (or small limes)
Kitchen Tools: pie plate, food processor, blender, stand or hand mixer with whisk attachment, piping bag with open star nozzle, wax paper, offset spatula, whisk, blow torch
Prep Work:
for the crust
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Pulse graham crackers in your food processor until finely ground. Transfer crumbs to mixing bowl and whisk in sugar and salt. Pour melted butter on top and blend into graham crackers with a spoon until well combined.
- Pour the crust mixture into your pie plate and use your fingers or the bask of a wooden spoon to press it into a pie crust shape. I find it helps to start from the center and work my way up the sides.
- Pulse graham crackers in your food processor until finely ground. Transfer crumbs to mixing bowl and whisk in sugar and salt. Pour melted butter on top and blend into graham crackers with a spoon until well combined.
- Pour the crust mixture into your pie plate and use your fingers or the bask of a wooden spoon to press it into a pie crust shape. I find it helps to start from the center and work my way up the sides.
- Pop your crust into the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Let cool.
for the filling:
- Combine cashews, coconut cream, agave, lime juice, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and spinach into blender. Blend on high until completely smooth.
- In a small saucepan, combine water and agar powder. Whisk on medium low heat until mixture begins to thicken. Continue whisking for another minute (it’ll get reaaally thick), then scrape into blender and blend everything together for an additional minute.
- Carefully pour filling into your prepared pie crust and chill uncovered in the fridge for at least 1 hour or until filling it set.
for the meringue:
- Prepare your piping bag and lay out a large sheet of wax paper onto a flat surface.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer) whisk aquafaba and cream of tartar on high speed until firm peaks form – about 8 – 12 minutes . Whisk in vanilla extract until stiff peaks form – about another minute or so.
- While your mixer is doing its thing, combine water and agar powder in a saucepan and whisk on medium heat until it begins to boil (this mixture is significantly thinner than the one used in the filling).
- Once it’s boiling, pour in your sugar and continue whisking until it’s bubbling – about 2 minutes.
- Turn mixer onto high and slowly pour the hot syrup until the meringue. Whisk for anther minute until fully combined and let cool for about 2 minutes.
- Spoon meringue into your piping bag and pipe meringues onto the wax paper. Let set for about 10 minutes.
Assembly:
- Use an offset spatula to transfer meringues from wax paper to the set key lime pie.
- Optional: Use a blow torch to get some nice color on the tops of the meringues. You can also place the entire pie under the broiler for a minute or so, but be sure to watch it at all times! It can very easily get melty or burnt in there.
- Thinly slice key limes and arrange in between meringues.
- Zest a lime or two over the top to give it a pop of color.
