I first made this pie a few months after getting back from San Francisco with Jim, Laura and Ricky. We had our first (of many, I hope!) San Francisco reunion at Laura’s, where we had the pie with other SF-themed food: clam chowder, prawn sandwiches, lots and lots of prosecco…
The second time was on the weekend when Gemma, Darika, Kate and Libby came over for the Twilight movie night. I forgot to take a photo before we munched on it (well, everyone except Darika, who had to run for her train), so what you see above is the crumbled remains the next day, sans whipped cream.
So, due to popular demand (Kate), here’s the Hummingbird Bakery recipe…
Recipe
Filling
- 8 egg yolks
- 2 397-gram tins of condensed milk
- freshly squeezed juice and grated zest of 5 limes (I can never be bothered grating zest, lest I finish with Madonna arms, so I use the juice of 6 limes instead. And use a sneaky dribble of green food colouring – which the recipe says not to use as the zest will provide the colour.)
- 450ml whipped cream
Crust
- 500 grams digestive biscuits
- 200 grams unsalted butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees
For the crust
Roughly break up the digestive biscuits and put them in a food processor (I do about four lots). Process until finely ground. Put the crumbs in a large mixing bowl, and pour the melted butter in, and stir. Press the mixture into the base and neatly up the side of the prepared pie dish, using a tablespoon to flatten and compress.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until deep golden and firm. Set aside to cool completely.
Turn the oven down to 150 degrees.
Put the egg yolks, condensed milk and lime juice in a mixing bowl, and mix with a whisk until everything’s smooth. It’ll thicken as you go.
Pour into the cold pie crust and bake in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes. Pull it out when it’s firm to the touch, and not at all wobbly. Leave to cool completely, and put in the fridge for at least an hour (I make it the previous day).
Serve with whipped cream on top.
- If you’re wondering what to do with the leftover eight egg whites, try this white cake recipe. I made it the day after the pie got eaten, using the whites I’d refrigerated, and it was delicious. Light and fluffy, with a slightly sticky and caramelised top. Didn’t even add icing. The recipe calls for just six egg whites, but I increased the whole recipe by a third so I could use all eight whites.
