Key Lime Pie with White Chocolate Whip and Chocolate Shavings

I love white chocolate paired with key lime flavour. I think it is a lovely and bright-flavoured summer combination. The key to making a tasty white chocolate topping is to use a good quality white chocolate, not super sweet and strong in artificial vanilla flavour, like the white chocolate chips from the grocery store.  I use Camino brand of organic white chocolate 'couverture', which comes in large sizes for professionals, but for the home baker, a couple of Green & Blacks white chocolate bars would be perfect in this recipe, and those already have vanilla bean in them so you can leave it out of this recipe!

The basic Key Lime Pie recipe was originally from The Taste of Home website, but it's since been removed from there, and I made some modifications to the sour cream measurements, along with the topping being all my own creation. If you want to see the original pie recipe, here is the link, but I warn you it may not be there.

This White Chocolate Whipped topping is super yummy and holds up for days longer than regular whipped cream! Use it on any cake, or on a bowl of strawberries or peaches, or Angel Food Cake.

It really is a perfectly textured pie - I think you'll love it! The pie has been a hit at one of the restaurants that I supply with dessert.  It was supposed to be a one-time thing and it is quickly becoming a regular on the dessert special menu. I warn you though, this isn't your average 'cheap' pie, it will cost you over $20 in ingredients, but the taste is worth it!

Enjoy! If you have questions, add them to the comments below and I will try to answer in a timely fashion.

Key Lime Pie Recipe with White Chocolate Whip

Ingredients:

Filling (may be enough for 1 pie + 1 small pie, or use remaining filling as a custard or pudding)

• 2 cans of condensed milk
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp. grated lime peel (Key Lime or regular lime is fine)
• 3/4 cup lime juice (Key Lime or regular)
• 2 tsp vanilla

Crust

• 2 cups crushed graham wafer crackers (or crumbs)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter (unsalted preferably, but either is fine)
• 1 tbsp. butter for greasing pan
• 1 8" or 9" pie plate (or round cake pan if nothing else)

Whipped White Chocolate Cream Topping (if not putting the pie in a cake, or to top cake with)

• 6 ounces white chocolate
• 1/3 cup + 1/2 cup whipped cream
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract or scrapings from one vanilla bean

Chocolate Shavings:

• 1 ounce of white chocolate (warm for 10 seconds in the microwave, then shave with a vegetable peeler). Set aside until ready to use.

Instructions for the crust:

Preheat oven to 350º F.

1. Prepare your pie plate by greasing it with butter.
2. Melt the butter in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds or in a small saucepan on the stovetop, depending on your preference.
4. Place your crumbs and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.
5. Pour in the butter and mix with a spatula until the crumb-sugar mix is moist.
6. Press the moist mix into the cake pan and up the sides, pressing firmly on the upper edges to ensure the crust won't be too crumbly.
7. Bake crust for 10 to 14 minutes, until top edges start to brown. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack while you make the filling.


Instructions for the filling:

1. Place the sweetened condensed milk in large bowl. Add the sour cream, vanilla and lime juice.
2. Grate your lime zest with a small grater (the style for Parmesan cheese). Then sprinkle in and blend with a hand mixer, blender, whisk of a stand mixer or a submersion blender (basically whatever you have to blend!).
3. Pour into the baked and cooled pie crust.

4. Bake in a preheated 350º F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the very edges of the filling start to bubble.  No browning for this pie! It just needs to stiffen up a bit in the oven.
5. Let cool on a cooling rack for an hour or more, then place in the fridge to chill until cold. Meanwhile, make your topping and/or the cakes for the Piecaken.


White Chocolate Whipped Topping:

1. Chop the white chocolate into 1" pieces and place in a microwave safe bowl with the 1/3 cup cream. Microwave for 1 minute, then remove and stir until smooth. If chocolate chunks still remain, add 10 second intervals in the microwave, (careful not to overheat or the white chocolate's cocoa butter will separate out) and continue to stir until the mix becomes smooth.

2. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup whipping cream and the vanilla, and stir until mix is smooth.  Refrigerate until cool (about 1 hour).

3. Whip with hand mixer or stand mixer whisk until fully whipped with stiff peaks form.  Do not overbeat (texture will start to look lumpy-ish if over-beaten).

4. Set aside, covered in a bowl in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Simply spatula onto cold pie and top with chocolate shavings, or place in a decorator bag and decorate the pie in a 'fancier' way, then top with the white chocolate shavings.

Enjoy!