Lime Pie with Oat & Coconut Crust by Hetty McKinnon

This beautifully illustrated vegetarian cookbook by bestselling author Hetty McKinnon features modern, easy, and healthy recipes for a new generation of families. Dreaming up flavorful yet nutritious meals, night after night, is one of the greatest challenges in home cooking. The secret to success is developing a repertoire of family classics--simple, adaptable, and nourishing recipes that you will want to cook time and time again. In Family, Hetty McKinnon shares her approach to modern, hearty, and healthy comfort food that is powered by vegetables. Some of these recipes are heirlooms, passed on from her mother, others are old family favorites, and many are healthier variations on much-loved food. With everything from a deconstructed falafel salad of roasted chickpeas and fresh greens to an earthy miso brown butter pasta with sage to sticky banana golden syrup dumplings, this book provides fun, uncomplicated food for everyone. Interwoven with McKinnon's recipes are family stories from home cooks around the world. Family teaches home cooks how to build a repertoire of crowd pleasing, flavorful vegetarian meals and shows families how to successfully eat healthily together.

From Hetty: "This recipe is a tale of two allied desserts—America’s key lime pie joins forces with Australia’s buttery Anzac biscuits in a transcontinental dessert that really does it all! This pie is traditionally made with key limes, which originate from the Florida Keys and which are smaller than regular limes, with a higher acidity, stronger taste, and thinner rind. The first time I made this pie, I zested and juiced fiddly key limes for way too long! Now, I just use regular limes and the result is not quite as tart, but just as good. I use four egg yolks for extra creaminess, but you could use just three if you wanted to hold back on the richness (or use five yolks if you want it even more decadent!)."

 

Serves 6

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) pie pan.
2. For the Anzac biscuit crust, combine the flour, sugar, oats, coconut, and salt in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium–low heat. Once melted, add the golden syrup and baking soda—be careful as the mixture will foam—then add this to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Press the mixture into the base and side of the prepared pie pan. Use your fingertips or the base of a small cup to flatten out the base and side until it is thin and uniform (you may have too much biscuit crust—if so, roll the leftover mixture into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls, flatten slightly and bake to make cookies). Bake in the oven for about 10–15 minutes, or until golden. Leave to cool. Maintain oven temperature.
3. To make the lime filling, place the lime zest in a bowl, add the egg yolks, and beat with a whisk or electric mixer until the mixture is pale, thick, and ribbony—this step is important, as having a smooth, thick mixture here will improve the overall texture of the pie. Add the condensed milk and beat again until well combined and thickened, then whisk in the lime juice.
4. Pour the filling into the cooled Anzac biscuit crust and return to the oven for another 10–15 minutes, until the filling has set but not browned on top. Leave the pie to cool completely before eating—I prefer to eat it chilled, so let it cool off in the fridge for 2–3 hours before devouring.
5. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and a sprinkle of lime zest, if you like.

TIP:

This pie will keep in the fridge for 5–7 days.