YWPWT: Summer Pies

Summertime. When the livin' should be easy.


When you're hungry for pie, but it's too hot to bake.


Solution?


An icebox pie.



I remember that my mother made these special pies every summer, using different flavor combinations. They were always delightfully cold, either straight from the refrigerator or freezer, depending on which recipe she chose.


My pie is a Lime Cream-Boysenberry Pie. Limes, because my tree always has limes available, and boysenberries, because one of my dear quilting friends brought over freshly picked berries from her garden the other day. I had thought about using strawberries, but with these plump boysenberries staring me in the face, I couldn't resist.

I did make and bake the graham cracker crust, and I spent about 5 minutes slaving over a hot stove making the lime curd, but it was well worth it.


I do apologize for not having a photo of a slice of pie. In my eagerness to taste-test, I didn't let it chill quite long enough, so the filling literally flowed out of the crust and onto my plate. One must eat mistakes like that, you know, rather than photograph them. I would recommend a good 24-hour chill, since the filling was more well-behaved this evening. Maybe tomorrow, in the light of day, I can snap a shot of a slice. Assuming any remains.



Thanks to Rebecca and Mary for a yummy and appropriate theme. Check the You Want Pies With That? blog site for some summery pie inspiration.




Lime Cream-Boysenberry Pie
(adapted from Icebox Pies by Lauren Chattman)

4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 prepared crumb crust
2 cups of fresh berries

Combine the eggs, sugar, and lime zest in a saucepan and whisk until smooth. Add the lime juice and butter and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 7 to 9 minutes. Do not boil. Pour the hot lime curd through a fine strainer into a glass bow. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. Refrigerate until it is cold and thick, at least 3 hours.

Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the lime curd and then scrape the filling into the prepared crust. Cover and refrigerate until the filling is completely set, at least 6 hours and preferable 1 day.

Just before serving arrange berries on top.