Lime Cream Pie with walnut crust and candied lime and zest
Ingredients for crust :
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
Ingredients for topping:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 tsp lime peel, zested
2 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Directions for topping:
Mix all topping ingredients in a mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Pour onto the 1/2 baked crust and continue baking for an additional 35 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Making the Crust
Cut the butter into smaller cubes. Add to the flour and powdered sugar in a clean bowl.
Start to work with your hands or a pastry blender. You are looking for the butter to spread out into the flour and sugar mixture and start to form a ball of dough. It will seem too dry at first, do not add water. Keep mixing until almost together.
Add the walnuts. You can chop them ahead of time, but I find just breaking them up with my hands as I knead it works fine.
Once the nuts are in, it really starts to form a nice ball.
Spray 9" spring form pan with non stick spray or grease the pan with margarine. Take your ball of crust dough, and press over bottom. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. When done, add the topping and continue baking for an additional 35 minutes, let cool in pan for about an hour on a cooling rack.
Then mix up some whipping cream, approximately 1 1/2 cups with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 tbsp of lime juice. When nice and whipped, stir in some lime zest.
Add to the top of the crust and filling you have already created. Let firm up in the refrigerator for several hours-3-4 hours if possible. Remove the ring from the spring form pan, and place the *sugared lime pieces on top.
*Take some lime slices, very thin, or lime supremes, and some of the zest, roll around in some granulated sugar and put in the refrigerator until pie is set.
