HOLIDAYS 2014: KEY LIME PIE(click here to print)

For Crust                                 KEY LIME PIE                                

1. 1 cup (4 ounces) almond flour                                  
2. 1/2 cup (2 ounces) ground pecans
3. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4. 1/8 teaspoon stevia powder
5. 2 Tablespoon erythritol*, powdered
6. 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
7. 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
8. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
9. 1/8 teaspoon salt

For Filling

1. 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2. 7 Tablespoons erythritol powdered
3. 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon stevia powder
4. 1/2 cup key lime juice** (the kind in a bottle)
5. 1/4 teaspoon finely minced lime zest
6. 1 packet (2 teaspoons)unflavored gelatin
7. 1 cup heavy cream

For Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Whisk together almond flour, pecan meal (if using), cinnamon, stevia powder, and xanthan gum together in a bowl.
3.  grind erythritol to powder in coffee grinder
4. Whisk powdered erythritol into the rest of the dry ingredients.
5. Stir vanilla and salt into melted butter, and add it to the dry ingredients.
6. Knead together dough with hands until everything is distributed evenly throughout the dough. The color of the dough will appear to be even throughout when its ready.
7. Lightly grease a large glass pie dish with butter.
8. Press dough into dish in the shape of a crust, trying to make sure that the thickness is the same all over the pie dish.
9. Poke holes with a fork all over the crust so to ensure that air pockets don’t form while it’s baking. Bake crust for 14-15 minutes. The crust is done once the edges have barely browned. Check the crust a couple of times while it is baking to see if bubbles form. Should you see air pockets rising under the crust, open the oven door, and gently prick those areas with your fork.
10. Place dish on a cooling rack to cool, and wait at least 2 hours for crust to dry out and reach room temperature. You can cover the crust with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator overnight if you’d like to prepare the filling the next day.

For Filling

1. Set cream cheese out on the countertop for 2 hours to reach room temperature.
2. Beat cream cheese with a mixer until smooth and free of lumps.
3.  Powder erythritol in coffee grinder
4. Stir erythritol and 1/4 tsp. stevia into cream cheese, then beat with mixer for 2-3 minutes on high speed to ensure erythritol has dissolved and texture is smooth.
5. Refrigerate mixture while you perform the next step.
6. Heat key lime juice, covered, in microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes.
7. Add lime zest to hot key lime juice.
8. Whisk gelatin into key lime juice until it has completely dissolved.
9. Let mixture cool for 5-10 minutes, or until no longer hot to the touch.
10. Stir key lime juice mixture into cream cheese mixture. You want the gelatin to start thickening as it cools down. Look for a pudding-like texture as you are stirring the cream cheese mixture around the bowl. If it is not thickening, make an ice bath with another bowl filled with ice and water. Set bowl with cream cheese mixture over the ice bath (making sure water doesn’t get into cream cheese mixture!) and stir the cream cheese mixture around bottom of bowl with a spatula. Do this for a couple of minutes until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency and is cool to the touch. Remove bowl with cooled cream cheese mixture from ice bath, and set aside.
11. In a separate bowl, beat heavy cream and 1/8 tsp. stevia until stiff peaks form.
12. Use spatula to fold a dollop of whipped cream mixture into cream cheese mixture, and stir it around a bit. Fold the rest of the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until texture is fairly even.
13. Scrape filling into pie crust and refrigerate, uncovered, for 3-4 hours. Texture will be firm enough to cut pie into clean slices.
14. Garnish pie with whipping cream if desired. Pie will keep refrigerated for 3 days. If you don’t mind a few extra carbs, you can just use canned whipped cream to garnish the pie.

By Lauren Benning
6 carbs.  serves 8


*www.healthyindulgences.net*