My plan to delve into Florida’s signature Key Lime Pie experienced technical difficulties today when stormy Florida weather deep-sixed making a trip to the store for the ingredients. But that didn’t stop me from trying a southern pie, in this case, a Black-Bottom pie from page 206.
This was about the toughest recipe I’ve encountered in my Martha adventures so far. See, the johnnycakes weren’t actually that difficult in getting the recipe right, the problem was with the execution. Because if you follow a recipe perfectly, it can all fall to pieces (or in that instance, to mush) if you can’t properly cook the recipe you created!
This recipe required a lot of steps. The graham cracker crust was simple enough, and I didn’t have much of a problem with the filling (which, by the way is FABULOUS!!!) No, the problem I encountered was with the topping. It involved doing an Italian meringue which is tricky, hey, let’s face it, all meringues are tricky because egg whites whipped with air are magical, yet quite temperamental. There are few things in cooking that need to be related to as an exact science in the way that a meringue does! I haven’t yet mastered the art of making the perfect meringue, although I’ve improved a lot by working on it.
However this recipe wasn’t content to stop at the Italian meringue (which involves cooking sugar to a softball stage and then slowly pouring it into your egg whites as they whip to firm peaks). You also needed to make a creamy gelatin that you fold your meringue into…that’s where things went somewhat awry!
I didn’t have powdered gelatin as the recipe called for, so I used a gelatin sheet that I soaked in a little bit of warm water to dissolve. I was hoping it would have the same effect, but unfortunately, it simply ended up a little too watery, which kind of deflated my whole topping. Now don’t get me wrong, this was no johhnycake-style disaster, it was actually still a creamy, rich and utterly decadent dessert! But as a kitchen perfectionist, it wasn’t exactly what I set out to do and I’d really like to try this topping again (and again, and again, and again, if necessary) until I get it just right. I’d also like to try this again using nothing but the Italian meringue, adding only some dissolved gelatin while it’s whipping and make it a marshmallow topping that I can take my blowtorch to and do a s’mores pie, because that would be yummy!
I was going to do the Key Lime Pie tomorrow, but after this pie, I think I need to wait at least a few days before I make another creamy pie because I’m going to die of a heart attack if I eat like this again tomorrow. And while I’d certainly go out with a smile on my face, I need to stay alive to get through my Martha project!
