Pies with That- Holiday Songs- Dorie's Creamiest Lime-Mango Meringue Pie with Ginger-Macadamia Crust

This month's theme for You Want Pies with That? is Holiday Songs, chosen by Anne Strawberry. Pretty fun, if you ask me. I don't know for sure what my favorite holiday song is, I like them all. I like singing them, playing them on the piano, humming them, or listening to them on the radio. I decided to do a play on a holiday song- It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas.
I do not love snow or cold weather, but I do enjoy a white christmas. I thought I would make a tropical pie, so I could pretend that it isn't cold and snowy (Well, it isn't snowy yet, but it is cold). So, my pie is the opposite of my song.
For the crust, I found a recipe that used ground gingersnaps, macadamia nuts, and crystallized ginger, so it was nice and spicy. I decided to fill my pie with Dorie's Creamiest Lime Cream because she says " I save this pie for summer because, as fresh as lime and ginger taste on their own, when they're mixed together, they turn uber-zingy and so cool you'd think they'd been in the deep freeze. It may be an illusion, but one you'll be happy to play along with on a sweltering day." And what the heck, why not make it a little more tropical by throwing a ripe mango in the middle of the cream, like Dorie suggests.
So I pretended it was a hot, sweltering day and made this pie. I increased the amount of meringue, so I would get some height and have enough to cover the pie and also reduced the amount of butter in the filling by 2 sticks, because I have made Dorie's Lemon Cream before; that cream is just like this one, and I liked the flavor better without all the butter. So, if you were wishing you were on a tropical island because It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas- this is the pie for you!

Dorie's Creamiest Lime-Mango Meringue Pie with Ginger-Macadamia Crust

for the crust: (recipe from epicurious.com)

1 1/3 cups ground gingersnaps cookies
1 3 1/2-ounce jar toasted macadamia nuts
1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

for the filling: ( adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my home to yours)

1 cup sugar

grated zest of 3 limes

4 large eggs, preferably at room temperature

3/4 cup fresh lime juice ( from about 6 limes)

1 1-inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 tsps cornstarch

3 Tbls unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks

1 ripe mango, peeled, cut into cubes, and sprinkled with a little fresh lime juice

for the meringue: (adapted from Dorie's Baking)

6 large egg whites, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

For crust:Preheat oven to 350 °F. Generously butter 9-inch-diameter spring-form pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Finely grind first 4 ingredients in processor. Add butter; blend until crumbs are moistened. Press mixture on bottom and 1 3/4 inches up sides of pan. Bake until crust is set, about 8 minutes. Transfer to rack, cool.

For the filling: Have an instant-read thermometer, a strainer, and a blender at hand. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.

Put the sugar and zest in a large heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. Off the heat, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips, until the sugar is moist and fragrance of lime is strong. Whisk in the eggs, then whisk in the juice, ginger and cornstarch. Set the bowl over the pan and start stirring with a whisk. Cook the lime cream until is reaches 180 degrees F, whisking constantly. As you whisk, the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as it gets closer to 180 degrees F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. It won't be done yet, keep whisking and checking the temp, this could take up to 10 minutes or more.

As soon as it reaches 180 degrees F, remove the cream from the heat and strain the cream into the container of a blender; discard the zest. Let it cool until it reaches 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.

Turn the blender to high speed and add the butter a piece at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container and continue to blend for about a minute more. Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

To finish the pie with the meringue- Preheat the broiler. Whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon about 1/3 of it into the cooled crust. Top with the diced mango and Cover with the remaining cream.

With the whisk attachment of your mixer, whip the egg whites at medium speed until opaque. With the mixer running, add the sugar in a slow stream and continue to beat until the whites are glossy and form firm peaks.

Spread the meringue over the lime filling, swirling it if you'd like. Make sure the meringue comes all the way to the edges of the crust, because it will shrink when it bakes.

Run the pie under the broiler until the meringue is golden and the tips are dark brown. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Up Tomorrow- Craving Ellie in my Belly- Jewel Roasted Vegetables