Need help tweaking a recipe. Anyone have suggestions?

[grace0418]

I'm constantly searching for foods my husband and I can enjoy. With my husbands diabetes and my quest for an ass that fits into one zip code, that narrows down the possibilities a bit. :) Especially for dessert (cutting it out completely is simply *not* an option). Additionally, we really dislike and try to avoid "diet" foods, artificial sweeteners, and overly processed crap.

This weekend I attempted a variation on key lime pie using silken tofu. It's pretty darn good, needs some tweaking, but yummy nonetheless. Our two complaints were that it needed to be more tangy/limey and it needed to set better. If anyone has some suggestions for possible tweaks I'd love to hear them.

Here's what I have so far...

I made the crust using shredded unsweetened coconut, almond meal, egg white and agave nectar instead of graham crackers. I mixed it up, pressed it in a pie pan, then baked it at 350 for about 15 minutes. I was pretty happy with it, my husband thought it should be a bit sweeter. I may drop the egg white and add a little more agave.

For the filling I used half a cup of fresh lime juice. Most conventional key lime pie recipes called for half a cup, although I thought it could use more tangy lime flavor. Perhaps it was because I didn't use *key* lime juice. Does anyone have experience with that? I used a fair amount of zest as well. I heated it up with some corn starch to thicken it, then added it to a mixture of 16 oz. silken tofu, 4 oz. of low-fat cream cheese, 3 tbls agave nectar and 1/4 cup of coconut cream (a thicker version of coconut milk). It made enough filling for two pies in the end, so the rest just went in a bowl to be served as pudding.

Next time I don't know if I'll bother with the coconut cream. I thought it would go well with the coconut crust but the coconut flavor didn't come through really well. In fact, it may have dulled some of the lime flavor, but I'm not sure. It also didn't set up as well as I would've liked. So I think next time I might add more lime juice (or make sure it's key lime) and carefully cook it with more corn starch before adding it to the tofu/cream cheese mixture. I think it will get there, though, and the carb/calorie numbers are waaaaaaaaaaay better than standard key lime pie. The way I made it has about 190 cal and 10g carbs per slice, and many standard recipes are 350-495 cal and 30g carbs per slice.

If any of you have suggestions for tweaking this, I'm all ears. When I perfect the recipe, I'll post it. I think it has a possibility to be an eyes-rolling-in-the-back-of-the-head, "I can't believe this is tofu!", bring-this-to-every-party kind of recipe.

[Gormy Cuss]

1. Heating the fresh lime juice will dull the flavor a bit.

What I've learned from cooking with fresh citrus juice is that the flavor is much stronger if you can add some of it at the end of cooking. One way to do it with this pie is to reserve some zest and mix it in after everything else is combined, or to use zest as a topping. I make a similar lemon pie and sprinkle zest on the top after the filling has started to set up.

Can't help you with the problem setting up.

on edit: if you don't get more help here, try posting over in the Cooking and Baking group.

[grace0418]

2. I can't think of another way to thicken the lime juice other than heating it with

some kind of thickener (corn starch, tapioca, pectin). The pie is otherwise no-bake. Maybe I just need to use a lot more lime juice.

I like your zest as topping idea. Thanks!

[Arugula Latte]

3. I second the lime zest idea

Just grate the top layer of a lime on the finest grating surface you have -- get the green part only, no white. A little of that stuff goes a long way. :9

[grace0418]

4. I used quite a bit of lime zest already, and I didn't cook it. I have one of those

microplanes which zests really well. I just can't figure out the tangy factor. Maybe it really was the coconut cream I put in, or that I didn't use key limes. Thanks though!

When I get this thing perfected I will definitely share. Non-guilt-inducing key lime pie would pretty much make my summer!

[yewberry]

5. To get the filling to gel

you could use agar. You'd need to use more than the normal amount for a citrus filling, but it should work just fine. It has no flavor or color, so no impact on the final product other than setting. (Just don't tell anyone that you're serving a tofu & seaweed dessert!)

[grace0418]

6. LOL! Thanks! Yeah, I made some vegan chocolate mousse for a bbq this weekend

and it was GONE in minutes. No one could believe it was tofu. Even the picky little girls gobbled it up.

[yewberry]

7. Oh, I make that, too!

I usually make chocolate mousse pie with it.

My lactose-intolerant (and vehemently anti-tofu) family loves the stuff!

[grace0418]

8. I was actually thinking that the chocolate mousse would be fantastic in the

coconut almond piecrust I made for the key lime pie. Like an Almond Joy.

Yeah, I love the anti-tofu people who don't even know they're eating tofu half the time. Tee-hee.

[grasswire]

9. why can't you serve the pie up with a wedge of fresh lime?

I do that. Then a person can squeeze the lime right over their slice of pie just before eating.

And I don't think key limes are more tart. I think they are less tart. If you've ever squeezed enough of those little buggers for a pie, you'll be happy with your nice dark green kefir limes.

I wonder if an egg yolk would make the pie set up. Those old Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk recipes use an egg yolk, the juice, and a can of that milk, just stirred together. Something reacts in that mixture to thicken it up.

[grace0418]

10. LOL! I *did* once squeeze a whole bunch of key limes for a pie. Once.

I just couldn't remember how much juice I ended up extracting/using.

My husband can't really have egg yolk either. But it's a good thought. Like a custard. I'll just have to keep experimenting to find an alternative. I'm determined to get it, it's soooo close.

[hyphenate]

11. I've never worked with silken tofu

But is it possible to put it into the lime juice and let it sit for awhile longer before finishing the filling? I know that regular tofu takes on the flavor of the other ingredients, so perhaps by marinating it for awhile (overnight, perhaps?) with the juice it will have a tangier and more lime-like taste?

[TreasonousBastard]

12. I have never done this in a pie yet, but...

some unflavored yogurt instead of coconut might give it the tang you want. I use the stuff a lot replacing or enhancing milks. Haven't made a cheesecake in a while, but I'm thinking the next one to use some yogurt along with the sour cream to kick things up a little.

(I should know what happens when yogurt and lime juice meet, but I don't remember ever actually using citrus in the same recipe with it.)