Lime-coconut Cream Pie

-PASTRY-
1 1/4 c Flour
1/4 c Shortening; solid
3 tb Butter; cold, cut in small
Pieces
3 tb Water; cold, or a little
More

-LIME FILLING-
1 c Sugar
1/4 c Cornstarch
4 lg Egg yolks
1 tb Lime peel, grated; fresh
1/2 c Lime juice; fresh
1 1/3 c Water
2 tb Butter

-COCONUT CREAM TOPPING-
3 tb Water; cold
2 ts Unflavored gelatin
8 1/2 oz Cream of coconut; not
Coconut milk
1/2 ts Vanilla extract
1 c Whipping cream

GARNISH
Lime peel; removed with
Vegetable peeler, cut in
Sticks

Prep: 40 minutes. Chill: 4 hours 15 minutes. Bake: 27 minutes. Total
cost: $4.89. The creamy coconut topping is sublime with the slightly tart
filling. The pie can be made up to 3 days ahead.

Have a 9″ pie plate ready. To make pastry in food processor: process
flour, shortening, and butter with short pulses until coarse crumbs form.
Add water; process with short pulses just until water is blended. Remove
blade, then dough. By hand: cut shortening and butter into flour in medium
bowl with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle on
water, 1 tb at a time, tossing mixture with fork until dough clumps
together.

Gather dough into ball, then press into disk. Wrap and refrigerate about 1
hour, until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface with
lightly floured rolling pin to 13″ circle. Line pie plate with dough. Fold
edge under to form rim. Crimp or flute rim. Prick bottom and sides of
shell with fork at 1″ intervals. Chill in freezer about 10 minutes, until
dough is very firm.

Line chilled pastry with foil and weight with about 2 c dried beans or pie
weights. Bake 15 minutes, until pastry is just set. Carefully lift foil
with beans and remove. Bake pastry 8-12 minutes longer, until crust is
golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Pour beans into container, cover
tightly, and save for future pies. (Do not cook.)

Lime filling: Whisk sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Whisk in egg
yolks and lime juice until smooth. Stir in water and continue stirring
over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil, 5-8 minutes. Boil
about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until filling is translucent and
thick. Remove from heat. Add lime peel and butter; stir until butter
melts. Pour hot filling into pie shell. Refrigerate 45-60 minutes, until
cooled.

Coconut cream topping: sprinkle gelatin on water in 2-quart saucepan and
let stand 2 minutes to soften. Stir over medium heat with rubber spatula
1-2 minutes, until gelatin dissolves, liquid is clear, and no granules are
visible. Stir in cream of coconut and vanilla.

Beat whipping cream in medium bowl with electric mixer until stiff peaks
form when beaters are lifted. Set pan of topping mixture in larger bowl of
ice. Stir with spatula, reaching in corners and scraping bottom of pan.
Mixture will gel as it cools, about 3 minutes. When thick enough to mound
when dropped from spatula, remove from ice. Whisk 1/2 c beaten cream into
topping mixture until smooth. With rubber spatula, fold in remaining
whipped cream. (If necessary, return bowl to ice bath and continue gently
folding until mixture is spreadable, but not firm.) Spoon topping on
cooled filling, then spread to cover, swirling topping decoratively.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours, until firm enough to cut. Keeps up to 3
days, refrigerated. To serve, garnish with lime peel.

Nutritional information per serving: 497 calories, 6 gm protein, 60 mg
cholesterol, 49 gm carbohydrate, 134 mg sodium, x.x gm fiber, 32 gm fat (
x gm sat, x gm mono, x gm poly), x.x mg iron, xx mg calcium, x% of
calories from fat. Exchanges: 2 starch, 1-1/4 other car, 6-1/4 fat.