NY Times recipe from Margaux Laskey who states, “Like a dreamy mash-up between a key lime and lemon meringue pie, this surprisingly fast and easy dessert is adapted from Bill Smith, the chef at Crook’s Corner, a Chapel Hill, N.C. restaurant that specializes in Southern comfort food. He was inspired by the lemon pies he ate at seafood restaurants in Atlantic Beach, N.C., while vacationing there as a child. While a food processor makes quick work of the saltine cracker crust, you don’t really need any special equipment — you can just as easily make it with your hands. Top it with whipped cream just before serving, and if you’re feeling flush, sprinkle it with flaky sea salt as they do at Crook’s Corner, and citrus zest as we do: a lazy summer’s day in pie form.”
Atlantic Beach Pie
- Times
- Description
- Image
- Ingredients
- Directions
- Notes
- Nutrition
Atlantic Beach Pie
- Total time: 5 Hours
- Servings: 1 Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 Sleeves (about 60 crackers – 200 g) Saltine Crackers
- 3 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Cup (1 stick – 113 g) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
Filling:
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 1 (14 oz – 396 g) Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1/2 Cup (120 ml) Lemon or Lime Juice, or a mix of the two
- Pinch of Kosher Salt
- Fresh Whipped Cream, Lemon or Lime Zest and Flaky Sea Salt, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- 1)
Make the crust: Heat oven to 350°F. Using a food processor or your hands, pulse or crush the crackers finely (stop before all the crackers turn to dust; it’s okay if you have some little pieces). Add sugar, then butter.
- 2)
Pulse to combine or work the butter in with your hands until the crumbs hold together like dough. Press into and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Freeze for 15 minutes, then bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the crust gets a little color.
- 3)
Make the filling: While the crust is cooling (it doesn’t need to be cold), in a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks into condensed milk, then whisk in the lemon or lime juice (or both), and salt, making sure to combine them completely.
- 4)
Pour into the shell, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes until the filling has set. Refrigerate until completely cold, 4 hours up to overnight. Serve with fresh whipped cream, lemon or lime zest and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt, if desired.
Notes
From the website:
“I have always wound up using 2 sticks of butter for the crust otherwise I find it too crumbly. Makes the baking time of the crust more like 30-35 mins. but it’s worth it in my opinion. 16 mins. to cook the filling is always perfect (though I’ve never added salt to it). I don’t even test to see if it’s set at this point no matter the oven. Salt flakes on the whipped cream is a must.”
“l like this better with a graham cracker crust. I also used, and recommend, a blend of lemons and limes both for the juice in the filling and the zest on the whipped cream topping—lovely color and flavor.”
“This is so different from Bill Smith’s original recipe in his book Seasoned in the South. No sweetened condensed milk but cornstarch to thicken the custard. I’ve made it, and it’s classic. But it’s topped with meringue, not whipped cream and the meringue is unusual. The bowl in which the whites are whipped is first coated with vinegar and salt then poured out. Gives a nice salty tang to the meringue.”
“I totally agree. Go with meringue. You’re not wasting whites and really, with such a rich filling why pile on more fat and calories with whipped cream? Also whenever a recipe calls for a crumb crust whether it be graham or saltine, I almost always substitute ginger snaps. Ginger and lemon (or lime) is delicious and complementary.”
Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019424-atlantic-beach-pie