Mango Citrus Pie

We had another dinner party for a few of our friends last evening.  For dessert I decided to make another graham crust pie since the last one turned out so well.  I reduced the sugar in the graham crust recipe down from 50 g to 20 g.  I had read somewhere that the sugar was necessary for the structure of the crust so I was hesitant to eliminate it completely.  Having now tried only 20 g I think I could eliminate this additional sugar completely.  As I wrote before, the graham crackers I have here that were recommended are already quite sweet and the crust is quite sweet.  Next time I’ll try without any added sugar unless I try a different brand of crackers that are less sweet.

I’ve always wanted to make a pie with mango filling so when I found this recipe I had to try it.  The recipe calls for mango purée which is great because I found bags of this at the local Winn Dixie.  After tasting it I found it to be underwhelming, the mangoes puréed must not have been that ripe.  In the future I would buy frozen mango or fresh if available and use my food processor to purée them, however, here in Florida we do not have a food processor.  To compensate for the lack of sweetness of the mango puree I added an additional two tsp of sugar.

In the end the pie turned out quite well and was enjoyed by all.  I wanted to add some additional tropical flavour so purchased a can of coconut cream to make whipped lime coconut topping for the pie.  However, there was something strange about the can of coconut cream and it wouldn’t whip properly.  In the future I’ll do what I would normally do and just buy full fat coconut milk, refrigerate it to allow the cream to separate from the coconut water, then use that firm cream to make the whip.  It would also be smart to purchase a back up can in case the first can doesn’t separate well as can happen.  I did try to thicken the coconut cream by adding corn starch, but that wasn’t sufficient.  In the end I did buy some whipped cream and added some lime juice and zest to top the pie.

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Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full sheet graham crackers)
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar (try reducing as this is quite sweet, not sure if can eliminate completely so try using only 20-25g which worked perfectly could go down to 10 g or zero next time)
• 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

1. If you’re starting out with full graham crackers, use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. You can also place them in a zip-top bag and crush them into fine crumbs with a little arm muscle and a rolling pin.
2. Stir the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl, and then with a fork, stir in the melted butter. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks.
3. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch, 9-inch, or 10-inch pie dish, cake pan, springform pan, or square pan. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly. Tip: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. If making a pie, run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust⁠—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart when you cut slices.
4. For a baked dessert, pre-bake this crust per your filling recipe’s directions. I usually pre-bake for at least 10 minutes at 350°F (177°C). For a no-bake dessert, cool the crust completely before using, unless your filling’s recipe instructs otherwise.

FOR THE FILLING

1½ cups unsweetened frozen mango puree (from a 14-ounce package), thawed

6 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ cup sugar

¼ cup fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Pinch of kosher salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Whipped cream, for topping

Instructions

1. Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350˚. Break the graham crackers into pieces, then pulse in a food processor with the sugar and salt until finely ground; drizzle in the melted butter and pulse to combine. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let cool. Leave the oven on.

2. Make the filling: Whisk together the mango puree, whole eggs, egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, lime juice, lemon juice and salt in a medium saucepan until combined and smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture begins to thicken and it resembles a thin pancake batter, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted.

3. Place the cooled crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the crust. Bake until the filling is set but the center is still jiggly, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled and the filling is completely set, 4 to 6 hours. Slice and serve with the whipped cream.

Tart Tips

To make sure your crust is compact, use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumbs evenly into the pan.

Stir the filling constantly as it cooks and keep an eye on the heat—you don’t want the eggs to scramble.

For a silky smooth filling, strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve.

The tart will be jiggly when you take it out of the oven but it will set as it cools. Refrigerate until it’s completely set.

Make sure to taste your mango purée, if it isn’t that flavorful you’ll want to add more sugar.

My index of bakes