Key Lime Pie with Blackberry Malbec Compote & Italian Meringue

I was asked by a few readers to share my key lime pie recipe and then the August 2011 Bon Appetit hit the stands and I was inspired to take things to the next level.

 The result:

 Key Lime Pie with Blackberry Malbec Compote and Italian Meringue

Servings: [one 9 inch pie]

Ingredients

1 1/4 c graham cracker crumbs

5 T butter, melted 

1/4 c sugar 

3 eggs

14 oz sweetened condensed milk

1/2 c Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice

1 lime, juiced

2 pints of blackberries

1 c malbec (or other red wine)

3/4 c sugar 

3/4 c water

1/8 t salt

2 T corn syrup

Method

1. Make your crust. Melt 5 tablespoons of butter and mix in a bowl with graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar. Once the ingredients are thoroughly mixed pour them into a 9-inch pie dish and gently press to form an even crust in the dish. Use the back of a spoon or measuring cup to pack the crumbs in tightly. Bake crust in oven at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely.

2. Make compote. Pour 1 cup malbec, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup water into a saucepan and reduce down to 1/2 cup. Add 1 1/2 pints of blackberries into saucepan and cook down until berries are almost all the way broken down. [At this point, I wanted my compote to be thicker than it was so I made a little slurry with some cornstarch and water and added it into the saucepan to thicken things up.] Once you are happy with the consistency, set it aside and let cool completely.

3. Make the key lime filling.  Whisk together 3 egg yolks [keep the whites in a separate bowl for the meringue], 1/2 cup N & J's key lime juice, one lime (juiced), and 14 oz of sweetened condensed juice. 

4. Spread compote in an even layer across bottom of cooled graham cracker crust.

5. Pour key lime filling over compote.

6. Bake pie for 15 minutes at 350. Remove and cool completely in fridge. (I like to make the pie a day in advance before I finish it so that it can fully set and chill.)

6.  Before you serve the pie....add 2 tablespoons of corn syrup into a saucepan with 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and cook mixture until temperature reaches 238 (soft-ball stage). Turn off heat. 

7. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, add three egg whites and whisk until soft peaks form. Slowly add hot sugar syrup into the mixer and continue to whisk until meringue cools and peaks are firm (about six minutes). 

8. Using a spatula, pile meringue on top of pie - the more randomly the better.

9. If you don't have a blow torch on hand to heat the meringue - pop the pie back into the oven at 450 degrees until the meringue peaks begin to brown and then pull pie from the oven and let cool. Finish the pie by adding the last 1/2 a pint of blackberries to the top of the pie - also randomly.

This particular pie was made specially for my favorite brother-in-law. 

Happy Birthday Ry...Love you!