If you're fan of key lime pie, then wait until you try this. Calamansi (or "kalamansi" in the Philippines) is a citrus fruit frequently used in Filipino cuisine. It tastes like a combination of a sweet lime and a tart orange. Here in Hawaii, you can grow your own calamansi plant, or find the fruit at some of the grocery stores around here (I've seen them at Seafood City).
Full disclosure, there is a bit of time involved in prepping the calamansi for this recipe. You'll be zesting and juicing one pound of them! I'd suggest listening to a podcast or turning on your favorite show while you do this part. Oh, and get yourself a microplane if you don't have one already. It's one of those kitchen tools I can't do without!
Ingredients
Crust:
6 Tbsp butter
9 graham crackers (1 sleeve)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
Filling:
1 lb calamansi
3 large egg yolks
14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
Directions
Preheat oven 350.
Melt the butter in a large bowl. Crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs — you can do this by using a food processor or by placing the crackers in a bag and crushing them with a rolling pin. Add the graham cracker crumbs to the melted butter along with the sugar and sea salt. Press the crust mixture into a 9-inch pie dish, working the crumbs up the sides of the dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
While the crust is cooling, prepare the filling. Zest and juice all of the calamansi. You should end up with 1 to 2 Tbsp of zest and about 3/4 cup of juice. In a large bowl, combine the yolks and the zest (reserving some of the zest for garnishing the pie later). Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the condensed milk and mix for another 3 minutes. Add the calamansi juice and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Pour the filling into the pie crust. The filling will only go about 2/3 of the way up the crust, which leaves room for the whipped topping later on. Bake for 15 minutes.
After the pie has finished baking, allow it to cool on a wire rack for an hour and then place it in the fridge for at least two hours.
Before serving, finish the topping. Combine the heavy cream and sugar in a large bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Top the pie with the whipped cream and zest.
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