Pie Party: Avocado Lime Pie

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard the whispers (and squeals) about the Pie Party. It all began with the lovely Shauna Ahern from Gluten Free Girl and the Chef. She and some of her Twitter friends somehow turned their love for pie into pie mania! A Facebook event that more than 1,000 people have RSVP’d to, it seemed like an opportunity not to be missed.

Even though it’s been raining lately, I wanted a refreshing pie to offset the humidity. A pie that would be unique, but at the same time, approachable; a pie that showcased seasonal, local produce; a pie that my family would love. Because that’s what pie is about: showcasing a great ingredient and sharing it with the ones you love!

You’ve got to remember that what’s seasonal for the US, is not precisely seasonal in the Dominican Republic (even though we do get some imports). I thought about making an apple pie with gorgeous, bright green Granny Smiths; how about a Pecan Pie, I asked myself? None of this made me smile. And then I remembered — Avocado Pie.

We have two Avocado trees in our backyard, but they aren’t quite ready. The farms in the interior of the country are already bringing in the avocados to the markets by the truckload, so I grabbed one! Searching for a basic recipe online, I stopped at California Avocado and found it: Summer Avocado Pie! Check out the link for their basic recipe from which I adapted the recipe below!

Avocado Lime Pie with Brown Butter Almond Crust
Makes 1 pie, or 4 mini pies

Ingredients
8 tablespoons of almond flour
2 tablespoons butter

1 large, ripe Avocado
1/2 cup lime juice
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin, hydrated in 1 tablespoon of water 
zest of two limes
pinch of salt

mint leaves
whipping cream

Method

1. Melt the butter and let it simmer until it begins to turn light brown. Drizzle over almond flour and stir until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Press into greased pie pan or mini-pie molds.
2. In a blender, add chopped avocado, lime juice, condensed milk, vanilla, lime zest and salt. Blend until smooth. 
3. Melt your gelatin and drizzle into avocado mixture. Whisk until incorporated!
4. Spoon mixture into crusts and level with an oufset spatula. Place in the refrigerator and allow to set for 3-4 hours.
5. In the meantime, steep the whipping cream with mint leaves. Simply place whipping cream in container, add crushed mint leaves and let sit as your pie sets.
6. Whip cream into submission!
7. Top pie with mint whipped cream and sprinkle with lime zest. Enjoy!

Check out my Corn Pudding Pie with a Mango Ginger Topping!
Pie Party on Facebook: Pie Party!