RAW KEY LIME (Calamansi) PIE

First week back at work. Check! Yes I'm back in the UK after a few weeks in Asia spending precious time with my wonderful family. So relaxing, so fun and so good for the soul! On top of the usual holiday festivities, I had the chance to do a Raw Food Demo with my mum whilst we were in Singapore. It was such fun! It was a true family affair as my brother Yann was the photographer and helper extraordinaire for the day and MAN did he do an amazing job! (All photos in this post courtesy of Yann Cudennec). We made a veritable smörgåsbord of raw delicacies using essential oils from Raw Pad Thai with Lemongrass Oil and Raw Mint Chocolate Truffles. It was absolutely delicious and we had such a great crowd too!

One of the highlights of the class was my Raw Key Lime Pie (which some of you tried at my Raw Dessert Class in November 2014). As I was in Singapore, I adapted the recipe to local ingredients and made it a Raw Calamansi Pie. Calamansi is a small citrus fruit, only about two centimetres in diametre with bright green skin, yellowy flesh and the sweetest, most fragrant taste and smell (see below images to see calamansis placed next to "normal" limes so you can see size contrast). They are just divine and actually very close to true key limes from the Florida keys after which the famous Key Lime Pie is named! Like key limes, calamansis are smaller, seedier, with a higher acidity, a stronger aroma and a thinner rind. 

Calamansi takes me straight back to my childhood in Asia, they are such a symbol of hot weather, holidays and fun in the sun. So though I know it's winter here in Europe, here's a recipe to bring a little bit of sunshine into your life! As key limes and calamansi are very hard to find in the UK, you can just use normal limes. If you can get your hands on some high quality food-grade lime and lemon essential oils such as Young Living oils, they will give your pie an even more refined citrus note. So refreshing, delicious and decadent!

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. It's so easy to make and a real crowd pleaser at dinner parties, especially sprinkled with ruby red pomegranates. Come and learn how to make this Raw Key Lime Pie next Sunday 25th January at Goldfinger Factory! For those of you who missed my first Raw Dessert Afternoon Tea in November, due to popular demand, I'm hosting another one next Sunday 25th January, looking forward to seeing you there! There are a few tickets left, so if you'd like to join us, book here to reserve your space. 

Lots of limes, love and light,
Bain-Marie

Raw Key Lime (Calamansi) Pie

Makes 9"inch Cake

Ingredients:

• For the base:
• 1 cup (170g) almonds or pecans
• ¾ cup (100g) organic dates, pitted
• ½ teaspoon fine Himalayan salt or sea salt

• For the filling:
• 4-5 medium sized ripe avocados
• 8-10 limes, juice and zest (250g calamansi)
• 180g raw honey
• 150g coconut oil
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded (you can substitute with a tb of vanilla bean paste)
• pinch of fine Himalayan salt or sea salt
• 2 drops of lemon essential oil (optional)
• 2 drops of lime essential oil (optional)

• To decorate:
• Pomegranate seeds
• Lime zest of 1-2 limes, grated

Instructions:

1. Soak the almonds for at least 8 hours then drain and dehydrate them (The soaking releases the enzyme inhibitors and makes them easier to digest.). If you don’t have a dehydrator, simply place in oven at lowest temperature for 10 mins.
2. In a food processor, place almonds, dates and salt and blend until you get a ‘dough’ or until the mixture forms a ball.
3. Line the spring form pan with cling film and press the dough into the bottom of the pan. Place it in the freezer to harden whilst you make the lime ganache.
4. Grate limes first to get the zest (reserve some for decorating at the end). Then press the limes to extract all the juice. Place all the filling ingredients in a food processor then blend everything until smooth. Pour the lime ganache over the base.
5. Set in the freezer for at least 3 hours (it should be firm enough to slice up).
6. Before serving, decorate with pomegranates and lime zest.