Food

Sweet Tamarind Pie

If you like key lime pie then this NYT replacement using tamarind will suit you. 

Tamarind Cream Pie

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CRUST:

  • 2 cups/170 grams digestive biscuit / graham cracker crumbs
  • 6 tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 1 large orange
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 (14-ounce/400-gram) can sweetened condensed milk
  • ½ cup/120 milliliters tamarind paste, extract or concentrate (see tip below)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, to taste (from 1 lemon or lime)
  •  Pinch of fine sea salt

FOR THE TOPPING:

  • 1 cup/240 milliliters heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon icing/confectioners’ sugar

PREPARATION

  1. Prepare the crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees, and place a rack in the center of the oven. In a large bowl, stir together crumbs and butter. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch pie plate, and press it into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides.
  2. Place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet, and transfer to oven. Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Halve the orange and squeeze the juice from one half. You should have 1/4 cup. If not, squeeze some juice from the other half. Reserve squeezed halves for zesting for garnish.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add condensed milk, scraping sides if needed. Whisk in tamarind and orange juice until just combined, then whisk in the lemon or lime juice and salt.
  5. Scrape mixture into cooled pie shell, then return to oven and bake until filling has just set, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
  6. Just before serving, make the topping: In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat together cream and icing/confectioners’ sugar until thick and fluffy. Dollop whipped cream on cooled pie. Finely grate the zest from one of the reserved orange halves over the top of the pie, and serve.

Tips

  • There are two distinct products that may be labeled tamarind extract, concentrate or paste. One is syrupy and nearly black, without any pulp. (Tamicon tamarind concentrate is one brand.) The other is lighter in color and pulpy; it looks like apple butter. (Swad is one brand.) Try to use the pulpy kind here: It’s fresher-tasting. But if you can get only the concentrate, use 1/3 cup and skip the lemon or lime juice.
  • You can also make your own paste out of pure dried tamarind fruit that’s either pulled directly from the pods or sold as a sticky brick. Soak the fruit in boiling water for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then drain. Use your hands or rubber spatula to mash it into a paste. Strain it through a fine mesh sieve. The fruit will vary a lot in its acidity, so use 1/2 cup of it for the pie, along with as much lemon or lime juice as you need to make you pucker.