With the last of the kaffir limes I wanted to make a variation of Key Lime Pie. Have you ever wondered what prompted the use of sweetened condensed milk in this classic American dessert? I have. Apparently, the first pie was made in the Florida Keys in the late nineteenth century, shortly after Gail Borden introduced the product in the US in 1856. Before modern refrigeration, cooks in the hot climate of Key West had to rely on canned milk as fresh milk was not readily available. The rest, as they say, is history.
Although there are many applications for sweetened condensed milk, I can recall only ever using it for two things: Key Lime Pie and dulce de leche. See where I'm going?
Despite the warnings on the cans, I still make dulce de leche by boiling the sealed can in a pot of water. It's so easy. Unless you let the water boil away and the can explodes. Years later, I'm still cleaning that mess.
The caramelized flavor of the dulce de leche reminded me of the palm sugar in the Nahm Jeem Plah Poa Ubon sauce of the previous post. Along with the kaffir lime juice, I had the base in which to build the flavor profile of the sweet, tart, salty, spicy sauce that I so love. Don't worry— I left out the garlic and fish sauce. The salt is in the pastry crust and the spice, along with coconut powder, is in the meringue topping.
Download recipe: Thai pie
Playing with Fire and Water 
Very cool. One of the local Asian markets has a whack-load of kaffir limes so it’s going to be interesting experimenting in the way you have been.
OT: what are you going to do with the Buddha’s Hand?
LikeLike
I do dulce de leche in the can too, but in the pressure cooker. So fast, like 50 minutes for a dark, quite firm caramel. I’ll do 4 cans at once, use one and put the rest back in the pantry.
LikeLike
Love Thai Pie!! Thinking a yuzu version for Japanese pie…
LikeLike