Citrus Summer Pie

I spent a good portion of my Sunday staring blankly at the baking section of the supermarket. The sun was beaming and having persuaded my parents (the BBQ champions) into having me and Mr YumDimSum round for dinner in the garden, it was on the condition that I brought dessert.

I went to the shop with the intention of making something light, refreshing and a little bit different to the usual repertoire. A lot of dawdling up and down the aisle and one messy kitchen later, I had made my creation!

Citrus Summer Pie

• 150g unsalted butter
• 1 packet of ginger biscuits
• 2 limes
• 1 large orange
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 can of evaporated milk
• 1 pot of double cream (around 284ml)
• Caster sugar, around 2 handfuls
• 1 loose base baking tin (I used a 10 inch one)

First you need to beat your ginger biscuits until they’re large crumbs. Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the biscuits. Press the mixture down into your baking tin and put in the fridge to chill whilst you make the topping.

Zest and juice your limes and orange.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, evaporated milk and vanilla for 3 minutes. Begin slowly adding in the citrus juice and whisk for a further 2 minutes. Finally, add your sugar & zest and whisk for a final minute. You’ll be left with a thick, creamy and very smooth mixture. Pour it on top of your biscuit base and leave to chill for 2 hours.

Evaporated milk is the runnier, unsweetened cousin of condensed milk so it needs a little more whisking. But using evaporated milk means you can add your own sugar to taste and control the sweetness: this dessert should be zingy and fresh rather than overpowered with sugar. Being a thinner substance also means it aerates better for a super light and smooth texture.

The fiery flavour of ginger biscuits perfectly compliments the light, refreshing whipped topping. And because ginger biscuits are very hard, your base will remain lovely and crunchy.

We had a big discussion on what to call my dessert. After all, it looks like a cheesecake but contains no cheese, and it wasn’t exactly a pie seeing as it hadn’t been baked. Some wanted me to call it the ‘Sloppy Jo’ but it tastes far too fresh to be named such a thing!

Seeing as we ate it on such a beautiful sunny day at the beginning of June I’ve settled with Citrus Summer Pie! It’s a total crowd pleaser and perfect for a Summer’s evening (even if you do have to eat it inside because it got too chilly!)