Summer Honey(dew) Pie

It all started with a challenge. Or it all started with Waitress. The challenge was to make something (anything) with melon during the month of July. Not an arduous challenge, if you're fond of melons--I often find most melons a little too sweet for my liking--but a challenge nevertheless. I obsess over "challenges", I'm just a little too type-A for some (many) things. I had been daydreaming (obsessing) about ways to incorporate melon into pie, when I felt myself overcome with the need to watch Waitress (for the 1,534th time), because, well, pie. So much pie eye candy in that movie, I can't even handle it. Also, Nathan Fillion... but, um, we can talk about him another day. (Pretty)

Waitress tought me a number of valuable life lessons, like, embrace the unexpected and don't marry an asshole--but perhaps most importantly, you can put anything in a pie dish! Even melons! This pie is actually a riff on a pie recipe that my mom perfected years ago. My mom's sour cream & lime pie is the stuff of legends--and Bon Appetit write-ups!--and this pie plays dessert homage to it, with a twist. Instead of the traditional sour cream, I used (homemade) crème fraîche to top this pie. You could buy your crème fraîche, instead of making your own, but I'm a newly converted cream culture-r, because (A) so easy! (B) so inexpensive! Mix in a little puréed melon to that crème, and you have a perfectly summery dessert.

So what about this silly pie name? Well, you could blame it on Keri Russell OR you could attribute it to the fact that this pie tastes like summer in a dish. It taste like water fights in freshly cut grass, and Popsicles from the ice cream man. It tastes like sleepy mornings and late nights. It tastes like Summer, honey. 

Homemade Crème Fraîche

from Food52
Ingredients 
   1 cup pasteurized heavy cream
   2 tablespoons buttermilk

Directions 

1. To start, pour 1 cup of heavy cream into a non-reactive container with a tight-fitting lid (you can use pretty much anything that isn't made from iron or aluminum).
2. Next, add 2 tablespoons of buttermilk to the heavy cream. Cover the container tightly and shake until everything is thoroughly combined. 
3. Loosely cover the container with parchment or a slightly damp paper towel and allow it to sit on your kitchen counter for 12 to 24 hours. For the best results, the temperature in your kitchen should be between 72 and 78 degrees F. 
4. Once it's at the consistency you want it (thick and creamy, but not stiff), transfer it to your fridge. The creme fraiche will last up to 2 weeks.

Graham Cracker Crust

from Southern Pies
Ingredients 
   1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 15 squares)
   3 tablespoons sugar
   1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar and stir with a fork to mix them well. Add the butter and stir to mix into crumbs evenly and well.
2. Press the buttery crumbs into a 9-inch pie pan, distributing the mixture evenly, and pressing firmly with your hands.
3. Place the crust in the center shelf of the oven. Bake until the crust is heated through and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Allow to cool to room temperature before adding the filling. 

Key Lime Pie Filling

from Southern Pies
Ingredients 
   4 egg yolks
   One 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk (go full fat, you’ll thank me)
   1/2c key lime juice (10-12 limes if they’re not too cottony, 15 if they are)
   1/4tsp salt

Directions

1. (If not already done, preheat the oven to 350 degrees) 
2. In a medium bowl, combine the yolks and the milk. Use a whisk to mix them well. Add the lime juice and salt, and stir until you have a smooth, thick filling. 
3. Spoon the filling into the cooled crust. Place the pie on the middle shelf of the 350 degree oven and bake 15 minutes until the filling is set. 
4. Place on a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or as long as overnight. 

Honeydew Crème Topping

Ingredients 

   2 cups chopped honeydew

   1 cup crème fraîche

   1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Directions

1. Puree honeydew melon pieces in a blender until almost liquid. (My honeydew wasn't particularly sweet, so I added 2 tsp of agave. This step is completely dependent on your melon's sweetness). Set aside.
2. In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer, whip the crème fraîche and vanilla bean paste until soft peaks form. Gently fold in 1 cup of pureed honeydew (or more to taste). Generously cover the lime pie with the honeydew creme. Refrigerate another two hours or until the crème is set.