See Pastry Mastermind Antonio Bachour Add His Spin to The Classic Key Lime Pie

Antonio Bachour’s desserts are never the status quo, and that’s the way he prefers them. So when it came to creating his menu for his roughly eight-month-old, namesake restaurant Bachour Bakery + Bistro he knew he "must" have the perennial Florida dessert, Key Lime pie, on his menu — but with his unique twist, of course.

Instead of being served in the classic pie shape, as can be seen across town, Bachour’s version is served in single-sized, tart format. And while it may look different than the traditional Key Lime pie, the recognizable flavors including the sweet and slightly tangy, citrus custard are still alive and well.

"I like to take the traditional flavors and create them in a modern way," he adds.

Here’s how it all happens.

Instead of the standard graham cracker based crust that one would typically see in a Key Lime pie, Bachour makes a pastry crust with a combination of almond flour and pastry flour. He then mixes it all together with plenty of butter and sugar until it has a "sand" like texture.

Once the mix has reached the point of "sand," the eggs are incorporated into the dough and it is then mixed for three minutes in order to create the final product. It's then put in the fridge for an hour to chill and set up.

Once the dough is chilled, it's time to roll it out and form it inside the single-serving sized pie pan. Once perfectly trimmed, the crusts are baked at 325 degrees for roughly 12 minutes.

While the crusts are baking, the key lime pie filling is mixed together. It's made with the same classic ingredients as most key lime pies: condensed milk, egg yolk, sugar, and key lime juice. He jokes the dessert is "zero calories" while he stirs it together.

He then pours the creamy mixture into a pastry bag and then perfectly pipes it into the pastry shells. They then go back into the oven for a quick back at 300 degrees for five minutes.

Once the pies cool, it's time for Bachour to add the signature decor. First is dollops of coconut whipped ganache, topped by thin spheres of green tinted, white chocolate, another layer of the ganache and then a final sphere. And, yes, they are laid on a purposeful slant.

And now cue the tweezers. A regular raspberry is first perched on the pie, and then nestled next to it is a sugar coated raspberry, and then finally a small dollop of raspberry foam. Some micro mint is then added for the last touch.