Black Light Reactive Key (S)lime Pie With Tentacles!

I love love love bad food puns...almost as much as I love eating...which is why this is easily one of my all time favorite pies. It's disgustingly delicious...and surprisingly easy to make which makes it a win in my book.

Oh, and added bonus...using a tiny bit of b2 vitamin in this pie also means it glows under a blacklight like a nuclear experiment gone wrong! DOUBLE WIN.

Now this Instructables covers more than just the pie and does include making a food safe mold as well as the edible tentacles, so I'd strongly suggest you plan at least 2 days to make this pie...as that includes making the mold and the tentacles.

Luckily, once you have the tentacle mold made, you can use them for all sorts of exciting things!!! I'll link some additional ideas to the end of this post for other ways you can use your tentacles in edible adventures.

Okay, now...back to the pie. Let's get started!

Step 1: Tenta-cool

The first thing we have to do is make our tentacle mold.

As I said on the first page, if you do this step, be aware you need to do it at least 24 hours ahead of time as it takes about that long for the mold to cure.

The first thing you need to do is to gather your materials. I picked up some toy tentacles ages ago and knew they were perfect for molding. Feel free to shop around for other tentacles if you want but be warned…I’d suggest having safe search on before googling “tentacle toys.” Or not. Up to you. (Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

I also grabbed some Smooth-Sil 940 two-part FOOD SAFE silicone. Now, before we go any further, I have to tell you…make sure whatever silicone you use is food safe. If you decide to use the two-part putty method (we used it in my banana slug cream pie recipe here on Instructables) that’s fine too…as long as the putty you use is FOOD SAFE.

You’ll also need:

• Cardboard or heavy foam core board
• Scissors or Exacto knife
• Hot glue
• Painter’s tape
• Plastic cups
• Kitchen scale
• Popsicle sticks or stir sticks

Step 2: I Suck at Photos Sometimes...

Using your cardboard or foam core, make a box roughly the size of your tentacle.

Now because I’m a dumbass (can I say that on this website?!?), I totally neglected to take good photos of the box I built for my tentacle, so you guys all get to enjoy some of my art today as I attempt to illustrate what I did.

This should be interesting…

To start, you’ll want to make sure there’s at least 3/4″ space around the sides and end of your tentacle. That way your mold is thick enough to hold its shape. I started with a rectangle approximately 1″ by 2″ and glue the end of my tentacle to it using huge amounts of hot glue.

Step 3: Continuing to Build the Box.

Next, you want to cut out strips of foam core approximately 2″ wide and about 8″ tall. Glue these all around your tentacle, making sure to leave the top open and making sure that your tentacle ONLY touches the cardboard at the bottom. Again, try to leave 3/4″ all the way around the sides and top.

This is what it looks like if you have three of the four walls glued down.

Step 4: Visualize a Box...

Here’s what it looks like with all four walls glued in place:

Step 5: Ok, This Is Getting Ridiculous.

If you had x-ray vision, it would look like this:

Step 6: Finally, Back to the Photos!

Now that I’ve tortured you all enough with my doodles, let’s move on. Make sure to reinforce ALL your seams by going over them again with blue painters tape. Silicone is nothing if not an escape artist, and the last thing you want to do is flood your mold only to find your very expensive silicone leaking out the sides through an almost microscopic spot (and trust me, if there’s a spot for it to escape, the silicone will find it!).

Once you’re all taped up, let’s start mixing up some silicone.

Smooth-Sil 940 mixes at a ratio of 10:1 so having a scale is absolutely critical. You want to weigh this stuff out. Not only will your measurements be more precise, but your silicone has a much better chance of “kicking” the way you want it too. Too much of one part or another and you could end up with a goopy runny mess. Not cool.

Use your scale (don’t forget to zero out your scale after you put down your mixing cup but before you add any of your part A!) and measure out however much of Part A you need (Again, I’m sorry I didn’t document this better. I wish I could tell you how much I used. It was definitely more than the 20 on the scale, so don’t go by that image! An easy way to find out how much you need is to fill your mold with water, pour that out into a zeroed out cup and then use that to find your weight for A.)

Carefully add in 1/10 of B. So, if you have 100g of A, you’ll need 10g of B. Simple math, right?

Now, using a spatula or stir stick, stir the hell out of that mixture until the two are fully blended and you end up with a nice, Pepto-Bismol pink slime.

Carefully drizzle this slime into your mold box, pausing now and again to gently tap it on the sides and the bottom. This helps to release any air bubbles that might get caught on your tentacle. But be careful, don’t tap too hard. You don’t want your tentacle to dislodge from the bottom and float to the top and ruin your mold.

Fill the entire thing up to the edge of your mold, making sure you have at least 3/4″ of silicone covering the tip of your tentacle.

Set your mold aside for at least 24 hours to cure.

Step 7: Release the Kraken...(carefully)

When it’s cured, just peel off the cardboard mold box. You should be left with a solid block of fully cured silicone with your tentacle encased inside.

Now, turn it upside down so you’re looking down at where you glued your tentacle down. It should look like the image above.

Carefully, using your Exacto knife, cut your mold in half, starting with a cut line across the top of the mold as illustrated in the photo above.

Continue cutting your mold in half (being careful not to cut your tentacle) until you can lay the whole thing open.

Release your plastic tentacle from the mold and give it a good wash with soap and water. You’re ready to make edible tentacles!

Step 8: Tenta-cools!

Now that we have our tentacle mold all done, let's make some tentacles!

For this step you will need:

• 4 Tablespoons unflavored gelatin
• Two vitamin b2 tablets, crushed
• 1 Cup lemon-lime soda
• 1 3-ounce box lime gelatin
• 1 teaspoon instant vanilla pudding mix

You'll also need either a funnel or a squeezy bottle to make filling your mold easier and some rubber bands to hold your mold together.

In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle your unflavored gelatin over the top of your lemon-lime soda and let it sit for about 10 minutes to bloom.

Once it's bloomed, pop it into the microwave and zap for 30-second intervals, stirring between each zap until the gelatin is fully melted into the soda.

mix your lemon-lime soda with 4 tablespoons gelatin. Let bloom. Microwave in 30-second bursts until fully melted and mixed in the rest of your ingredients:

Add in 1 small box lime green gelatin

Add in crushed b2 vitamins*

Add in pudding mix

As you add in each ingredient, make sure to mix thoroughly. You may notice that while the gelatin and b2 vitamins mix in nicely, the pudding may clump up and leave small lumps. Don't worry about this...those gross little bumps make absolutely beautiful warty spots on our tentacles and add a whole new layer of disgusting to our delicious dessert.

Anyway, once that's all mixed together, transfer to a squeeze bottle with a fairly generous nozzle size (to ensure your pudding warts can make it through) and use to fill your tentacle mold.

(If you notice your tentacle mold leaks, wrap it securely with plastic wrap and a few rubber bands. It will help keep the edges sealed together and prevent your tentacle liquid from escaping.

Pop your mold into the fridge to firm up for about 30 minutes or until firm.

Carefully unmold your tentacle and repeat the process 7 more times for a total of 8. Store your finished tentacles in the fridge until you are ready to use them. I found storing them in an open-topped container allowed them to dry out just a bit, giving them a more realistic texture and cutting down on the slimy feel...but it's up to how you prefer your tentacle texture!

Side note - if you find your tentacle 'juice' is getting too thick to properly fill your mold, give it a quick zap (about 10 seconds or so) in the microwave to reliquefy it.

*Heads up, the addition of the b2 vitamins is what gives our tentacles that creepy green glow when exposed to blacklight. If you are NOT planning on serving this dish with a black light present for effect, feel free to skip this part. But...if you want your pie to be absolutely ridiculously epic and glow like the tentacle in the above photo, add the b2, fire up the blacklight, and munch your way to monster pie madness.

Step 9: 3.14 Time

Now that we have our tentacles, let's make our pie!

To make your own key s-lime pie, you will need:

• 3 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup (about 3 medium limes) key lime juice
• 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
• 8 edible gelatin lime tentacles
• Green food coloring
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pie crust (I used a no-bake dark chocolate cookie crust)

Using the same technique we used earlier for our tentacles, melt your gelatin. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle your unflavored gelatin over your 1/2 cup of lime juice and allow to bloom for 10 minutes. Once bloomed, microwave for 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds or until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

In a food processor or mixing bowl, whip the egg yolks until light. Drizzle in the sweetened condensed milk and continue to mix.

Drizzle your lemon juice/gelatin mixture slowly into your egg/condensed milk, continuing to whip as you do.

Add in green food coloring until you are happy with your shade of green.

Pour this mixture into your prepared pie crust.

Arrange your tentacles in the pie in a wagon spoke pattern, radiating out from the center.

Place your pie into the fridge for two hours to firm up. This helps hold the tentacles in place and prevents them from pulling out later when you slice and serve the pie.

Step 10: The Final Assembly...and FIRE!

While your pie is setting, it’s time to make the meringue.

Whip your three egg whites on medium until light and foamy. Add in your cream of tartar and sprinkle in your sugar as you continue to whip. Turn your whisk up to high and continue to beat until your egg whites are glossy and hold a stiff peak.

Transfer your meringue to a piping bag and decorate the top of your now chilled pie. To give your meringue a nice toasted color and a little crunch, hit it lightly with a small propane torch.

Because this is a cold pie, DO NOT PUT IT IN THE OVEN UNDER THE BROILER. You’ll melt your tentacles.

Once you’re satisfied with your meringue toasting, display and serve!

Oh, and promised, if you're looking for other ridiculous ways to use your tentacles in even more disgustingly delicious recipes, why not try out some Kraken Ahi Sushi Nachos or this Evil Genius boozy drink?!

Bone appetite!