Key Lime Pie is the perfect dessert for summer. It’s easy to make, requires only a limited amount of baking, and imbues everyone with its refreshing, citrusy flavor. This recipe, which uses egg yolks, gives a very satisfying custardy texture to the pie.
If you can find real key limes, they add a particular tanginess to the dessert.
Key Limes
If you can’t, regular limes will suffice very nicely. I was able to purchase a bag of key limes at my supermarket.
Fair Warning: There were 21 limes in the bag, but they did not yield the needed amount of juice for this recipe, so I had to add the juice of a few regular limes.
For the Crust
Place the graham crackers and the sugar in a food processor and pulverize until fine. Add the room-temperature butter and pulse until well blended.
Crumb the graham crackers.
Most recipes call for melted butter, but I find this results in a very hard, brittle crust. Press into a 9-inch pie plate and bake at 350° for about 5-8 minutes. I tend to under bake the crust slightly to retain a bit of softness. Remove the crust from the oven and let cool.
Press the crumbs into a pie plate.
For the Key Lime Pie
Grate enough lime rind to create 2 teaspoons, plus a bit extra for garnish, and set aside.
Grate the limes.
Squeeze enough limes to make 3⁄4 cup of juice.
I prefer Borden’s Magnolia condensed milk for my recipes.
Sweetened condense milk.
In one bowl whisk the lime juice into the condensed milk, and add a pinch of salt and the grated lime rind.
Combine lime juice and condensed milk.
Taste for sweetness. You may need to beat in anywhere from 2 tablespoons to a half cup of sugar, depending on the type of limes you use and the tartness or bitterness of the juice. Most recipes do not call for extra sugar. However, I find this makes too tart a pie for my taste. Key limes seem to require more sugar than regular limes because in my experience they are stronger and more bitter.
My method of mixing together the condensed milk and lime juice separately allows you to taste for sweetness, without the risk of getting sick from raw egg yolk.
Although it is not traditional, I add a bit of vanilla to the custard, which I believe enhances the lime flavor. If you use it, you can add it to the condensed-milk mixture or to the egg yolks.
In another bowl, beat the the egg yolks until light and lemon colored. Then whisk in the the lime-condensed-milk mixture.
Whisk lime mixture into egg yolks.
Pour the mixture into the crumb crust, and bake at 350° for about 15-18 minutes until just set. Let the pie cool on a rack until room temperature, and then chill in the refrigerator.
Just before serving, beat the sweetened whipped cream and spread over the key lime pie. If you like, decorate with sugared lime slices and a little grated lime rind.
Spread whipped cream over pie.
Key Lime Pie.
