Key Lime Pie – Florida

Cathy: I come by this pie quite honestly – my husband is from Miami, his family still all live in Florida and we visit often. One of the things I loved about visiting my in-laws early in our marriage was that my MIL, Jeanne Ann, always made this pie! And when we were especially good, or if it was someones birthday, she made Key Lime Peach Pie with little juicy slivers of fresh peaches layered in the creamy but tart key lime filling. I’m sure this is the main reason this is Ted’s favorite pie as it reminds him of home, Miami and his family.

This pie is REALLY easy to make and the filling actually has just three ingredients (except if you add the peaches) – Key Lime juice, egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk. The crust is your basic graham cracker crust (I used the same recipe from my Sweet Potato Meringue Pie). I should note that it’s always best with some home made whipped cream (whipping cream and a little sugar) on top.

The go-to key lime juice is “Nellie & Joes Famous Key West Lime Juice”. You can find it at most grocery stores, though you have to look for it high up on the canned fruit or juice concentrates shelf. You MUST use KEY lime juice, the other is not the same.

One way to tell if you’re getting a REAL key lime pie at a restaurant? It’s yellow. If it comes green to your table, it could be anything or they’ve use food coloring!

Makes 1 pie Takes a couple of hours – must chill in refrigerator before serving

Crust

• 1 cup pecan halves
• 11 whole graham crackers, broken
• 4 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 tbs dark brown sugar (light is fine, whatever you have)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 6 tbs unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a pie plate, toast the pecans for about 10 minutes, until fragrant and browned. Let the nuts cool.
2. In a food processor, combine the pecans, graham crackers, ginger, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon; pulse until crumbs form. Add the butter and process until incorporated. Press the crumbs evenly into a 9 or 10 inch pie plate. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Using a rubber spatula, press down the crust and let cool.

Filling

Change oven to 350 degrees

• 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 egg yolks (use the whites for something else)
• 1/2 cup Nellies lime juice

1. Combine the milk, egg yolks and lime juice with a hand mixer. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour filling into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, until set.
3. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before refrigerating.
4. Just before serving, top with freshly made whipped cream.