Key Lime Pie

Today I made a Key Lime Pie - it is one of my husbands favorite desserts. He always wants to order Key Lime Pie for dessert in restaurants. It is really very simple to make and this recipe called for lime zest which added a little extra lime flavor. I also did not process my graham crackers in the food processor because I detest cleaning out my food processor. So instead I put the graham crackers in a large zipper top bag and used a rolling pin over them repeatedly until they were almost fine crumbs. I think my crust has a thicker rustic look.

I found this recipe on The Moveable Feasts and it is a really fascinating blog.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

4 large egg yolks

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

11 graham crackers, processed to fine crumbs ( 1 1/4 cup)

3 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

For the filling whisk the zest and yolks in a medium bowl for about 2 minutes until the mixture is tinted light green. Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk and then the lime juice. I used a combination of regular and key limes to make the lime juice. Key limes are so small that it would take forever to make 1/2 cup of juice.  Set the mixture aside to thicken at room temperature.

For the crust preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter. Stir until the mixture is blended.Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Pressing the mixture to the bottom and sides of the pan to form an even layer. Bake the crust for 15 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and add the filling on to the cooled crust and bake for 15 - 17 minutes. The center should be set but yet wiggly when jiggled. Return the pie to the wire rack so that it cools to room temperature.

Once the pie is cooled it should be refrigerated for at least 3 hours. Serve with lime slices and dollops of whipped cream.

I used the key limes to make the slices to decorate the pie.

Key Lime Pie is really a perfect summertime dessert. It is both sweet and tart, cool and refreshing.