I honestly can't remember ever having had a Key Lime Pie. And I really have no idea where R got the idea of one, but that's what he requested for his birthday picnic dessert...after we hiked the archery range with his friends. Well, first, he asked me to bring a Baked Alaska up there! I nixed that idea.
So, I called around to locate Key Limes to no avail. Someone suggested I could buy just the juice. Done! It seems there are a few varieties of pie - one with condensed milk, one without. A friend who currently lives in Florida asked about the texture of my pie: "like a cheesecake or a custard." It was sort of in between that.
And I used gluten-free graham crackers since two of our guests have gluten-sensitivities. This was an easy dessert to make and I made two more the following day. Phew.
Ingredients makes two 8" pies
slightly adapted from this recipe on Epicurious.com
Crust
- 2 C crushed graham crackers (gluten-free, if needed)
- 1/2 C ground almonds
- 8 T butter, melted
Filling
- two (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
- 8 large organic eggs
- 1-1/2 C Key Lime juice
Topping
- 2 C organic heavy whipping cream
- 1 t Key Lime juice
Procedure
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Stir together crushed graham crackers and butter in a
bowl with a fork until well-combined. Press mixture evenly onto bottom and
up sides of an 8" glass pie plate.
Bake crust for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove pans to a wire rack and let cool while you make the filling.
Separate egg whites and yolks. (You can save the whites to make meringues - like these Lavender-Salted Meringues!) Whisk together egg yolks, condensed milk, and Key Lime juice. Whisk until the mixture thickens slightly.
Pour filling into crusts and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. The center will still be slightly jiggly. Turn the oven off and prop the door open. Let pie stand in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cook on a wire rack. Once completely cool, cover and refrigerate overnight or for, at least, 6 hours.
Just before serving, beat whipping cream and Key Lime juice in a bowl with a hand-mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve pie topped with cream.
The wind proved challenging in lighting the candles...and I didn't have sixteen of them. Whoops.
The boys cut and served. Some slices were less than photogenic, but it all tasted good, I hear!
Aunt Pia got the perfect piece!
And R was happy. That's all that mattered to me!
Comments
Post a Comment