Creamy Key Lime Pie

Yield: One 9 inch pie

Zesty lime flavor and fluffy texture is what sets this key lime pie above the rest! The weather is getting warmer and this calls for a refreshing dessert! Whipped cream accents with the tang of the filling makes for an unbeatable taste sensation too!

So when did my love for key lime pie begin? Was it when my grandparents lived in Florida? We ate it often! I remember going to the Kapok Tree restaurant in the Fort Lauderdale area and the highlight of our meal was dessert. Never shared dessert there, that's for sure! The pie there and most of the key lime pies I have eaten in the past were zesty, yet dense in texture. The combination of tart lime flavor, coupled with sweet crunchy crust and whipped cream was amazing! Everywhere we ate out we had to sample the pie and start the conversation on whether it measured up and was the best.

I remember also having my daughter’s friend, Brittany, who shared my love for key lime pie over to make pie. We spent the entire afternoon making crusts and filling, then waiting while they baked and cooled. We couldn't wait to sample our final products and ate them slightly warm! Yummy! This same friend recently had twins so decided to bring over dinner and of course key lime pie!

Ingredients:

Crumb crust (if making your own):
~12 graham crackers (1 ½ cups crushed crumbs)
¼ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
*Or 9 inch prepared graham cracker crust

Key lime filling:

2 fresh limes, plus extra juice to equal ½ cup
2 tablespoons grated lime zest
3 eggs, separated and room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 can sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup granulated sugar

Topping:

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Grated lime zest
Fresh lime slices

Equipment needed:

Nine inch pie pan
Fork
Rolling pin or small food processor
Microplane fine citrus grater or box grater
Citrus press or reamer
2 medium mixing bowls
Small mixing bowl
Wire whisk
Electric hand mixer or standup mixer
Rubber spatula
Pie server

Crust prep:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Homemade graham cracker crust is so easy to prepare and if you have never tried to make one… give it a try! I have used this recipe with chocolate wafers, ginger snaps, short bread cookies, vanilla wafers… to name a few… and they all turn out fabulous! First step is to make crumbs by placing your graham crackers in a food processor or large plastic ziplock baggie. Pulse a few crackers at a time in processor until all crackers are used or you have ~1 ½ cups total. If using a baggie, crush crackers in baggie using rolling pin, until they are all fine crumbs. You can also purchase graham cracker crumbs at the store, but I prefer using whole crackers as I can save for s'mores or snacks.

I am all about efficiency so I usually mix the measured crust ingredients directly in the pan to save washing a bowl. First stir the crushed crackers and granulated sugar using a fork until well blended. Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Cut butter into tablespoons and microwave in 10 second intervals until melted. Sure… 30 seconds on high might do it, but butter pops and explodes as it overheats causing a huge mess = extra clean up time. Make a well in the center of your crumb mixture and pour in melted butter. Mix together using the fork you used earlier, making sure all crumbs appear moistened with butter.

Evenly spread crumbs on bottom of pan and press up along edges of pie pan first. I find the back of a ¼ cup measuring cup works great or your fingers moistened a bit with cold water will prevent crumbs from sticking.. Work crust edges evenly and then pack bottom. Try to make crust as even as you can so the baking is consistent.

Bake crust on middle rack of preheated oven for 8 – 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove and allow to cool on stove top until filling is ready.

**Reduce oven temperature to 325 F for baking filled pie.

Filling Prep:

When making filling in the past, I always hated using only the yolks and discarding the whites. Seemed such a waste! I came upon a recipe that used the whites in Taste of Home years ago and haven't gone back to a traditional recipe since. Using the egg whites, gives the pie a wonderful fluffy texture and great volume. Zesty, lime flavor and creamy, fluffy texture... heaven on a fork!

While your crust is baking, you can start the filling. The ingredients are assembled and limes need to be prepped. Before cutting limes, use microplane grater or small grating side of box grater to zest limes. Rub one lime lightly along grater removing only green portion of rind. Completely zest one lime. Cut this lime in half and juice using reamer or citrus press to remove juice. Most lemon and limes produce 3 – 4 tablespoons of juice depending on size. Second lime will be used half for thin garnish slices and the other half for garnish zest and juice if needed. I always keep a small bottle of lime and lemon juice in the refrigerator for flavoring foods and recipes like these. The recipe requires ½ cup of lime juice, so extra juice may be needed.

Separate the eggs into two separate medium bowls. One for yolks and the other for whites. Be careful not to get any yolk in the whites as it will inhibit the whipping and volume of your egg whites later. Combine the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and grated rind with the yolks and blend well.

Using a hand mixer or stand up mixer with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites on high speed for 3 – 4 minutes or until soft peaks form. To check for peaks, after your mixer is turned off, lift beaters out of whites. If a soft mountain of whites follow and gently bend over, you have soft peaks! At this point, add granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, thoroughly misting between each addition. The egg whites will become glossy and stiff, forming what is called ‘stiff peaks’. Here is where when you lift the beaters out of the whites they form stiff, pointy peaks. Your egg whites are ready!

Now it's time to combine bowls to form the fluffy filling. You will be adding the whites to the yolk/ lime bowl one third at a time and folding them together GENTLY! This means not traditional mixing but a horizontal, circular motion. Using a wire whisk, you will be adding the delicate whites to the yolks and maintain a fluffy consistency. I refer the motion to forming circles with your wrist and moving the whisk from bottom of bowl to top of mixture. The mixture will flow through the whisk and carefully incorporate the yolk mixture with the whites. Continue the folding process until all whites are added and you have a creamy final product as shown above.

Pour the filling carefully into your slightly cooled crust and spread to evenly cover the bottom and sides, using a rubber spatula. Place pie into 325 F oven on center rack and bake for ~ 18 – 20 minutes or until filling is slightly golden in color and firm in center. When pie is moved it should not jiggle in the middle, if this occurs continue baking for 5 minutes.

Place baked pie on cooling rack and allow to cool for ~ 30 minutes before placing in the refrigerator. Pie will need to cool in refrigerator for at least 2 – 3 hours before add ing whipped cream.

To whip cream, place COLD cream in bowl and beat with hand beater or stand-up mixer, similar to whipping egg whites. Do not add sugar at first as this will interfere with cream whipping process. Whip cream for 2 minutes or until cream starts to thicken and then add half of sugar. Continue beating for 30 seconds and add remaining sugar and vanilla. Remember that whipping cream will turn into butter with too much whipping, so monitor texture as you mix. Once thick.. like Cool Whip texture, stop mixing! To finish pie you have two options … either spread whipped topping over entire pie or each slice when you serve it. Totally up to you! If spreading whipped cream over cooled pie as shown above, be sure to cover to crust edge. Garnish with grated lime zest and thin slices of lime. Extra lime can be used on individual pie slices as well.

When plating each slice, use a pie server to carefully remove each piece. Cut slices of lime in half. Place a generous scoop of whipped cream on top of slice, sprinkle with a bit of lime zest and garnish with a lime. Dessert is ready!