Key Lime Pie

January 19, 2012
Yesterday my recipe was very spicy, so now for something completely different. Something sweet.
What comes to mind when I say Key Lime Pie?
For me, it’s images of summer. Days spent without a care in the world.
It’s a nice bite of acidity from a lime wedge in an ice coldCorona, the perfect reward after a long day at work.
It’s like a day at the beach. It is that relief you feel when your toes hit the cool water after taking that long painful walk across the sand.
It’s like coming in from a day of basking in the sunlight and sitting down in front of a fan with a tall glass of ice water. Sigh…

Well…Not to bum you all out, but unfortunately that is not the climate we are currently entrapped under.
So, have a piece of pie and for just a moment, transport yourself to the middle of summer. Bet you think it wasn’t all that hot now don’t you?

Ingredients for the Crust (you will also need a 10” pie dish or if you don’t have one of those, like me, you can also use a springform pan)
6 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter, melted, plus more for greasing
1 Cup Chocolate Graham Cracker Crumbs, from 9 whole crackers
1/3 Cup Sugar
 
Ingredients for the Filling
1 ¼ Cup Fresh Lime Juice, preferably key lime juice (from 25 key limes)*
1 Teaspoon of Finely Grated Lime Zest
2, 14oz Cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Large Eggs at Room Temperature, lightly beaten
 
Ingredients for the Whipped Cream
½ Cup Cold Heavy Cream
½ Cup Cold Sour Cream
2 Teaspoons of Sugar
Key Lime Slices for Garnish*
*I used about 12 regular limes, no worries.
MAKE THE CRUST: Preheat the oven to 375° and butter a 10-inch glass pie plate. In a food processor, pulse the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar until thoroughly blended. Add the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are moistened.
Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the side of the pie plate or springform to form the crust. Bake for about 20 minutes. Let the crust cool to room temperature

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE FILLING: In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, lime zest, condensed milk and eggs until smooth. I used the whisk attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer instead of a hand mixer for this process.

Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake for about 20 minutes, until set around the edge and slightly jiggly in the center. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until very firm, at least 6 hours or overnight.

MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM: In a bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the heavy cream and sour cream until soft peaks form, 2 minutes.
Beat in the sugar until stiff peaks form, 1 minute.

Mound the whipped cream on the pie. I cut the corner off a plastic bag and sued that to make the pretty swirls around the edges of the pie.
Garnish with the key lime slices and serve.

Cue the Bob Marley music. Ka-Zam! Instant summer! You’re welcome!
Recipe adapted from Food & Wine

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  • Kristina
    January 19, 2012 at 11:08 pm

    Your pictures are gorgeous! Key lime pie sounds so good right now, I’m ready for summer already!

    • Stefanie
      January 28, 2012 at 6:11 am

      Thanks so much! I am DONE with winter too!

  • claire @ the realistic nutritionist
    January 19, 2012 at 9:52 pm

    THIS LOOKS INCREDIBLE.

  • Kelly
    January 19, 2012 at 1:22 am

    How cute is this pie?! Looks amazing! 🙂

  • Richard
    January 19, 2012 at 1:02 am

    WOW! That looks awesome. My in-laws live at the beach just a little over an hour away and we spend quite a bit of our summers “visiting” them. Key Lime pie is always a hit for the beach and I could use a slice now please….