Key Lime Pie
By Stephen SchmidtPublished on August 21, 2007
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1 hour cooling and 3 hours chilling
Yield
Serves 8
Ingredients
Lime Filling
4 teaspoons grated lime zest ½ cup lime juice from 3 to 4 limes4 large egg yolks 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milkGraham Cracker Crust
11 graham crackers, processed to fine crumbs (1 ¼ cups)3 tablespoons granulated sugar 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, meltedWhipped Cream Topping
¾ cup heavy cream ¼ cup confectioners' sugar ½ lime, sliced paper thin and dipped in sugar (optional)Before You Begin
If you prefer a meringue topping, follow the instructions in “No-Weep Lemon Meringue Pie” in the November/December 1994 issue. Bake pie only 7 minutes, then apply meringue gently, first spreading a ring around the outer edge, then filling in the center. Return to oven and bake 20 minutes more.
Instructions
- Whisk zest and yolks in medium bowl until tinted light green, about 2 minutes. Beat in milk, then juice; set aside at room temperature to thicken.
- Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add butter; stir with fork until well blended. Pour mixture into 9-inch pie pan; press crumbs over bottom and up sides of pan to form even crust. Bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
- Pour lime filling into crust; bake until center is set, yet wiggly when jiggled, 15 to 17 minutes. Return pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. (Can be covered with lightly oiled or oil-sprayed plastic wrap laid directly on filling and refrigerated up to 1 day.)
- Up to 2 hours before serving, whip cream in medium bowl to very soft peaks. Adding confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, continue whipping to just-stiff peaks. Decoratively pipe whipped cream over filling or spread evenly with rubber spatula. Garnish with optional sugared lime slices and serve.
for the filling
for the crust
for the whipped cream
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1 hour cooling and 3 hours chillingYield
Serves 8Ingredients
Lime Filling
Graham Cracker Crust
Whipped Cream Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Lime Filling
Graham Cracker Crust
Whipped Cream Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Lime Filling
Graham Cracker Crust
Whipped Cream Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We were able to come up with a great key lime pie recipe using only three filling ingredients: sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and fresh lime juice. Bottled reconstituted lime juice, we found, gave the pie an “off” flavor. Once we substituted the juice and zest from fresh limes, the pie became pungent and refreshing, cool and yet creamy, and very satisfying. We also discovered that while the pie filling will set without baking (most recipes call only for mixing and then chilling), it set much more nicely after being baked for only 15 minutes.
Before You Begin
If you prefer a meringue topping, follow the instructions in “No-Weep Lemon Meringue Pie” in the November/December 1994 issue. Bake pie only 7 minutes, then apply meringue gently, first spreading a ring around the outer edge, then filling in the center. Return to oven and bake 20 minutes more.
Instructions
- Whisk zest and yolks in medium bowl until tinted light green, about 2 minutes. Beat in milk, then juice; set aside at room temperature to thicken.
- Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add butter; stir with fork until well blended. Pour mixture into 9-inch pie pan; press crumbs over bottom and up sides of pan to form even crust. Bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
- Pour lime filling into crust; bake until center is set, yet wiggly when jiggled, 15 to 17 minutes. Return pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. (Can be covered with lightly oiled or oil-sprayed plastic wrap laid directly on filling and refrigerated up to 1 day.)
- Up to 2 hours before serving, whip cream in medium bowl to very soft peaks. Adding confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, continue whipping to just-stiff peaks. Decoratively pipe whipped cream over filling or spread evenly with rubber spatula. Garnish with optional sugared lime slices and serve.
for the filling
for the crust
for the whipped cream
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