Key Lime Pie

Key lime pie is a great pie to make anytime of year. In the winter when no fruits are in season its good choice for pie. The sweetened condensed milk provides most of the sweetness of the filling. I like how the cream cheese makes the topping thicker and more stable. I think a mixer works well for the topping but whipping by hand lets you get an exact thickness. I love the tanginess and lightness of the pie.

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Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

crust

  • 170g (6oz) graham crackers
  • 4T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2T sugar
  • 1/2t kosher salt

filling

  • 5 large egg yolk
  • 3/4c fresh lime juice
  • 1T grated lime zest, can save extra zest for garnish topping
  • 1 14oz sweetened condensed milk
  • pinch of salt
  • 1t vanilla extract

topping

  • 2oz cream cheese
  • 2T powedered sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Steps

  • preheat oven to 350F
  • crush graham crackers, place in ziploc and crush with rolling pin until no big pieces, ressembles wet sand and uniform
  • add butter, 1 egg yolk, sugar, salt
  • stir with spatula or fork until even
  • press into 9 inch pie plate with measuring cup
  • bake for approx 8-12, until edges start to brown
  • zest limes with microplane grater
  • whisk sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, zest, egg yolks, vanilla
  • should thicken
  • pour filling into pie plate
  • reduce oven to 325F bake 15-20m until has a slight wobble but is thickened
  • allow pie to fully cool, leave out until room temp then move to fridge for a few hours
  • after pie has cooled in fridge mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, spatula
  • slowly add cream whisking until incorporated as liquid pour all cream
  • whisk until soft to medium peaks
  • pour topping over cooled pie filling in middle
  • with large spoon roughly spread over full pie
  • can cool in fridge to allow topping to solidify more
  • add some additional lime zest for looks
  • slice with knife, pie with last several days keeping in fridge