(Key) Lime Pie

Today we have American (key) lime pie. This pie is traditionally from Floriday and hence uses the limes from the keys in Florida. Key limes are smaller and sweeter in flavor than regular limes. However, since I am located in Germany and can’t get hold of key limes, we are going to use regular limes for this lime pie. I personally love serving a citrus dish in winter. I love this tart and refreshing flavor on a winter day. You don’t even need to make whipping cream, you can also enjoy this pie in its very pure and simple form. I like it best on day 3.

Yes, I had the chance to eat key lime pie in the U.S. However, I often find North American recipes too sweet for my German tastebuds. Especially during these days where people try to reduce their sugar intake, I felt that I could not introduce key lime pie on my blog. The main reason for this being that the sugar comes from the sweetened condensed milks. It is close to impossible reducing the sugar amount here. At least this is what I thought. However, then I came across the recipe from Kind Arthur Baking and realized that they actually use only one can of sweetened condensed milk instead of two. So this was already only half the amount compared to other recipes I found. Additionally, many of the comments by American readers mentioned that it was very tart and tangy. So I figured I ‘d give it a go.

Since my husband loves anything with citrus fruits, I have a lot of recipes on my blog. You may enjoy these double lemon cupcakes, blueberry lemon cupcakes, lemon tart from France, blueberry lemon cake, elderflower lemon cake, lemon souffle, pavlova with lemon curd, or lemon cookies. Yes, I do have the classic lemon meringue pie on my blog. For some reason I prefer lime pies in winter. Maybe you would like to try a super tangy and tart recipe from Florida?

Credit: King Arthur Baking

Print Recipe

(Key) Lime Pie

Serves: One pie

Prep Time: 25min – Cooking Time: 25min – Total Time: 50min

This (key) lime pie isa tart pie with a Graham cracker crust.

Ingredients

• 150 grams Graham crackers
• 70 grams of butter
• Juice of about 8-10 juicy limes (it should be about 150 grams) and zest of one (you can also buy organic lime juice)
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 can (397 grams) sweetened condensed milk
• 100 grams of heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 15 grams of white sugar

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

2

Either crush the Graham crackers in a sealed zip-lock bag using a rolling pin or in the food processor. Melt the butter and mix with crushed crackers.

3

Press into a pie form or if you don't have, a springform of about 20-23cm. I like pressing the crust down with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 15min.

4

Meanwhile take zest from one lime and set aside, then juice it and all other limes to have about 150 grams of lime juice. Set aside.

5

Beat the egg yolks with the lime zest for about three minutes. Then add the milk and beat for five minutes or until thick and creamy. Slowly add the lime juice, the batter will thicken. Fold several times and then let sit for half an hour at room temperature. The mixture should become even thicker. This is normal.

6

Fill the prepared pie form (it is OK if it still is warm) and bake for 25min at 160 degrees. Let sit at room temperature for about an hour before transferring to the fridge.

7

The next day beat the heavy cream with all remaining ingredients and pipe on roses or other patterns. The pie will become more tangy over time. I like it best the second or third day.