key lime pie with graham cracker crust
June 18, 2008
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Another advancement in scurvy prevention was taken in my home last night, with the addition of key lime pie to edible things I can produce. I used to judge a place by its key lime pie. I would sample one at ever eatery I frequented and base my opinion of the kitchen on that first sweet and sour bite. I took the habit from a dapper man who lives on Nantucket. He never eats out in the summer without sampling the key lime. He is a very cool dude. So for a while, I copied him. Having had my fill of outsourced key lime pies, I' ve been hankering to build one of my own. But after tasting so many triumphant specimens, I was more than a little intimidated. I' ve been putting off this key lime for about five years.
I rummaged through a series of possible pies, from Bubby' s to The Joy of Cooking. I decided on a straightforward recipe from Gourmet Magazine. I was surprised by how few ingredients it called for. (Time was an issue last night, so instead of baking graham cracker cookies with which to make a crust, I needed a recipe that would allow me to use the store-bought kind, without feeling like an underachiever. Ahem, Martha.)
As I pushed my cart through the grocery store aisles, procuring the necessary crackers and condensed milk, I stumbled upon the citrus aisle and glanced at my recipe. A mere ½ c plus 3 tablespoons of limejuice—child' s play! How may limes would I need? Five? Six?
Twenty limes later, I had enough juice. But my oh my, it was worth every squeeze. The tiny, tough little suckers I bought, twenty for $1, were pinched dry, each and every one. If I hadn' t seen the sale sign above the overflowing bin of these diminutive fruits, I probably would have picked up a handful, assuming it would be sufficient. When I walked out of the store with my little sac of citrus, I imagined four, maybe five pies. And maybe some lime-aid, too.
Not so. But, after reaching the amount of juice called for by the recipe, I had four limes remaining. What would I do with these little guys later? They would barely make a dent in anything. I squeezed them in.
This morning we had key lime pie for breakfast, as we decided to let it chill overnight—though the temptation to pierce the custard inside after just a few hours of chilling was mighty strong. Our mouths puckered with the first bite—this pie was a serious Lolita. As tart as any homemade dessert I' ve ever enjoyed, since I' ve yet to tackle Lemon Heads.
Here' s how it went:
Preheat oven to 350 * 12 graham crackers pulverized plus 6 tbsp. melted butter and 3 tbsp sugar mixed together completely. (I made more of this than the recipe called for… I am a crusty kind of gal.) * Press the crust evenly along the bottom and up the sides of a 9' ' pie plate. * Bake for 10 minutes.
As the crust cools, mix 1 can of sweetened condensed milk with 4 egg yolks until completely blended. * Add ½ c plus 3 tbsp. fresh squeezed key lime juice and mix again. * For me, this meant 20 little limeys. * Pour into crust and bake for 15 minutes.*
Cool for at least 4 hours in the fridge. When ready to serve, garnish with lime or homemade whipped cream, though you can also serve it with a side of coffee. This is a nice eye-opener.
Yum, that key lime pie looks so good. The key is your own homemade crust. Scrumptious!