I have always been a fan of limes. I find their flavor profile more complex and interesting than that of their more sour counterpart, lemons. This is not to say that I do not like lemons, I mean come on my blog is Baking with LEMON for heaven’s sake. I’m just saying that sometimes limes are just a bit more interesting and provide a nice change of citrus flavor. Anyways… let’s talk about key lime pie. I have never been a pie lover. My whole life, I cowered from fruity desserts and relished in my two choice flavors, chocolate and vanilla. To say I was not adventurous with my flavor choices would be an understatement. But now, I have grown older and wiser. I have learned to appreciate the fresh flavors and the sour flavors, and most importantly, the flavor of pie.
Key lime pie is a delicacy that comes from the state of Florida. It is light and fresh and exceptionally easy to make. The filling only requires three ingredients! Something that I found interesting was the difference in instructions for key lime pie recipes. Some recipes opted for gelatin, others sour cream, oddly, eggs without baking, and some had eggs with baking. I was a little confused at the direction to take at this stage. Even more confusing, why are some pies with eggs being baked and why are others not?
The Traditional
Traditionally, Key Lime Pies do not get baked. The filling is a combination of lime juice, eggs, and sweetened condensed milk that is spread in a graham cracker crust and allowed to naturally coagulate. A chemical reaction occurs between the eggs and the lime juice. This “cooks” the eggs because it makes the proteins congeal, yielding a soft custardy filling. However, no bacteria are actually killed without the addition of heat. With this in mind, and with the safety of raw eggs becoming more and more questionable at this day in age, many people opt to bake their key lime pies. The baking process is just a formality to deem the pie safe, and is not necessary so long as you are okay with consuming raw egg. I did also read that baking a key lime pie yields a better custard texture, so for the sake of texture, I baked my pie for 10 minutes, and I have no regrets.
The difference between key limes and “regular” limes
You might be wondering what the difference between key limes and “regular” limes is. Well, key limes are smaller, and more yellow, and they have more seeds. Their flavor is said to be more aromatic and floral, whereas “regular”, or Persian limes are more acidic. In reality, from all of the material I have read up on, unless you are eating the pies side by side for comparison, you will not be able to tell what kind of limes are in your pie. Of course, people may swear by key limes. But the USA does not actually have enough key limes for all of the “key lime” pies that are sold every year. The Chicago Tribune wrote this article, outlining who uses the dang limes, and why it is improbable that any key lime pie you get is actually authentic to its name. Regardless of your thoughts on this, whether you use Key limes or Tahitian limes or Persian limes, your pie will be absolutely delicious. I pinky promise you.
Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
- ⅓ cup Brown Sugar (dark or light works)
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
For the Filling:
- 14 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 Egg Yolks
- ½ cup Lime Juice (about 8 limes, or 1 lb of key limes)
For the Topping:
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Whisk to combine.
- Pour in the melted butter and stir with a spatula until all of the mixture looks like wet sand and no dry spots remain. Pour into a 9 inch pie pan and pack into the bottom of the dish and up the sides.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Once done, remove and let cool to room temperature.
For the Filling:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, egg, and egg yolks until smooth and combined. While continuing to whisk, slowly pour in all of the lime juice.
- Pour filling into cooled graham cracker crust and bake in preheated 350°F oven for 10 minutes. When finished cooking, remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge, covered, to let cool for at least 3 hours before serving.
For the Topping:
- Whip the cream to soft peaks. Top the pie with the whipped cream before serving.
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