Yes, I am known for showing my affection through food. What can I say?! So naturally to bid Michael a Happy 2 Year Anniversary, I made one of his top treats - Key Lime Pie.
(excuse the hideous pie plate!)
The story: I searched high and low for the right recipe. I found it kinda amusing how much the recipes varied for this super simple dessert. I mean, it's based on only 3 ingredients - eggs, condensed milk and citrus juice with a graham crust. It doesn't get any easier than that! You don't even need a mixer...just a bowl and a spoon!
I knew in beginning my search that I wanted it to have a high quantity of condensed milk (because I LOVE that stuff! I used to eat it out of the can with a spoon when I was little) and LOTS of citrus juice - what's the purpose of having a citrus pie that isn't tart?!
Some of my favorite Chef's recipes called for 8 egg yolks (um...yikes!) and only 1/2 cup of condensed milk (boring!)...plus the addition of some other wacky or unnecessary ingredients that just didn't sound right to me. Then, I stumbled across this one by one of my old time favorite chef - Emeril! Who would have thought that an Emeril recipe would have the most basic, traditional recipe out there!?
If I must say so myself it was a delicious success! Now, granted, I made a few changes I made up along the way to jazz it up a bit (which, I always have to put my own spin on recipes and sorry folks, I'm keeping the secret to myself ;) But, even without those changes, this recipe is still stellar and I think you should give it a try. It is the perfect recipe for a beginner baker. I think my 7 year old nephew could pull it off!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter), melted
2 (14 oz) cans condensed milk
1 cup key lime or regular lime juice (I strongly suggest key lime!)
2 whole eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime zest
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix the graham crumbs, sugar and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9 inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temp before filling. (FYI: This is a higher sugar ration than any graham crust I've ever made...and worth it! The sugar will carmelize and become so crunchy and delicious!!! It's the perfect contrast to the creamy pie. YUM!).
Lower the oven temp to 325 degrees F.
In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell.
Bake for 15 min and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. (FYI: It will take a bit for the mixture to come together. Have patience and really make sure the mixture is homogenous before pouring into the pie shell.)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter), melted
2 (14 oz) cans condensed milk
1 cup key lime or regular lime juice (I strongly suggest key lime!)
2 whole eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime zest
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix the graham crumbs, sugar and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9 inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temp before filling. (FYI: This is a higher sugar ration than any graham crust I've ever made...and worth it! The sugar will carmelize and become so crunchy and delicious!!! It's the perfect contrast to the creamy pie. YUM!).
Lower the oven temp to 325 degrees F.
In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell.
Bake for 15 min and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. (FYI: It will take a bit for the mixture to come together. Have patience and really make sure the mixture is homogenous before pouring into the pie shell.)
Tips
~ Do not skip sprinkling the zest of top. The fresh oils in the zest make the flavors come alive (zest contains a super charged content of oils which results in a more intense flavor that juice)
~ Note where it says to chill for at least 2 hours. After 2 hours it is good, but man oh man as the days go by it just gets better and better. I was worried about the topping getting runny and ugly after sitting a day or two, but it held up perfectly! Food, savory or sweet, that is best the next day is music to my ears...makes using it for entertaining a cinch!
~The topping is optional. If you skip the topping, just sprinkle the zest over the top of the pie.
