Key limes are delicious, but are also a little bit of a pain. They are tiny, fiddly little limes that you have to endlessly squeeze just to eek out a modest amount of juice. Good luck if you have a paper cut or a hangnail.
So are they worth it? I think yes, with a caveat: only if you feel like it. This would be true anytime, but especially right now when so many people are stuck inside, all baking sourdough like it’s the law now, and generally stressed and anxious: you should do what you feel like.
If you feel like juicing what will eventually feel like a thousand tiny, sometimes infuriatingly not-that-juicy limes then do it! Key limes are super fragrant and sharp and their juice and zest will make this pie awesome. Don’t feel like it? Or can’t find key limes? This would also be really awesome with standard, grocery store limes, or even a mix of fresh limes and bottled lime juice. Some folks will tell you that you shouldn’t use bottled juice, but I think that a combo of fresh and (good quality) bottled juice works well, especially if you get that fresh zest in there. The zest has lots of great aromatic oils that add a lot of flavour, so I don’t recommend that you skip it. But if your squeezing fingers get cramped and you want to top up with some juice from a bottle - go for it.
I’m a fan of tart desserts (and tart everything) so I bumped up the lime juice compared to the recipes I was reading. I also threw a little bit of citric acid in the filling to increase the tartness. If you want it sweeter, leave out the citric acid and cut a few tablespoons of juice out of the recipe.
key lime pie
8 ounces of graham crumbs
5 tbs butter, melted
3 egg yolks
1 tbs lime zest (plus a bit to sprinkle on top if you want)
2 tins (600 ml) sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup + 2 tbs key lime juice
½ tsp citric acid
1 ½ cups heavy cream
3-4 tbs granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Heat oven to 350° F.
Combine graham crumbs and butter and press into the bottom and sides of a pie plate. Pack the crumbs firmly and evenly all over. Bake crust for 10 minutes, set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or by hand with a whisk, combine zest and egg yolks. Mix until pale and frothy. Add condensed milk, lime juice and citric acid and mix until thoroughly combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl well. Pour into the warm pie crust and bake for about 10 minutes. It should be just set, with a significant wobble in the middle. It might look like it’s not done, but it is! Let cool on the countertop for a half hour and then chill in the fridge until fully set, minimum 3 hours.
Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until soft, swoopy peaks form. Serve pie with generous dollops of whipped cream.
