Key Lime Pie: Tasty Imperfection

We traditionally have a key lime pie for my Dad for Father's Day.  They are cool, creamy, and taste like summer.  Plus, he's a fan of limes and lime stuff and there really aren't that many standard lime-flavored desserts out there.  When I was a lot younger, my brother and I would buy pies from Baker's Square...Key Lime used to always be the flavor-of-the-month for June.  Well, times have changed in two major ways.  First, finding a Baker's Square that is still open can be a challenge. :( Second, I figured out that I could make a key lime pie really easily and it could be just as good or better than the ones we bought.    

Over the years, I have tried a number of varieties; tequila key lime pie was a notable success.  They almost always turn out beautiful looking and delicious tasting.  I say "almost" because this year was a huge exception.  I used my very-traditional, standard recipe and the pie was **super-tasty**, but it didn't look good at all.  This is due entirely to the fact that I rushed and didn't give the pie enough time to cool and set before transporting it from my place to my foks'.  Usually I make the pie the day before, but this time I tried to do it all the day of.  Lesson learned!  With a little bit of fresh lime garnish, some individual pieces didn't look *too* bad (see above), but the pie itself looked pretty sad (see below).    

Here's the recipe. This is one that I developed myself from several different sources and through trial and error, so nobody is gonna get credit on it! And let me tell you: one of the biggest secrets is the crust.  You can use store-bought graham cracker crust to cut down on time and effort and the pie will be good.  But the homemade crust is way, way better.  Trust me!  

Oh, and be sure to let everything cool and set completely before transporting!  :)

Cookie/cracker crumb crust 

(can be altered for use in a variety of pie types, depending on the crumbs used)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 to 2 cups fine cookie or graham cracker crumbs: for key lime I generally use grahams and this time I crushed up 24 two and half inch cracker squares. 

1/4 cup granulated or powdered sugar (I usually use granulated sugar)

5 1/2 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional--but honestly, not optional for a graham cracker crust. I always add the cinnamon if the crumbs are grahams.  ALWAYS.

a few shakes of Penzey's baking spice, completely optional--this was a new addition this time, but a good one

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. If you haven't made your crumbs, do that.  You can use fancy pre-made ones, but why?!  You can also use a food processor, I guess.  But I don't have one of those new-fangled gadgets.  I generally put my crackers in a gallon Ziploc bag and use a heavy rolling pin to crush them.  Don't have a rolling pin?  I used a full 2-liter bottle of root beer as a crushing tool this time.  Seriously.  It works like a charm. :)
3. Mix crumbs, sugar, and spice (and everything nice....?)
4. Pour in melted butter and mix thoroughly
5. Press into bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate/pan
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes
7. Cool to room temp before adding key lime filling (or set the crust by refrigerating until room temp. or slightly cooler....at least 30 minutes)

Pie

Ingredients:

6 egg yolks

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz., can use regular or fat free equally well)

3/4 cup lime juice (can be fancy key lime juice, but RealLime bottled juice works really well)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Separate eggs

In large bowl, beat egg yolks (or whisk by hand)

Add sweetened condensed milk, stirring constantly.

Add lime juice slowly, still mixing at low speed (or whisking gently by hand), until it thickens

Pour it into room temperature pie crust and bake for 15 minutes.

Chill in refrigerator before serving (or transporting!)

Notes on Garnish:

I like whipped cream on my key lime pie, but it doesn't usually look too fancy or neat when I add it.  Better for formal/presentation garnish are slices of fresh lime.  Just wash a lime, make some slices, and then create garnish.  Simple half or quarter slices look nice when placed on a whole pie in patterns.  The piece pictured above is garnished with a full slice that was cut half-way through on one side and then twisted.  Plop that sucker on top of a piece and any number of ills are covered up!