Why You Will Love This Recipe:
- Perfect balance between sweet and tart: True key lime juice is incredibly aromatic and packs a stronger flavor than traditional lime juice. That, balanced with the sugar of the other ingredients, offers the perfect combination where each bite will make you salivate and pucker all at the same time!
- Simple ingredients: All you need to make the pie filling are key limes, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks. I use both the juice and the zest from the limes to get the most key lime flavor possible.
- Easy to make: As far as pies go, key lime pie is not only simple to make, but it doesn’t take much time . It’s quite impressive, too!
Key Lime Pie From Crumb Hither
If you missed the Saturday market, you missed these key lime tarts from Crumb Hither.
The origin of Key lime pie has been traced back to the late 19th century in the Key West, Florida area. Its exact origins are unknown, but the first formal mention of Key Lime Pie as a recipe may have been made by William Curry, a ship salvager and Key Wests first millionaire his cook, Aunt Sally, made the pie for him. If such is the case, however, it is also possible and maybe even probable that Sally adapted the recipe already created by local sponge fishermen. Sponge fishermen spent many contiguous days on their boats, and stored their food on board, including nutritional basics such as canned milk , limes and eggs. Sponge fishermen on the sea would presumably not have access to an oven, and, similarly, the original recipe for key lime pie did not call for cooking the mixture of lime, milk, and eggs.
The first recipe for key lime pie was recorded in the 1930s and it is the state pie of Florida. Heres a list of other states official foods. While California doesnt have an official pie following the Florida designation of a state pie, we had a state mock pie contest.
What do you think should be the California State Pie..or even the Sonoma County pie?
Key Lime Ice Cream Pie
Fathers Day is coming this weekend. So this week I am sharing a new recipe for a key lime pie. Its a favorite of both my dad and my husband. My recipe puts a summer twist on this classic pie, because the filling is made with ice cream. Its easy to assemble and if making homemade lime curd sounds like too much then you can take a little help from the store. My local grocery store carries Stonewall Kitchens key lime curd, but Williams Sonoma and other gourmet stores have it as well.
The crispy graham cracker crust with the creamy key lime filling is so delicious! Its a wonderful treat to make and share.
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The Best Budget Pie Plate: Pyrex 9
The Pyrex 9-inch Pie Dish has been around for a long time for good reason. It’s just the right size for most recipes, its sturdy, inexpensive, and it bakes quite evenly. Being able to see through the bottom to check the browning on the crust is also a huge bonus for novice and experienced bakers alike. The dish was slightly harder to clean than my number one pick and had some stickage issues with the graham cracker crust, but it was nothing a little scrub couldn’t take care of.
There have been incidents of Pyrex bakeware shattering in recent years which is why this dish ended up in second place. I didnt have any issues while I was baking and anecdotally havent heard of this happening to any of the bakers I know, but make sure to follow manufacturers instructions when using these dishes to reduce the small chance of your dish shattering.
Cooking Tips For Best Results:
- Time to set: Key lime pie is definitely easier to slice after it has had time to properly set in the refrigerator. Plan on making the pie the day before you want to serve it so that it can chill overnight.
- Lime juice amount: I used a full cup of the lime juice because I love the tart flavor, but keep in mind that the more juice you use, the longer it will take to set.
- Whipped cream: I like to sweeten my whipped cream with confectioner’s sugar. The amount you add completely depends on how sweet you like it. Added zest to the whipped cream only enhances the flavor. Hold off on topping the key lime pie with the whipped cream until you are ready to serve.
- Storage: If entire pie won’t be consumed, add whipped cream to individual servings so that pie can be stored without whipped cream on top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store key lime pie in refrigerator. Best if eaten within 3-5 days.
Read Also: Key Lime Pie Review
The History Of Key Lime Pie
Key lime pie dates back to the late 1800s in Key West, Florida. At the time, modern refrigeration wasnt available, so fresh milk wasnt a common commodity. Instead, canned milk was widely used. As a result, this incredibly easy pie came to be.
Believe it or not, up until recently, this was a purely no-bake pie. The combination of the lime juice with the egg yolks and condensed milk creates a chemical reaction that causes the mixture to thicken all on its own .
Nowadays, due to concerns over raw eggs, the pie is baked, which actually creates a much better filling consistency since it sets wonderfully and is less droopy than its unbaked counterpart.
Key lime pies can be made with a meringue topping or a whipped cream topping . I am a whipped cream girl all the way, so there was no question which way I was going here, but feel free to customize based on your personal preferences.
You might not be soaking up the warm Florida breeze this summer, but this pie will deliver a taste of the tropics right to your own backyard. This is too easy a recipe not to crank out multiple times this summer!
Looking for more key lime recipes? Try my No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake and Key Lime Pie Bars.
Technique #: Working With Pie Dough
Rolling out dough and creating a neat, beautiful edge is simplejust make sure to keep your surface lightly dusted with just enough flour to keep it from sticking.
| Roll out the doughLightly dust a work surface, the dough and the rolling pin with flour. Rolling from the center toward the edges and in all directions, roll the dough into a round 2 to 3 inches larger than your pie dish or pan. |
| Turn and lift the doughUsing a bench scraper or an offset spatula, lift and turn the dough several times as you roll to prevent sticking. Dust the surface and the rolling pin with flour as needed. |
| Brush off the excess flourCarefully roll the dough around the rolling pin, brushing off the excess flour with a pastry brush. Excess flour can make the dough tough. |
| Line the pan with doughPosition the rolling pin over a pie dish or pan. Unroll the dough and center it in the dish. Gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the dish, taking care not to pull or stretch it. |
| Trim the doughIf making a single-crust pie , use a small paring knife or a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. |
| Create the pie edgeRoll the overhang under itself to create a high edge on the dishs rim. Using your index finger and thumb, pinch the dough around the rim to form a fluted edge or create another decorative edge of your choice. |
Read Also: Pyrex 8 Inch Pie Plate
Technique #: Making A Lattice Top
| Cut the dough stripsRoll out the dough into a rectangle that is 2 inches longer than the diameter of your pie pan and 1/8 inch thick. Using a pizza wheel or paring knife, trim the edges and cut the rectangle into 10 equal strips. |
| Lay a row of the strips on the fillingStarting 1 inch from the edge of the pie pan, lay 4 to 6 strips about 1 inch apart over the filling. Use a thin metal spatula to pick up the dough strips gently if they stick to the work surface. |
| Fold back alternating stripsFold back every other dough strip halfway over itself. Place a strip at a sharp angle across the unfolded strips, then return the folded strips to their flat position. |
| Weave the doughFold back the remaining 3 strips, place a dough strip about 1 inch away from the first one and return the folded strips to their flat position. Repeat to complete the lattice. |
The Best Pie Plate Overall: Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Pie Dish
This sturdy metal dish performed exceptionally well in both tests. The pies baked evenly to a perfect golden brown color and the slices were easy to remove when cool. This dish especially excelled in the berry pie test, and produced the most evenly baked and crisp crust of the bunch. Williams Sonomas site claims that the Goldtouch ceramic based coating is more durable than other non-stick surfaces. However, they do recommend using wooden or silicone tools with the dish. When I used metal tools they scratched the surface of the plate, but in the short-term the scratches didnt seem to have any negative effect on the utility of the dish. Pies still baked up golden and tasty, and the slices were easy to remove from the pan without leaving any residue behind.
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What Youll Need To Make Key Lime Pie
- Youll need 8 to 10 limes total for this recipe. Choose plump limes that give a little when you squeeze them they will be easier to juice. You should get about 2 tablespoons of juice from each lime. Be sure to zest the limes before you squeeze the juice from them, as its near impossible to do afterward.
- Sweetened condensed milk is canned milk from which water has been removed, and sugar has been added. Be sure not to confuse it with evaporated milk, which is usually sold right alongside.
- With no eggs, it may be hard to believe that this pie will set, but have faith it will.
Make The Gingersnap Crust
In a food processor, combine the gingersnaps, pecans, ginger, and cinnamon. Pulse until everything is finely ground in crumbs. Add the butter and pulse briefly until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned. Allow to cool.
You May Like: Peach Cobbler With Frozen Pie Crust
How To Make Key Lime Pie
After eating it for the first time, I was convinced that the key lime filling was an elaborate curd/custard that would need to be painstakingly cooked on the stove, and then baked in the oven. Not so!
Technique #: Blind Baking
Blind baking a tart or pie is necessary when the pie filling is uncooked, or when the crust needs to bake longer than the filling. The key is keeping the dough weighted down so its easy to fill later on.
| Line the dough with foilPreheat the oven to 400°F or according to your recipe. Line the dough with a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, making sure to press the foil into the fluted edges of the dough. |
| Add weightsFill the foil-lined crust with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Make sure the weights cover the entire bottom of the crust. Bake the lined crust until dry, about 15 minutes or according to your recipe. |
| Check the crustCheck to see if the crust is ready by pulling up one corner of the foil. If the foil sticks, the crust is not fully dried. Return it to the oven, checking again every 2 minutes. |
| Remove the weightsCarefully remove the weights and foil. Most recipes call for the crust to be baked again until partially baked, about 5 minutes longer, or fully baked, about 10 minutes longer. |
| Let the crust coolIf filling a fully bake crust with an egg-based filling or for a tart thats served cold, let the pastry crust cool for at least 30 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. |
| Unmold the crust, if neededPies are usually served right from the pan, while tarts are typically unmolded. To unmold a tart crust or a filled tart, carefully press the removable bottom up through the tart ring. Use an offset spatula to release the crust from the bottom of the tart pan. |
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Other Great Citrus Recipes:
The flavor fresh lime is undeniable. If you love the taste of lime, be sure to try these favorites: Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing, Coconut Lime Daiquiri, Virgin Mango Lime Margarita, and Lime Water with Mint.
If youve made this or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out. I love hearing from my readers!
You can also follow along on , and to see more amazing recipes to satisfy any foodie craving!
A Note About Types Of Pie Dishes
There are three main categories of pie dishes on the market today: glass, ceramic, and metal. In this test, I set out to find the best all-purpose dish for all of your pie needs. All three materials have benefits, but versatility was the name of the game here.
Glasss main draw is that you can easily monitor the bottom and sides of the pie as it is baking. Metal pans conduct heat exceptionally well and are generally thinner than glass and ceramic making them champs in the browning department. Metal pans can also be safely be transferred from the fridge or freezer to the oven with no risk of shattering like some glass and ceramic models, although thin metal dishes can warp. Ceramic dishes are beautiful and well insulated, making them a top choice for custard pies with delicate fillings, and they excel in the presentation department. They also tend to be a bit deeper than standard glass and metal dishes which can be helpful for some recipes, but not so much with others.
To find the best, I gathered eight, 9-inch pie dishes: two metal, three glass, and three ceramic and put them through their paces by baking a blueberry pie and a Key lime pie. Rest assured, there will be no soggy bottoms on my watch.
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