I really love key lime pie as a summer dessert. Not the frozen concoction that you find sometimes in restaurants that tastes a lot like lime Jello, but a real homemade key lime pie. It should be mildly lime flavored, not lock your jaws lime flavored. The key is using real lime juice and preferably "key limes" that you take the time to squeeze the life out of one by one.
Have you ever seen a key lime? Well, I have seen what they sell for key limes in the super markets here and I don't think those are a good representation of the key lime species. They are like little bright green marbles and hard as a rock. Key limes, when ripe, are supposed to be turning a yellowish green color. I am sure if you were in Florida in the Keys area...get it key limes, they would be more on the ripe side and not so small and hard.
Therefore, I used regular limes for the lime juice in this pie and even though regular limes are not as tart and acidic as key limes, they were plenty tart for us. I just didn't have the time or patience to squeeze a teaspoon of lime juice at a time out of each tiny key lime and they cost twice as much.
This is such a simple pie to make and has just a few ingredients, but the results are really good. This is all you need:
Separate the eggs and just use the yolks. With an electric mix, beat the eggs, sweetened condensed milk and the lime juice until it is whipped. Add the zest and beat it in well.
Pour that into the graham cracker crust and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
The pie will look set when you take it out, but it's not ready to serve. Cool it on the counter and when it's cool, place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
, Garnish with whipped cream and a thin slice of lime! Voila, you have "Key Lime Pie"!
