Another birthday! This time it was my boss' and she requested Key Lime Pie. And, since I had never made a key lime pie before she even gave me a link to a recipe! :)
Before we get into the actual pie, I have to share a discovery. Land-o-lakes now makes their butter in cute little 4 Tbs half sticks. That's right, no more cutting a trying to wrap up those sticks of butter!Now, onto the pie. The recipe I used is from the Joy of Baking website, and it was quite simple.
Crust:
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbs sugar
6 Tbs butter, meltedMix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and better. Press onto the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Cover and refrigerate while making filling.
Filling:
3 egg yolks
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice2 tsp lime zest (I actually used quite a bit less than this and it was fine. I did the zest of one of the key limes for two pies.)First, get the limes juiced. Since it was late when I started this, I enlisted some help for the juicing of the limes, so I have to give credit to Thomas for doing this step. I did make clutch decision at the grocery store picking up the ingredients, and bought a juicer. It made the juicing process actually pretty quick, and I don't think Thomas would have done it by hand. (and I don't know if I'd want him to attempt that) :)
Preheat oven to 350. In bowl beat egg yolks until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until its light and fluffy (7-9 minutes). Scrape down the dies and beat in lime juice and zest.Pour the filling into the crust, and bake for 10-15 minutes, (I ended up baking closer to 20), or until filling is set. Let it cool completely, cover, and refrigerate until serving time. Just before serving make the whip cream.Whip Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2Tbs sugar
Put whipping cream in bowl, and beat until soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Put it on top of the pie and serve. You can just spread it on, but I think that piping it is simple and gives it that extra touch! :)