Key Lime Pie

I know this is an odd time to be promoting Key Lime pie. It’s also an odd thing for me to be promoting not-so-healthy food. But I believe everyone should have a terrific pie recipe in their arsenal. And you need to hear the story of how I ended up with this one.

My husband was dismayed that I didn’t want a cake or something sweetly-special for my birthday yesterday. So I came up with an idea, which seemed brilliant at the time. I’d offer to make a pie that I knew I wouldn’t like. That way, he would be happy, and I wouldn’t eat any of it! I received a bag of Key Limes from my father for Christmas and thought, again, brilliantly, that I’d make Key Lime pie. I don’t like Key Lime pie. It always tastes “off” to me - slightly chemical-ly, for lack of a better word.

Well, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at the situation, the recipe I selected was delicious. The tart lime filling is beautifully complimented by the sour-sweet topping. The graham cracker crust adds the perfect texture to balance the silky smooth filling. In short, I ate 3 pieces … in one afternoon. Enough said? I think so!

Key Lime Pie

Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Serves 8

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup granulated sugar

4 tbsp (½ stick butter) melted

2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk

1 cup key lime or regular lime juice

2 whole large eggs

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tbsp lime zest

Preheat the oven to 375˚.

In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

Lower the oven temperature to 325˚.

In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the pie using a spatula. Sprinkle the lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled.

For a printable version of this recipe, please click here.