My mom made a terrific key lime pie for me, here's the recipe!

H

heather_in_sf

Well-known member
This pie is so good, we were fighting over the last piece!

You really have to use fresh lime juice. I microwaved the limes for 20 seconds or so to aid in squeezing.

This is so easy, but foolproof.

REC: Key Lime Pie

A 9" prebaked pie crust (I prefer a regular pie dough than a graham crust)

3 egg yolks

8 oz cream cheese

4-5 oz fresh key lime juice (or regular limes with zest)

14 oz can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

Oven at 350.  Blend milk and cream cheese together with a mixer, a piece at a time, until smooth.    Add yolks and blend well.  Add lime juice and blend.

Pour into pie shell and bake 10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes, then chill well.

Top with whipped cream.

 
Nearly every Key-Lime Pie recipe has Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk as an ingredient. Why?

Personally, I find the taste of the stuff overwhelmingly cloying and screamingly distinctive. Anybody know why this is always such a prevalent thing? I'd LOVE a recipe that didn't use any of this stuff.

We have a Key-Lime tree and I wind up with LOTS of fruit and juice every year but so far, nothing fabulous has floated my boat. I've made marmalades, jellies and cream pies but still . . .

 
I hate the stuff, too, *except* when using in a key lime pie. I find that if you use enough lime

juice and zest, it balances out the sweetness of the condensed milk, and the filling will have a nice tang. I usually use 1/2 strained lime juice and 1 Tbsp zest. Heather's mother's recipe sounds nice and balanced with both the juice and cream cheese.

Here's an recipe from my files that's not baked, and doesn't use sweetened condensed milk at all - it folds in whipped cream instead. Haven't tried it yet:

FLORIDA KEY LIME PIE

INGREDIENTS:

Crust
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lime peel, coarsely grated, divided
2 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 small lime, sliced (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare crust:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In 9" pie plate combine graham cracker crumbs and 2 tbsp. sugar; stir in butter until blended.
3. Press mixture firmly and evenly over bottom and sides of pie plate; bake 10 minutes until browned.
4. Cool completely on wire rack.

Prepare filling:
1. In top of double boiler using wire whisk, beat egg yolks, lime juice, 1/3 cup sugar and salt until well blended.
2. Set over simmering water; cook about 5 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture is thick enough to coat back of metal spoon.
3. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tbsp. grated lime peel.
4. Refrigerate mixture about 45 minutes until cool.
5. Meanwhile, in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat cream until soft peaks form.
6. Set 1 cup whipped cream aside for garnish; fold cooled lime mixture into remaining cream.
7. Spoon filling into prepared crust; refrigerate at least 2 hours until set.

To serve:
Spoon remaining whipped cream decoratively over top of pie; sprinkle cream with remaining 1 tbsp. lime peel. Garnish with lime slices, if desired.

8 servings

 
I've read the recipe came about before refrigeration was common in the keys. Condensed milk

didn't go bad.

 
That's a good question. I do know that of all the pies I've had before (sounds like a Meryl Haggard

song!!) this one is pretty tangy, which I like. I love citrus desserts, and lemon curd in particular, but not sweet, they must give you that pucker and activation of the salivary glands, know what I mean?

I wonder if one could make a key lime curd kind of custard and mix that with a bit of the egg/cream cheese to get the rich creaminess of the usual pie without the SCM....

 
I did once find a recipe (not tried yet) that did NOT use condensed milk>>>

I can search for it after I return from here (Boston) and look on my own computer.
BTW I have been doing extensive cannoli testing...Hey I am sacrificing to do this...my waistline!

 
not mine - NEVER - ugh! >> here's our recipe for Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie
McCalls Magazine, Jan 1992

1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (original recipe... I use a regular pastry crust)
1/4 cup butter, melted

1-1/4 cups + 6 tbl. sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup Key lime juice (no substitutes - I use Nellie's brand, unless you can find fresh)
1 tsp. grated lime zest
3 large eggs, separated
1-1/2 cups boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. In bowl, combine crumbs and butter. Mix well and press over bottom and sides of 9” pie plate - using the bottom of a glass helps. Bake 8 minutes and cool. (you can always used a regular baked pie crust).
2. Make filling: In saucepan, combine the 1-1/4 cups sugar, cornstarch, lime juice and zest; mix well. Whisk in egg yolks. Gradually stir in the boiling water until blended. Over med-hi heat, bring to boiling, whisking; cook and whisk for 4 minutes until thick. Pour into bowl and carefully stand this bowl into a larger one filled with ice and water to cool the mixture. Pour filling into crust.
3. Raise oven temperature to 425 deg. In electric mixer bowl, at high speed, beat egg whites, adding remaining sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cornstarch, slowly until stiff peaks form; spread over filling to cover completely. Bake 4 min. or until golden.
Chill at least 8 hours before serving. (never sits that long in MY house *g*)

NOTE: I don’t use the meringue topping -- I use real whipped cream, whipped with 1 tbl. powdered sugar.

 
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