Key Lime Pie

I was on a Caribbean cruise some years ago...and those of you who have cruised before know that the food is amazing! There were far too many options and no way I could sample everything. But I did the next best thing and came home with the Royal Caribbean International Cookbook called 'Savor'. One of my favorite recipes in the book is the one for key lime pie. It's really very simple...and even more so if you use a ready-made pie crust. This recipe was first posted seven years ago and today seemed like a good day to bring it back. 

Key Lime Pie

• 1 cup (250 ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice*
• 1 (9 inch or 23 cm) pie shell, pre-baked

Garnish:

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) whipping cream
• lime zest
• freshly cut lime slices

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Place condensed milk in mixing bowl, and beat at low speed, adding egg yolks one at a time.
3. Add lime juice, and mix thoroughly.
4. Place mixture in pre-baked pie shell.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.
6. Let cool and refrigerate for 2 hours.
7. Whip cream...sweeten to taste.
8. Top pie with whipped cream and lime zest.
9. Serve on chilled plates.
10. Garnish with lime slices.
11. Serves 10.

*If you are not able to find key limes at your local market, other limes work just fine (as long as they are juicy).  Do not used bottled lime juice!

Culinary Notes: (printed next to the key lime pie recipe in my cookbook.)
It is a well known fact that the Key lime is indigenous to Florida and the "key" ingredient for the state's popular Key lime pie. Forced to substitute condensed milk for fresh--which was scarce before the arrival of the railroad in 1912--cooks discovered that the chemical intervention between the condensed milk and the Key lime actually "cooked" the pie without baking it. (excerpt from cookbook)

Several years ago...we took a road trip along the Gulf Coast which ended in the Florida Keys.  We met locals who told us of eating places that we 'must try'!  One of those was Kermit's Key Lime Shoppe...specializing in all things key lime! 

It never took a whole lot of persuading on Kermit's part to have us sample the key lime pie.  It was good...and if you ever find yourself in Key West, you should check it out.  But why not just make up a key lime pie in your own kitchen and enjoy the taste of Florida in your own home?

Enjoy!

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