Key Lime

Key lime pie is the quintessential summer pie, if you ask me.  Not that I wouldn't enjoy it year round, of course!  But something about that tart, sunny flavor just says summer.  Plus, it's so easy to make, there's no excuse not to!

If you can find fresh key limes, that is really the best way to go.  But those suckers are tiny and don't have a lot of juice, so be prepared to buy about 30 to 40 limes and to spend some time squeezing!  The work can be made much easier with a hand held citrus squeezer because you can pop in a few lime halves at a time.  If you must use a bottled juice, I highly recommend Nellie & Joe's Famous Key Lime Juice.  I've found this at Safeway before.

I made this pie using a vanilla wafer crust just to mix things up a bit, but I usually use a graham cracker crust.  The pie filling is the same as my lemon pie and is a cinch to whip up.  Go make it now!  Go!  I mean it!

Key Lime Pie
I used a 9-inch deep dish pie pan

Crust
2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (or substitute graham)
1 cup butter, melted

Filling
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
1 cup key lime juice
1 Tb. key lime zest
pinch of salt

Combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter in a bowl until well mixed.  Press the crumbs firmly into the pie pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

For the filling, whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth.  Scrape the filling into the prepared crust.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 to 30 minutes until the filling is set and jiggles slightly when you shake the pan gently.  Cool on the counter for about 15 minutes and then transfer to the refrigerator and cool at least 6 hours or overnight.  Decorate with whipped cream and lime slices, if desired.

Key limes ready for squeezing.  A lot of squeezing.

The finished key lime pie.

A delicious slice of summer!