Authentic Key lime pie is yellow, not green (green means artificial food coloring and flavoring). Photo by David Hsu | Dreamstime.

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August 2007

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Cookies, Cakes & Pastries

Recipes: Original Key Lime Pie & Key Lime Pot De Crème

Easy Recipes For One Of America’s Favorite Pies

• Overview/Key Lime History
• Key Lime Pie & Key Lime Meringue Pie Recipes
• Key Lime Pot De Crème Recipe

We are unabashed fans of Key lime pie. We love it so much, we often make the filling alone, to serve crustless in pots de crème or ramekins (for a grandiose presentation, you can use martini glasses, and for a “deconstructed” Key lime pie, sprinkle the top with graham cracker crumbs). The peak season for Key limes is June through August, so you can find this special fruit in your market now and use this delicious and easy pie recipe.

Key limes (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle), also known as Mexican limes and West Indies limes, are grown in the Florida Keys (plus Mexico and the West Indies, in case that isn’t apparent). They are much smaller than the standard supermarket lime known as the Persian or Tahitian lime (Citrus latifolia). You can see the relative sizes in the photo at the right, the Persian lime in the center and the Key lime at the right. Both are the only two acid, or sour, limes in world trade.

Left to right: the sweet lime, Persian lime and Key lime. Key limes have thin skins and yellow flesh. The juice is more sour than Persian limes, and the flesh contains many more seeds

There are other major varieties of limes that can be found in the U.S. The rangpur lime (Citrus X limonia Osbeck) from the Pacific Rim, which is generally candied or pickled and, in the west, most popular in marmalade; the kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix), whose leaves are used in Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines; the sweet lime or limetta (Citrus limettioides), a hybrid between a Mexican lime and a sweet lemon or sweet citron, grown in California and Italy and eaten as a fruit in South America, India and North Africa.

The recipe for Key lime pie, a lime custard pie, was created in Key West. There were no cattle on the island, and canned milk, first marketed by Borden’s in 1859, was used for all purposes. The original Key lime pie was a no-bake pie; the acid from the lime juice curdled and set the egg yolks. Today, Key lime pie is the state pie of Florida and the official dessert of Key West, where there are variations of the recipe, including those with meringue topping and/or a pastry crust (believed to be the original crust)—plus a lively debate as to which is the “correct” form of the pie.

While Key limes seem rare and exotic today, they were grown commercially in southern Florida until they were wiped out in a 1926 hurricane. The growers replanted with the hardier and easier* Persian lime trees.

*Persian limes are not only easier to grow, but easier to pick because they have no thorns, and easier and more economical to ship due to their much thicker skin.

Authentic Key lime pie has a firm custard texture and a pale yellow color. Many people use bottled Key lime juice; but as with anything, the difference between bottled and fresh-squeezed juice makes the difference between a decent and a spectacular pie. The good news is that, you can squeeze the juice and freeze it for up to three months. Until next Key lime season, you can substitute Persian limes in this recipe (but the flavor of Key limes is more bright and special, which is why people pay more for them).

Key Lime Pie Recipes

Note: This recipe fills a standard 9" pie pan. If you are using a disposable aluminum pan or a purchased graham cracker crust (which is generally made in a shallow aluminum pan), it will make two pies. You also can make tarts; the number will depend on the size of your tart pans. For one pie, divide the recipe in half.

Ingredients

1½ tablespoons grated lime zest 1 cup fresh lime juice (about 20-22 Key limes or 8 to 12 Persian limes) 8 egg yolks, large or extra-large 2 cans (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk Whipped cream (optional, and not to be used with meringue top) Lime peel curls for garnish (optional, and not to be used with meringue top) Sauce of puréed blueberries, raspberries or strawberries, sweetened as needed (optional)

This Key lime pie is a glammed-up, “gourmet” version with a coconut pecan crust, served with blueberry coulis. Add the “dots” to the top of the pie with a squeeze bottle, available at any cosmetics counter. Photo by Greytown | CST.

Crust

• 4 cups graham cracker crumbs (30-32 graham crackers)
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons unsalted butter) melted

If you want to hide that delicious Key lime under a layer of meringue, here’s how. Photo by HD Connelly | Dreamstime.

Meringue (Optional) Meringue was not part of the original Key lime pie recipe, but a newer addition. We prefer ours without the meringue—we think it gets in the way of the pure, fresh lime flavor. Perhaps it is a better addition to pies made with bottled lime juice. But meringue Key lime pie has many fans, and meringue is easy to make, so here’s the recipe: 8 egg whites ½ teaspoon cream of tartar 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar Directions follow.

Directions For Key Lime Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grate the lime zest, then squeeze the juice. Beat the egg yolks until they are thick and light yellow.
2. Add the sweetened condensed milk. With the beaters on low, add the lime juice, blend and incorporate the other half. Stir in the lime zest. Set the mixture aside to thicken.
3. Make the crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar with a fork, then add the melted butter and stir until well blended. Press firmly into the bottom and sides of a 9" pie plate. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes on the center rack of the oven until lightly browned; remove and cool on a rack.
4. Pour the lime filling into the crust, spread evenly. If you are making meringue, continue with the meringue directions, below.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the center sets (it should still wiggle when shaken). DO NOT OVERBAKE—the pie will get rubbery.
6. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack; then refrigerate for at least three hours. Garnish with whipped cream and a curl of lime peel and drizzle the plate with a sauce of raspberry or strawberry purée. Add some lime or lemon juice to the purée as needed for flavor.

For The Meringue

1. In a very clean bowl, beat the egg whites to a soft peak. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whip the whites to a stiff peak.
2. Add the confectioners’ sugar, continuing to whip until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
3. Top the Key lime custard with the meringue, making decorative peaks.
4. Bake for 15 to 30 minutes at 350º F, until the meringue has a nice color with browned edges. Check with a cake tester to be sure the custard is set. A meringue pie bakes for a longer period because the meringue has an insulating effect on the custard below it (think Baked Alaska).

Directions For Key Lime Pot De Crème

The recipe will fill six half-cup pots de crème, panna cotta dishes or ramekins. The ingredients are the same as for the Key lime pie, minus the crust. The directions are essentially the same for the pie filling, except:

Consider alternative garnishes: raspberries and mint leaves. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Mix the filling in a bowl with a pouring lip, or else pour the filling into a large measuring cup with a lip. This will help you fill the pots de crème or ramekins easily. Distribute the filling among the pots or ramekins and place them in a large baking dish. Fill the dish with hot water to within ½ inch of the top of the pots. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the custard is set in the center, approximately 15 minutes. Do not overbake.

You can make a “pot de crème” in a standard ramekin. Photo by Kristen Johansen | IST.

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