Key Lime Pie

This is not the first time I have mentioned Key Lime Pie, but it is the first time it has taken centre stage. This is not a true Key Lime Pie as I didn’t use Key limes but it really doesn’t matter: it’s just as delicious.

I made it to take to a friend’s house for dessert and it made it there easily in one piece.

Real Key limes are very small and very difficult to juice (which by that description alone makes me wonder if in fact they were…). The first time I made this I used fresh limes and a not very good juicer and what should have taken me a few minutes took forever. This time I was a little wiser and used fresh limes for the zest plus their juice and the rest of the juice came from a bottle. I had also found a really cool juicer in the charity shop that looked like it was made for limes that I was looking for an excuse to use:

My new juicer

It made things a lot easier. The pie has a lovely, very pale creamy green tint that hints at freshness and summery zing.

This recipe is a slightly adapted Delia Smith recipe.

Recipe:

Ingredients for the base

250g digestive biscuits

100g butter

Method

Set the oven to 170ºC. Grease and line an 8″ or 9″ loose based tin. The size you use will depend on whether you prefer a thinner or thicker pie.

Crush the biscuits into crumbs. One easy way is to put them into a large plastic bag, seal it and bang them carefully with a rolling pin (watching that the bag doesn’t puncture). Melt the butter in a saucepan, remove from the heat and stir in the biscuit crumbs. Make sure they are well mixed with the butter and pour into the tin. Press it down firmly. It’s a good idea to start with a flat potato masher, if you have one, and finish with the back of a spoon. If it is not pressed down sufficiently it won’t hold together properly when cut.

Cook for about 10 minutes until golden brown but be very careful it doesn’t start to burn. Leave to cool while making the filling.

Ingredients for the Filling

Zest of 3 limes

3 large egg yolks

400g condensed milk

150ml lime juice

Method

Whisk the lime zest and egg yolks for a couple of minutes, until the egg has thickened. Then add the condensed milk and whisk for about another 4 or 5 minutes. Finally add the lime juice and whisk briefly again to combine. Pour on top of the biscuit base and return to the oven for about 20 minutes or until the middle feels set when touched very gently. It shouldn’t start to brown.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before carefully removing from the tin. Once completely cool it can be refrigerated.

Delicious served cold on its own or even with a little cream.

And as you will now have three egg whites, you can make meringue as well. How about Eton Mess?

Categories: Baking, Desserts, Fruit, Recipes

Tags: baking, biscuit base, dessert, juice, key lime pie, lime, zest