You know, I’ve always wondered where the heck Key Lime Pie came from. I was really surprised when I learned key lime pie can be traced back to around 1908, in Key West, Florida! As the story goes, a penniless Bahamian-born immigrant named William Curry, who became a ship salvager and Florida’s first self-made millionaire, had a household cook named “Aunt Sally.” Now, apparently Rich Bill, as his friend’s called him, had a real sweet tooth, so Aunt Sally whipped up and concocted a pie using the prevalent key limes in the area. Well, it must have done the trick, ‘cause her now famous pie became a staple at the mansion and showed up on the menu for the dinner parties that Rich Bill liked to host, so the story goes. I’m pretty sure all the guests left raving about Aunt Sally’s Key Lime Pie. And to this day, her recipe lives on in kitchens everywhere. Thanks, Aunt Sally!
Key Lime Pie
Recipe by: Bobbi Jo Lathan
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Southern
Serves: 6
PREP TIME
10 mins
COOK TIME
35 mins
TOTAL TIME
45 mins
INGREDIENTS
Crust
1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs from 10-11 crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh or bottled Key lime juice (if using bottled, preferably Manhattan brand)
Topping
¾ cup chilled heavy cream
1 tablespoon lime zest
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Crust
Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl with ‘til combined well.
Press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
Bake crust in the oven for 10 minutes.
Take it out of the oven and let it cool in pie plate.
Filling
Whisk together condensed milk and egg yolks in a bowl ‘til mixed well.
Add juice and whisk until combined and the mixture is thickened.
Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake in middle of your oven for 15 minutes.
Cool the pie on a rack and let the filling set.
Cover the pie and let it chill for at least 8 hours.
Topping
Just before serving, beat the cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks.
Put a dollop of the cream on the pie and sprinkle with the lime zest and serve it up. YUM!