I remember that the preferred topping is a whipped cream of some sort (not cool whip!). I don't think I've ever had Key Lime as a meringue. Sorry I can't help with the other part of your question, but I'd be happy to eat all your variations!

sushipup, I will put you in my kitchen and you can sample all of my variations- LOL! The whipped cream you are referring to, is heavy whipping cream that is beaten with a mixer and a little sugar.

The version that ended up with the pie still runny in the middle is the old school version where the eggs, lime juice and sweetened condensed milk are mixed together and the acid from the lime "cooks" the custard of the eggs and milk. This is now considered a NO NO! Of course......not too many of us died from eating the raw eggs in those pies of yesteryear.

The modern, i.e. more healthy, method of cooking the pie and then chilling it before serving will do away with the runny filling in the middle. I've had both styles and I can truly say I cannot detect much difference. And I do feel *safer* eating the pie that is cooked.

No meringue on key lime pie - whipped cream only.

A "real deal" key lime pie wouldn't have whipped cream of any kind because the whole point of using condensed milk is that they didn't have hardly any fresh milk in the keys before refrigeration. All my Florida people do no topping at all, but I think that goes back to WWII rationing where they didn't want to "waste" the egg whites. Others use the whites left from making the pie for the meringue.

Temperature and humidity have a lot to do with how things come out. The advice from the home cook might have been what works for her.

You are right, plllog, about no whipped cream. I'm just remembering the pie that most restaurants serve that they purchase frozen that has whipped cream rosettes on it. When I have made key lime pie or my favorite Lemon Icebox Pie, both have no meringue and no whipped cream. They are so rich from the SCM and tart from the citrus that they don't need a topping.

Teresa, we cross posted. I hadn't seen your mention of the whipped cream.

I read that about 1 in 20,000 eggs is infected...

Yes, about the piped rosettes of whipped cream, not a total covering on top!

I want some! ;-)_

Cook's did one of their experiments and found that baking the filling made a big difference in taste -- and I agree. This is the best pie outside of Key West I've ever had/made.

KEY LIME PIE
Serves 8 . Published March 1, 1997.

If you prefer a meringue topping, follow the instructions in "No-Weep Lemon Meringue Pie" in the November/December 1994 issue. Bake pie only 7 minutes, then apply meringue gently, first spreading a ring around the outer edge, then filling in the center. Return to oven and bake 20 minutes more.

INGREDIENTS
Lime Filling
4 teaspoons grated lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice from 3 to 4 limes
4 large egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Graham Cracker Crust
11 graham crackers , processed to fine crumbs (1 1/4 cups)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Whipped Cream Topping
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 lime , sliced paper thin and dipped in sugar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the Filling: Whisk zest and yolks in medium bowl until tinted light green, about 2 minutes. Beat in milk, then juice; set aside at room temperature to thicken.

2. For the Crust: Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add butter; stir with fork until well blended. Pour mixture into 9-inch pie pan; press crumbs over bottom and up sides of pan to form even crust. Bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

3. Pour lime filling into crust; bake until center is set, yet wiggly when jiggled, 15 to 17 minutes. Return pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. (Can be covered with lightly oiled or oil-sprayed plastic wrap laid directly on filling and refrigerated up to 1 day.)

4. For the Whipped Cream: Up to 2 hours before serving, whip cream in medium bowl to very soft peaks. Adding confectioners sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, continue whipping to just-stiff peaks. Decoratively pipe whipped cream over filling or spread evenly with rubber spatula. Garnish with optional sugared lime slices and serve.

I think the real deal is that the limes you can buy in the store are not Key limes, which, apparently, are very rare. It is possible to buy real key lime juice, however, from specialty grocers.

There are as many "real deal" key lime pies as there are bakers. I have one that is really, really good, but I would NEVER use anything but key limes to make it. Usually the key lime juice in bottles is fine. I'm in FL so we see the bottled juice in every grocery store (including Target),and we get the key limes themselves at the farmers market or grocery store or in our own back yards. My tree is loaded with blooms right now!

I make Bearss Lime Pie instead of Key lime pie, and here's my recipe:

Lime Pie

Crust
6 tbsp unsalted butter
2-1/2 tbsp sugar
1-1/4 cups Graham cracker crumbs

Filling
2 tbsp cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
2 tsp sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
~3 fresh limes (enough for 1/2 cup juice)
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 smidgeon salt (1/32 tsp)
1 Â 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Topping
1-1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch

Directions
Melt butter and add sugar. This can be done in a 9" or 8" Pyrex pie pan, or a bowl, as you prefer. Add the Graham cracker crumbs and mix with a fork to combine. Press into a 9" pie pan and bake 7 minutes at 350° and allow to cool.

Soften the cream cheese in a bowl with 2 tsp sugar and add the eggs. Beat to combine thoroughly. Zest the limes, preferably with a Microplane grater, to obtain 1 tbsp lime zest, to be used later. Squeeze limes to obtain at least half a cup of lime juice, and add the cornstarch . Mix this with the cream cheese/egg mixture and add the salt and condensed milk, and combine. A hand-held mixer can be used at this point, especially if you have used it to beat the cream cheese and eggs. Stir in the lime zest by hand and pour the mixture into the slightly cooled pie shell. Bake at 375° for 18 minutes. Allow the pie to cool, and then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

Chill the egg beaters and bowl for the whipping cream in the freezer while the pie is chilling, and then whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and cornstarch and beat until fairly stiff. Cover the top of the chilled pie with whipped cream and serve.

Yield: 8 servings.

I use Bearss Limes from my back yard, and they are larger and juicier than Key limes. I planted a new lime tree after moving from Venice, and I should get new limes in six months or so. Bearss limes are less acidic than Key limes and are what is normally grown in California.

Lars

Laceyvail, the Publix here carries the real key limes from time to time. They are much smaller than regular limes. Cute little things!

Key limes are ripe Mexican Bar Limes.... they have turned yellow from green and therefore are sweeter. They are the ones that are about the size of a golf ball... or smaller.