THis is a favorite in my house: I apologize, I don't know who the author is!
Key Lime Pie

Crust:
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Key lime juice
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, combine ingredients and pat down into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the milk, lime juice, and 1 teaspoon zest; blend in the egg yolks. Pour the filling into the crust.
For the meringue, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar and remaining teaspoon zest until the mixture is stiff. Spread the meringue over the filling; spread it to touch the edge of the crust all around. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown.
NOTE: Whipping cream whipped to soft peaks add powered sugar to sweeten and lime zest can be subbed for egg whites.

I recently made my first key lime pie. There is a pretty basic recipe out there that tasted great. Evaporated milk, key lime juice, eggs, zest (make sure you zest before squeesing, you can use zest from regular limes) not too much else I don't remember.
Here's my tip
I find todays graham crackers pretty wimpy. They are all honey no molasses pretty powdery, high fructose corn syrup junk.
I used Arch*ay Windmill cookies. Ground up in food processor and wetted with butter same as graham crackers. They are made with molasses and little chips of almond. Tasted great.
Meringue vs. whipped cream after cooled is a personal choice.

This was is from Cook's illustrated. DH LOVES Key Lime Pie. I've made this recipe several times and it is the best!

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.

My recipe is somewhat similar to Westelle's, but I generally make it with Bearss limes, since that's what I grow in my yard. I've made this many times and everyone who has had it loves it. Note that I add the lime zest after the other ingredients have been beaten together. If you use a mixer with the lime zest, some of it will get caught on the beaters, and so I just stir it in afterwards with a spoon.

Lars 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
3-4 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.

Lars

"If you use a mixer with the lime zest, some of it will get caught on the beaters, and so I just stir it in afterwards with a spoon." And that is why I come here. Of course, why didn't I think of that? Seriously. I love zest, so it breaks my heart to see it on the beaters and I end up picking it off bit by bit. Thank you Lars!

Those sound like great recipes. Are they really really tart or just somewhat tart?

I was the one that posted the thread, after picking out (bad choice on my part), an old-school recipe from a 1970's cookbook for key lime pie that didn't require baking and the whole raw egg thing is a no-no these days.

Westelle posted the recipe above and that is the one I made and it is just PERFECT! Although I used 3 eggs as I felt 4 were too many. It is the best key lime I have ever had! I pulled a Bobby Flay and didn't pipe the cream, which came out delicious, but spread it over the baked and cooled custard, making slight swirls over the top and then added the thinly sliced limes dipped in sugar. I served it to my employees at a company meeting and it was a HIT! I highly recommend this recipe!

If you Google images for key lime pie, you will see that it isn't limited to dollop of cream, but some variations spread it over the entire pie as I did, and some make meringue as well.

The only thing I would add next time, is a drop of green food color, as the custard comes out very chartreuse-y looking in color.

Don't try the pie substituting evaporated milk, as the consistency is far different from using condensed milk.

Here's mine:

Key Lime Pie
Serves 8

1 can (14 oz) Sweetened condensed milk
4 Egg yolks
7 Tbsp Key lime juice
1 9-inch Graham cracker pie crust (I use Keebler's.)
2 cups Heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
Lime slices and toasted almond slivers for garnish
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In medium bowl, mix together milk, yolks, and lime juice.
Pour into crust. Put in oven, bake 20-25 minutes. Filling will set.
Cool in refrigerator.
In mixing bowl, whip up cream with sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Spread the cream over the pie. Garnish. Enjoy!!

Rob333: The Key Limes are less tart/more sweet because they are ripe Mexican limes and should be yellow on the outside -- if you find them fresh.

mangomoon: I'm glad to hear that you liked the pie. It's interesting that you were able to use just 3 eggs. I may try that.

Just a note: Key Lime Pie is correctly pale greenish-yellow and not green. When you see a green pie you know its a fake. ;-)

Thanks everyone. Can't wait to give it a try. Don't know if what I got are true Key Limes....they are really teeny which is going to make them a pain to juice.

These are a yellow green and are labeled "product of Mexico".

I'll let you know how it goes.

This is the filling ingredients to one I pulled off the webb somewhere:

· 3 cups sweetened condensed milk (= 2 cans)
· 1/2 cup sour cream
· 3/4 cup key lime juice (= 20 key limes)
· 1 tablespoon grated lime zest

I'm wondering how the sour cream would taste in there. Plus, this would have to be a big pie!

Sharon, she said she squeezed the limes in her garlic press. Just an idea..

Beth

Key Limes are pretty small and generally sold by the bag or something like 10 for a dollar. They are a bit more of a challenge to juice, but I am craving Key Lime Pie now. I have made it for most of our anniversaries (June) since I had it the first time on our honeymoon and loved it. I want to make one right now with whipped cream and some mangoes and strawberries to go with. Do I have to wait???? LOL

Key Limes = Mexican Limes = Bar Limes

lascatx is correct in that they cn be very small -- ping-pong ball size or smaller; and, yes, they are a pain to juice... I use a hand juicer instead of the bowl one.

Here's my 'go to' recipe for Key Lime Pie. It's lighter and creamier, though not quite as sweet, than the usual recipe that calls for egg yolks.

Key Lime Pie filling

4 oz. Key Lime Juice (I like "Nellie & Joe's" if using bottled)
8 oz. cream cheese ( I use neufchatel with good results)
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Mix together well, fill favorite pie crust recipe. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

I made Westelle's Key Lime Pie on the weekend and "himself" loved it so much I made it again last night! It was Chris' GF's birthday and Key Lime is her favoutite pie.....so two in three days! LOL

I hand squeezed all those pesky little limes for the pie I made Sunday. What a carpy job that is! Clive was helping me in the kitchen yesterday so I gave him the lime juicing job. After doing just one he decided there had to be a better way (I don't have any juicing tools) so he pulled out my potato ricer and the whole job was done in less than 5 minutes!

Thanks Westelle, and everyone, for the recipes. It ws a big hit.

OOOOH! Squeeze those little buggers in a Ricer! I'll rememebr that one.

And, I'm glad you liked the pie. I need to make one for DH soon.

I had a Key Lime Pie Martini today and thought of you :-)

3 parts vanilla Vodka
1 part Pineapple Juice
1/2 part Joe & Nellies Key Lime juice (or fresh squeezed)

It was DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

A

Hmmmm I wonder if a garlic press would work as well.

Ooo I like the sounds of that Martini - over ice?

Alexa the Martini sounds like something I need to try this weekend...I'm ready!

Jessy, I surely don't want the taste of garlic in my Key Lime Pie ! No matter how much I wash my garlic press it smells like garlic!

Bet you can't resist the idea of a second garlic press dedicated for key limes

Mary - I'm sure it would be great over ice, but I had mine "up". Sharon - I will *clink* one of these babies with you any time you want! \

Definitely give it a try :-)

Alexa