Regardless of the "mess", I'm impressed that you made the pie for you wife!

You could probably incite a riot in Key West (where Key Lime Pie originated) discussing Key lime pie's topping and
crust. Should the topping be made of whipped cream or meringue? Does it
call for a graham cracker crust or a pastry crust?

The last time I had KLP at the Key Lime Pie Factory in Key West it was topped with Meringue. But I make it with whipped cream because I do that better.

*It's officially the "state pie of Florida".

WHIPPING CREAM FOR GARNISH

1/2 c heavy whipping cream

2 tsp granulated sugar

1/4 tsp madagascar pure vanilla extract

chas, I find that even "real" whipped cream can break down in a day or so in the fridge, even if I add a bit of cornstarch or powdered sugar or whatever. It's still good.

I use meringue on mine, kind of like on lemon meringue, but it's all good.

Was the room very warm? Or the pie?

I don't do canned whipped cream, & when I whip cream for topping, I make it pretty stiff - almost to the point of becoming butter. I use powdered sugar to sweeten if I want it to stay stiff, honey if it's just for 'scooping'.

Thanks folks: no, the room wasn't warm (~68F) and I kept the pie in the fridge except when cutting. OK, I'm glad to know that whipped cream will hold up for a reasonable time. A day is more than fine. I had actually assumed that reddi wip would not only hold up for days, but probably weeks; like left out commercial ice cream sometimes ;-) .
Thanks mustangs, yes, I'm the pie maker around here. Usually, DW doesn't even partake of my deserts, but I was very pleased that not only did she take a regular piece, but I later found her popping the last of a second piece into her mouth by hand. It not only proved that she really liked it, but that the crust that appeared so etherial was stable and utilitarian. I am pleased to hear that meringue is used on klp. Aside from taste, what I like about lemon meringue pie is that the yolks go in the filling and the whites go on top, rather than ending up in the refrigerator where they reside now, until I throw them out ;-) .

So, some history behind what Mustangs said about the topping arguments: There didn't used to be ice or refrigeration in the keys (including the boats and grocery stores--this is before the highway, too), and no natural cool house butteries like there are in the North. Fresh milk was scarce and precious. Canned milk was stable and brought in by the boatload. Whipped cream wasn't something people had. Key lime pie was an everyman's dish (and really delicious) specifically because it used stable ingredients and didn't require an oven. French meringue doesn't require heating either. (Nowadays, we prefer our eggs cooked or pasteurized because of the endemic bacteria promulgated by the poultry factory industry, but originally, these pies weren't cooked, and relied on the acid reaction.) That's not to say that if they had cream in the very earliest days, they wouldn't have used it, so there's good reason for the arguments. :)

I'm not a Floridian, and my family there aren't from the Keys, so I won't get into the argument of what's right. What's original, however, I can tell you, was a thin layer of meringue made from the whites left over from making the pie--unless they were used for the dinner. :) As to the crust, I don't know, but I've heard that the original version didn't have a crust. :)

I put a lot of whipped cream on my pie - I use 1-1/4 cups heavy cream plus 1 tbsp confectioner's sugar. If I do not have confectioner's sugar, I use 1 tbsp regular sugar plus 1/2 tsp cornstarch. The confectioner's sugar has cornstarch in it, which is why it helps the cream. Before whipping the cream, I store the bowl and beaters in the freezer for at least an hour, and I store the cream in the freezer for about 20 minutes before whipping it. Cold utensils and cream allow you to whip it stiffer without making it into butter. Mine keeps for several days refrigerated.

I do not use Key limes to make lime pie, since I have a Bearss lime tree in my back yard (which has lots of limes right now), and I actually prefer the Bearss limes to Key limes, as they are seedless and larger. I also prefer whipped cream to meringue, but on a lemon chiffon pie, I use meringue. I always use what I like rather than what is traditional. Also, I use an 8" pie pan, if I have one - my recipe will not fill a 9" pan, but I use that if it is all I have. The recipe uses a can of sweetened condensed milk, and the cans are smaller now than they used to be. I also always make a graham cracker crust.

I should probably make one of these pies, since I have so many limes now and need to use more of them.

I love Key Lime pie, and I agree, I, too, top it as I serve it.

I've modified mine, no crust (no one but me eats the crust), egg beaters instead of eggs yolks, low fat (or fat free) sweetened condensed milk.

And no one can tell the difference. The milk is sweet enough and the lime juice sharp enough so the pie tastes the same, and sets up perfectly.

Whipped cream with stabilizer (milk powder, cream of tartar, gelatin) is your best bet. But, I've used Cool Whip in a pinch, and it holds up really nicely.