Key Lime Pie-- Pie Challenge-- June/July 2011

I know, I know-- the zucchini pie could have done double duty as both local food AND pie, but then I wouldn't get to share this EXTREMELY EASY key lime pie with you beautiful people. And that? Would be criminal. CRIMINAL, I say. This pie, like so many other wonderful things, comes from good ol' Pioneer Woman. I have managed to make this super-simple pie even easier, though, with a judicious purchase: pre-squeezed key lime juice. It's a revelation, I tell you.

• Crust
• 18 whole Graham Crackers (the 4-section Large Pieces)
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 1/3 cup Butter, Melted
• _____
• Filling
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Lime Zest
• 1/2 cup Lime Juice
• 2 whole Egg Yolks
• 1 can (14 Oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk

Now, for the crust-- I have, in the past, been known to simply buy the pre-made graham cracker crust. There is nothing wrong with this, but, to be honest, it's on the pricey side. You can make your own (even more) delicious version very easily. Crush up a whole heap of graham crackers (you can use a food processor, but I just popped them into a gallon-sized baggie and beat 'em to death with a rolling pin-- it was very therapeutic), and mix the crumbs with some sugar and butter. Press the mixture into a pie plate, and bake this for 5-7 minutes.



As the crust bakes (doesn't that sound like the name of a cooking-related soap opera? No? Never mind), mix the filling. This takes MOMENTS if you use the lovely bottle of Key Lime Juice that can be found in the jelly aisle at the grocery store. Seriously. I think it took longer to open the can of sweetened condensed milk than it took to put together the rest of the filling. Anyway. Stir it up, and then pour it into the baked crust. Pop the whole shebang into the already heated oven, and bake for another 15 minutes. Allow the pie to cool, and then refrigerate it for at least an hour.


At this point, the pie is gorgeous. You could eat it just like this, or, if you're feeling fancy, you could make some lovely homemade whipped cream as you wait for it to cool. Or, you could buy a tub of Cool Whip and call it a day. Go on-- guess which option I chose. No matter what you choose to top the pie, it will be delicious. I promise. See?



A sidenote-- a few weeks later, I made the same pie with a crushed pretzel crust. It was an interesting take on this particular pie; the salt contrasted nicely with the sweet. Give it a shot.