Key Lime Pie

'Tis the season for citrus; it is refreshing, cool and tickles your bones as it rushes through your body - why wouldn't you love it? Plus, you can eat it outdoors on a hot day without adding to the penetrating, suffocating heat you must already endure. Naturally the best part about summer, in my opinion, is the produce.

But... I have a confession to make. I see other food bloggers constantly post about the particular types of fruit they use, such as Meyer Lemons... Now, I know there are different types of apples, grapes, oranges, etc. I'm not totally inept, but lemons? And I must confess, I thought, in large part, the different names meant little more than a brand.

And though I'd heard of key limes, I was never too keen to go to so much effort to pick them out, especially when big, fat, plump limes were always at my disposal. However, just by chance, I saw a beautiful stack of tiny little key limes at Fresh Market the other day... I snatched up them and proudly announced my selection when the cashier looked at them and said, "What the hell are these?"

I was pretty excited to make Key Lime Pie, with real key limes for the first time. I brought home several key limes and set to work grating and squeezing the juice. I got through 5 and measured out the juice - it was just 1 teaspoon... I needed 1 cup. I drove back up to the Fresh Market and reverted back to the big, fat, plump key limes.

Key Lime Pie

It was just as good, and a whole lot easier. Now, I don't know if there is a discernible difference between limes, or lemons for that matter, I just know what tastes good and that's good enough for me.

Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon sugar
Mix together and press onto bottom of tart pan, and along edges
Bake at F350°, 5 minutes, until lightly toasted

Pie
1 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon lime zest
14oz condensed milk
2 eggs
Whisk together until smooth, pour over crust
Bake at 375°F, 15 minutes until set
Chill at least 2 hours
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream

One Year Ago: Main Street Ice Cream, Pecan Log Ice Cream