During my senior year of high school, I was already in deep with baking. Twice a week, from 4:45am to around 7, I would work (fully unpaid and dying to be there) in a bakery in the small town I grew up in.
From the very beginning, I was a puddle of nerves. I was a nervous kid! Still am! In my first act as an employee, I went to crack an egg. Tapped it lightly on the table and confidently split it into the bowl…….just kidding! I smashed it against the counter and stood there like a silly goose while it slid down onto the floor. C’est la vie! What was I making? Key lime pie.
Years later, the boy and I took an impromptu trip to Key West, the key lime mothership, and ate quite a bit of pie (and coconut shrimp, a mai tai or two, and piles of onion rings and Cuban hamburgers).
From my first job to my that’s-too-many-pieces-of-key-lime trip, I’ve always liked it. What’s not to love? Buttery graham cracker, creamy cool lime filling…maybe some whip or meringue if you’re feelin’ it. I’m really no stranger to the allure of key lime, especially if you manage to crack your eggs straight into the bowl. Don’t put your eggs all in one basket, don’t count your chickens before they hatch, just make pie?
With all that said, here’s my contribution to the annals of key lime history. Let’s make pie. Your first essential baking tip from yours truly? For the love of all things holy, buy a scale. This one is both at my house and at any restaurant I’ve worked in. Pick a color and hop to it. Your recipes are going to come out better since you don’t need to fuss around with measuring cups or wondering whether you’ve truly packed the brown sugar to the same density as the author.
Also, buy this. Nothing grates lime zest better (or parm, or ginger, or garlic).
key lime pie
graham crust
6 oz (170g) plain graham crackers (about 11 and a half crackers, if you’re counting)
1 Tb (12g) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (if using Morton’s, use half as much)
5 Tb (71g) butter, melted and slightly cooled
key lime filling
4 large egg yolks
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tb lime zest
3/4 (181g) cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
whipped topping
1 cup heavy cream (or 3/4 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup greek yogurt/sour cream for extra tang)
2 Tb (24g) granulated sugar
Generous pinch kosher salt
directions
crust: Preheat oven to 350F. Grab a 9” pie plate.
Smush the graham crackers with your hands into a bowl until they form fine crumbs, with some bigger pieces for texture*. Add sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and mix together until the mixture looks like wet sand.
Pour about half the crumbs into the pie plate and push to the edges. Use a straight-sided 1-cup measure to press the mix up and into the sides of the plate. Dump the rest of the mix into the bottom of the pan and use the bottom of the cup to smush into an even layer. This can be a delicate process (it does not want to go up the sides of the plate). Just keep at it and try different tapping angles until something works!
Bake until the crust starts to lightly brown at the edges, about 12-15 minutes. Leave the oven on.
filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks until loosened. Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk until well combined. Whisk in lime juice, salt, and zest until well combined and slightly thickened.
Pour filling into crust and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the center jiggles but the outer edges are slightly set. It shouldn’t be brown. It should jiggle “as one”. Trust your gut here - you want to bake it juuuuuust enough to set the filling so it stays silky smooth (see below for a photo!). It’ll set up.
Let cool for a bit then transfer to the fridge. We want this baby cold.
topping:
When ready to serve, remove from the fridge and make the whipped topping.
If using only heavy cream, add cream, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can do this by hand but don’t say I didn’t warn you! It’s a workout!). Mix on medium-low for a minute to dissolve the sugar, then increase speed to medium-high and whip until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
If using a mixture of cream and yogurt or sour cream, whip only the cream, sugar, and salt to medium peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the yogurt or sour cream.
I like to just slather this on top of the pie decoratively, but feel free to pipe. Decorate with lime zest and any crumbs that fell off the side of the pie while you were moving it around (for me that’s always plenty to make the top look groovy).
*If you don’t want to do this with your hands, use a food processor or a plastic bag and a rolling pin.
Side Notes
If you listen to the podcast Poog (which you should), you already know Jacqueline Novak. I was recently delighted to find out she had a comedy special on Netflix (directed by Natasha Lyonne… who you would know from Russian Doll, if you’re into that, which you also should be).
It was one of the greatest pieces of comedy I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. I felt enthralled and addicted and completely entertained. Watch it if you like meditations on the absurdity of sex, or so you too can call a popular position “The Hound’s Way”.
Until next time,
Jess
P.S Don’t forget to check out the shop for pretty-pastel home goods! Buy a gift for yourself! For your mother! For your cat to eat kibble off of?