Key Lime PIe
You have me at Key Lime anything. It’s such a fresh flavor profile and instantly makes me think of graham cracker crust- one of the best gifts we have here on earth. In pie form, it’s the tropical vacation experience you can have any time of the year, and it is SO quick to make.
My one sticking point with Key Lime Pie is that most recipes call for sweetened condensed milk. Sweetened condensed milk is a great shelf-stable ingredient, but not one that I frequently keep on hand. All it is is milk that has been heated to reduce its moisture content and sweetened with sugar. What’s more, you can’t control the sweetness in a recipe when using an already sweetened ingredient and I find most Key Lime Pie to be overly sweet. Enter- this creamy, no-bake, ‘key lime curd’ style pie. It is both tart and sweet, and with the addition of a little bit of unflavored gelatin, it holds its texture perfectly in a pie slice.
It can also be tweaked depending on what dairy you have on hand. Mascarpone cheese is my rich additive of choice due to its creamy texture and tangy flavor profile. Full fat sour cream or plain greek yogurt would also work just as well.
If you don’t have unflavored gelatin, cornstarch or tapioca starch could also be used. To go that route, combine 2 tbsp of either starch with melted butter and stir it into the curd while it’s still over the double boiler. You’ll want to cook it all together to remove the starchy flavor and thicken the mixture. The gelatin will set during refrigeration.
And lastly, I’m team #whippedcream as a topping. I love a good torched meringue, but with Key Lime Pie, I prefer a sweetened whipped cream all the way.
Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
- 1.5 c graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2c granulated sugar
- 6Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- pinch sea salt
- 3/4c fresh key lime juice
- 1.5c sugar
- 3 eggs
- 6Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
- 1/4c mascarpone cheese
- 1/2c heavy whipping cream
- 2Tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter together in a 9" pie plate until all crumbs are moistened.
- Press crust into bottom and sides of pie plate, taking care to make sure it's evenly distributed.
- Bake crust @ 350* for 8-10 minutes, until slightly toasted.
- Whisk together juice, sugar and eggs in a bowl that fits solidly on top of a pot in a double boiler fashion. Bring an inch of water to a boil in the pot, reduce heat to low and place bowl of lime juice mixture on top.
- Cook, stirring occasionally until the curd has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. About 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle 1tsp gelatin over 1Tbsp cold water. Allow to sit until all gelatin is hydrated.
- Remove from heat and add butter in bits. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Add mascarpone cheese and again stir until completely smooth.
- Microwave gelatin mixture for 15 seconds until melted. Add to curd and whisk to combine.
- While still warm, pour key lime curd into cooled pie crust. Chill for at least 4 hours before topping and serving.
- Whisk chilled heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer with two tablespoons powdered sugar until medium stiff peaks form. Top pie in desired fashion.
Notes:
The most important ingredient in a pie is a good crust. If your pie plate is larger than 9" or has really high sides, you're going to need to scale the crust recipe up. No thin pie crusts on my watch! Similarly, fill that crust up! The curd recipe is formulated to be a liiiiitle bit more than you may need. Extra key lime curd can be spread on toast, heated and poured as a sauce over icecream or pancakes, or used in a layered cake. Extra key lime curd is a blessing; an under-filled pie crust is sad. This pie/curd can also be made with any citrus fruit juice (grapefruit, lemon, blood orange) for a versitile stock recipe. Lower the sugar amount by 1/4 c for grapefruit or orange.
