Key Lime Pie

Hey yall, remember me?

It's a little sad to think I haven't shared a recipe with you in over a year! Especially since I have lots of free time now! I can't believe what has happened in my life since I last posted but to give you a SHORT recap: We honeymooned. We bought a condo. I got a promotion. Matt got a new job with a new company. We rented out our new condo. We moved to Florida. I became a spin instructor. We celebrated our year anniversary. We got a dog. Like I said - short recap. To say I am happy not living in the north for the snowpocalypse of 2014 would be a vast understatement but I will say that I am surprised I do miss Pittsburgh!

Because Matt and I are now Floridians, I figured it was only appropriate to share with you the key lime pie I made him for his 30th birthday. Keep in mind the photos are with my iPhone because I had no intention of posting - then I realized it was just too good not to share! Then I thought about all the people who ask me once a month why I am not still blogging and then I felt obligated.

The first month we lived in Florida we took a trip down to the keys. We went flats fishing in Islamorada and then made our way down to Key West. Let me tell you - if you ever get down there, there is a little cafe on the beach (the one with the beach volleyball nets) and their key lime pie is TO. DIE. FOR. Totally worth the $9.00 it costs. Since then, Matt has been very vocal about how much he loves key lime pie. So much so that he nixed his yearly tiramisu for homemade key lime pie.

One thing you should know before you embark on making this - don't be fooled by key limes. I bought them thinking "oh how cute - look how little they are!" (side note: because everything that comes in little versions is automatically better) They are not. Key limes are tiny stubborn assholes. They are not so bad to zest with a good microplane zester, but when it comes to squeezing the juice out of them make sure you have someone to tag team it with you! And I pray for you and your juicing partner that neither of you have and hangnails. Because it will burn. Really bad.

Key Lime Pie

Filling:
1 prepared 9-inch graham cracker crust
3 large egg yolks
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons grated key lime zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice
1/2 cup heavy cream

Meringue Top:
4 egg whites
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
pinch salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and key lime zest. Stir in condensed milk, key lime juice, and cream. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 30 minutes or until center is firm. Remove from oven.

While pie is baking, in a medium bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. In a second bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the egg whites in 3 parts, beating in between each addition. Continue beating the mixture until all the sugar has dissolved. Spoon the meringue over the hot pie and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until light brown.

Enjoy! :)