Limes are native to Southeast Asia, and probably originated in Indonesia or Malaysia. They made their way to the eastern Mediterranean with the Arabs, and to the western Mediterranean with returning Crusaders. Eventually they ended up in the West Indies, Haiti and the Florida coast, when Columbus introduced citrus fruits on his second voyage.
The key lime species (Citrus aurantifolia) flourished in the Florida Keys (hence the name Key lime) from 1906 until recently. Local farmers became weary from losing their pineapple crops during the hurricane seasons so they switched to growing limes. Their business boomed until more massive hurricanes passed through once again, this time wiping out the key lime groves and destroying all of the commercial crops.
You can still find many key lime trees throughout the Florida Keys, but mostly in the backyards of area homes. They have made a slight comeback in Florida, but commercial production is conducted only on a very small scale. Today, most key limes come from Mexico and are known as Mexican limes.
Key limes are much smaller than regular limes (also known as Persian limes). They are nearly spherical, thin-skinned, contain a few seeds and are prized for their acidic nature when still green and immature. As they ripen they turn yellow and their acid content diminishes greatly resulting in a sweeter fruit. They are aromatic and very juicy, with a stronger and more complex acidic flavor than regular limes.
Because of their thin skin, they are prone to drying out easily and they also develop brown spots as they age. The trees grow to a height of 7 to 8 feet tall, are very shrubby, crooked and thorny, with shiny green leaves. These small key limes are actually the limes that are used throughout most of the world.
Both the regular limes and key limes have a higher sugar and citric acid when compared to lemons and are more susceptible to frost than other citrus fruits. They are available year-round from Mexico, Central America, Texas and California.
Key limes are great to use in desserts, beverages, sorbets, jams and marinades — especially for foods like seafood ceviche , where the acid from the key lime cooks the seafood without the use of heat, because the acid content is so high.
Key limes are perfect to use in this type of pie, especially if you are making the very rich and creamy version that uses egg yolks. The higher quantity of acid begins to cook the egg yolks as soon as it is added, and the filling begins to thicken right away. I have known some restaurants to prepare this by adding the key lime juice to the eggs yolk mixture, and then pour the filling straight into the crust and allow it to set with only the strength of the acid and no baking. But, I personally prefer to bake the pie for about 15 minutes to ensure the safety of the product.
Other companies add the key lime juice to the sweetened condensed milk which then thickens because of the acid. They then fold in a non dairy cream (instead of whipped cream) and pour it into a graham cracker crust.
So, whether or not you choose to add egg yolks or not, there are many options in how to make this delicious pie.
The classic key lime pie should be made from fresh key limes (if available) or frozen juice that you can purchase in gourmet stores. Die hard Key lime pie fans consider the bottled juice inferior, but it still works well if you are not able to find an alternative source.
I prefer to make my key lime pie at home with a graham crust. Surprisingly enough, many people prefer to use a sweet dough (pate sucre) crust — but it’s really up to you. The use of sweetened condensed milk in this recipe worries many people, but let me assure you that you cannot taste the flavor of the condensed milk at all. This recipe has been tweaked and perfected to give you one of the most delicious and best pie eating experiences of your life.
Try it and tell me that you wouldn’t sit down and eat the whole thing all by yourself….
Best Ever Key Lime Pie (Makes 1- 10” pie or 16- 2.5″ tartelettes)
8 yolks
2/3 cup key lime juice
1/4 cup Corn Syrup
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons zest of key lime or regular limes
Graham Cracker Pie Crust
16 graham wafers (1 pack has 9 large wafer)
1 stick butter melted
Place the 16 crushed wafers into your food processor and grind them into fine crumbs. Place them into a small bowl and set aside. Melt the stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl and add it to your crumbs. Use a spoon to make sure that the butter is combined well with the crumbs.
Pour 2/3 of your crumb mixture into your pie plate or into the bottom of your stainless steel rim that has been placed on a paper lined half sheet tray. Use a spoon to even out the crumbs on the bottom and then use a flat lid to press down the crust.
Spoon the rest of the crumb mixture along the edge of the rim or pie plate as evenly as you can…
Use your spoon to even it out before you pack it tightly with your spoon…take crumbs as needed from the thicker areas and fill in the thinner areas…
Pack it tightly with your spoon…
Lastly, use your flat lid to press crust into the edges, and use your finger to help pack in the crumbs and also prevent them from spilling over…
Make sure you have a nice, thin edge all the way around…
Bake the completed shell in a preheated 350°F for about 10 minutes until lightly golden brown, then set aside to cool completely before you begin making your filling…
Making the pie crust ahead of time is very important because the filling begins to thicken right away. This way, you pour it right into the crust as soon as it is ready and then quickly pop it into the oven for a flash bake….
To prepare the filling:
Begin by separating the yolks from the whites and place the yolks in a medium sized bowl and set them aside. Reserve the whites for the meringue in a separate bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Rinse all of your key limes and remove the zest for the desired quantity, juice them and set the ingredients aside. I usually by one or two bags of key limes and zest/juice all of them. Whatever I do not use I freeze for later use because I cannot always find fresh key limes. Whisk the key lime juice into the egg yolks and watch the mixture as it begins to thicken slightly. Pour in the condensed milk and corn syrup and continue to whisk. The mixture will continue to thicken. Lastly, add the the zest and quickly pour the filling into your cool, pre-baked pie shell.
See all of the beautiful key lime zest…
Place the sheet pan into a pre-heated 350 degree oven and flash bake the pie for about 15 minutes until it has set. When you gently shake the sheet pan, the filling should be firm but have a slight jiggle. If you are making smaller tarts, they will only need about 8-10 minutes, so keep an eye on them. Be especially careful to make sure that the center has the same firmness as the edges of the pie, because the pie cooks from the outside edges in. If not cooked completely through, the edges will be firm but the center will remain runny. This flash baking helps to set the pie to make it easier to slice. Once it has baked, place it in the refrigerator and allow it to cool completely for a few hours or overnight. You can top this with Italian meringue or slightly sweetened whipped cream. Once you have topped the pie with either meringue or whipped cream, use a hot knife (large knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean, slice cake while knife is still warm) to achieve beautiful slices for a lovely plating and presentation.
If you choose to use the Italian meringue, make sure to flame it for a dramatic presentation…
Slices beautifully…
Leave a Reply