Foodie Friday -- Key Lime Pie

I'm late again with this post, but I wanted to sample my offerings prior to posting the recipe.

And let me just say that this recipe is AWESOME!

It all started when I had a bag of limes from Sam's Club--I forgot why I bought such a huge bag, but I did--and they were starting to get old. Hubs suggested that I make Key Lime Pie. Normally, we eat at Red Rock Canyon Grill and share their Key Lime Pie, but I decided to try my hand at making a similar version. I found two online recipes, merged them into my interpretation, and added a twist in the crust that Red Rock does.

Voila! Here's the recipe. And for the record, making Key Lime Pie is very, very easy. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's a mess to make, but easy. Just saying.

NOTE: Though it’s called Key Lime Pie, no key limes were hurt during this process . . . regular large limes were. Do you realize key limes are about the size of a quarter/marble? Do you know how many you would have to cut and squeeze to get enough juice for 1 cup? I’ve used them before in other recipes, and they are not worth the work. Sorry, not happening.

 Key Lime Pie

Crust:
1 ½ cups graham crackers (@ 9-10 rectangles)
2 Tbls. sugar
4 Tbls. butter, melted
½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

Filling:
2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand)
1 cup fresh lime juice (@ 5 regular large limes)
Zest from one lime
2 large eggs

Chantilly Cream:
1 cup whipping cream
1-2 tsp. vanilla
2-3 Tbls powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For Crust:
Place pecans in oven until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
In food processor, grind graham crackers into crumbs, pour into bowl and measure 1 ½ cups back into food processor. Add sugar, melted butter and pecans. Mix well. Pecans should be chopped small, but still visible. Press mixture into 10-inch round tart pan with 1-inch sides, place on baking sheet and bake until brown, about 12-15 minutes.

For Filling:
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Zest one lime into large bowl, mix in eggs and sweetened condensed milk, and then whisk lime juice into mixture. Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool about 30 minutes on wire rack and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Make Chantilly cream when ready to serve.

For Chantilly Cream:
Beat whipping cream until thickened, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix well, taste for flavor. Keep beating until stiff peaks form.

Hints & Suggestions:

·       Toasting pecans brings out another level of flavor. Keep an eye on them while toasting. DO NOT BURN.

·       I always overestimate graham crackers when I grind them, which is why I have this extra step to measure the ground crumbs and return them to the processor.

·       The crust mixture is crumbly. If you want it to stick together a little better, add 1-2 Tbls extra melted butter. Don’t overdo the butter, since the filling holds the crust together when it bakes. Trust me on this.

·       Press the crumbs along the tart edges first to get a nice layer. If it’s too thick in a spot, just lightly rub the crumbs away until desired thickness. Use a flat glass bottom to press bottom crust into pan.

·       I put the tart pan on a cookie sheet because I’ve been known to push the removable bottom out of the tart pan when I take the crust out of the oven. I didn’t want to redo the crust.

·       Filling will come to the very top of the crust. It will look like it will overflow. It doesn’t. *whew*

·       The center of filling should not jiggle when you take it out of the oven.  

·       Stiff peaks are formed are when you pull the beaters out of the cream and they leave little points on the beaters. Overbeating will result in a butter mixture. Not a bad thing, mind you, but not what you want here.

And that's it for today, Peeps!

Tomorrow, I'll post the pot roast I made. It was wonderful, too!

Today the family and I are walking in For The Cure JDRF. It's late notice, but if you want to donate to the Commandos for the Cure at Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation