My Favorite Key Lime Pie
recipe adapted from Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America / serves 8
for the crust
- 10 whole graham crackers
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place crackers in the work bowl of your food processor and pulse until you have only fine crumbs.
Add in butter and sugar and pulse several times - until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Press the graham cracker mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan and bake for 8 minutes. Allow the crust to cool while you prepare the filling.
for the filling
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup fresh key lime or lime juice
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Combine egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a whisk until the yolks have just begun to lighten in color, then add lime juice and sweetened condensed milk. Whisk until smooth.
Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and bake for 15 minutes, until the filling has just set. Prepare the meringue while the filling is baking.
In a large, clean bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat on high speed with an electric mixture. When the whites have become thick and shiny white, slowly sprinkle in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar while continuing to beat, until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
Remove the baked pie from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
Fold the meringue onto the top of the baked pie filling while it is still hot. Spread the meringue evenly, being conscious to cover the very edges of the pie crust. This will help keep the meringue from shrinking. Use a fork or butterknife to make decorative peaks and swirls on the surface.
Return the pie to the oven to brown the meringue. This should take about 5 minutes.
When the meringue is deep golden brown, remove the pie from the oven and refrigerate until fully cooled; about 4 hours before slicing and serving. Enjoy!