New Recipe Review- Key Lime Pie

For my new recipe this week I decided to make Key Lime Pie. H's parents, brother, and aunt were coming over for dinner and I needed a dessert. I'm kind of "known" for making cupcakes, so I wanted to do something unexpected. I wanted something easy and summery and thought key lime pie would be perfect. I didn't have a recipe bookmarked for a while, so I turned to good old Google (and made sure it had a couple good reviews). Here is the recipe I found, on gourmetsleuth.com and it seemed to fit the bill. 

It was super easy to make, which surprised me a bit, and turned out to be absolutely delicious! I did have to use regular limes, because my grocery store didn't have Key limes but I couldn't taste a difference. This is definitely something I will be making again!

And bonus- the directions for the crust definitely made more than needed for a 9" pie dish, so I got to shove heaping spoonfuls of graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar into my mouth. You can't beat that :) Below is the original recipe from gourmetsleuth.com, with my changes in italics.


INGREDIENTS
Crust
16 graham crackers, crushed
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cube (1/4 lb) margarine or butter

Pie
4 large or extra large egg yolks
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh key lime juice (approximately 12 Key limes) (I used regular limes- needed about 4)
2 teaspoons grated lime peel, green portion only

Whipping Cream For Garnish
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla


INSTRUCTIONS
Crust:
Mix the ingredients and press them into a 9" pie plate. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Place on a rack to cool.

Pie Filling:
Use an electric mixer and beat the egg yolks until they are thick and turn to a light yellow, don't over mix. Turn the mixer off and add the sweetened condensed milk. Turn speed to low and mix in half of the lime juice. Once the juice is incorporated add the other half of the juice and the zest, continue to mix until blended (just a few seconds). Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake at 350F for 12 minutes to set the yolks and kill any salmonella in the eggs.

Serving:
If you are using the whipping cream garnish, prepare the cream. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream. (I spread the whipped cream on top of the entire pie before serving to pretty it up, as the shell was only 3/4 filled and it looked a bit empty and sad)