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Key Lime Pie...

Key Lime Pie
To market, to market to buy... how does the nursery rhyme go? I think of this rhyme often when I head to Wegman's for my weekly shopping trip. Almost always I shop with a list to stay within our grocery budget.

This week as I walked through the fruit and vegetable stacks, I saw packages of key limes. I can't remember ever eating key lime pie and I had never made a key lime pie, but there they were right in front of me!  An opportunity waiting to be zested, juiced, and made into something (hopefully) delicious!

Upon arriving home, I looked up several recipes (epicurious and Gourmet). Some topped with meringue, some with whipped cream.. but they didn't ring true with what I imagined key lime pie to be. So, I checked with my neighbors who spent their vacations on tropical islands and talked of key lime pie with knowing appreciation. They indicated that meringue or any other type of topping had no place on a key lime pie.

I decided on the almond graham cracker crust and the custard recipe from Gourmet with one small change.

The  Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2/3 cup of toasted almonds (blended to powder)
1/8 cup sugar
5 tbs butter (softened)

Combine the ingredients above and press into a buttered pie pan. Bake at 350 until golden brown; then allow to cool.

The Custard
1/2 cup fresh squeezed key lime juice
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yokes
1 tbs key lime zest (this is my addition to the recipe; a lot of flavor is derived from what we smell. Zest really gives the custard a lively flavor.)



Mix egg yokes and sweetened condensed milk until well blended. Continue mixing while slowly adding key lime juice. Mix in lime zest. Custard will slightly thicken. Pour custard into cool pie crust and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For presentation, garnish with key lime slivers.)

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