With its roots in Florida at least as far back as the 1800s, key lime pie has been the state pie of Florida since 2006. Authentically prepared key lime pie that honors its long tradition will be light yellow in color -- not green. The addition of green food coloring has become popular in many commercial preparations of key lime pie, but is regarded unfavorably by traditional cooks in Florida and throughout the South. There are multiple crust variations, with some cooks swearing by a pastry crust and others insisting on a crumb crust. The addition of pecans to the graham cracker crust add rich taste and texture as well as Southern flair.
Graham Cracker Pecan Crust
Step 1
Grind pecans in a food processor until a rough pecan meal forms, or purchase ground pecans.
Step 2
Crush the graham crackers to crumbs by sealing them in a large zipper bag and smashing them with a rolling pin, a can of food or your hands. The crumbs should be between the size of grains of sand and rock salt. You don't need to make them uniform in size.
Step 3
Stir the ground pecans and graham cracker crumbs together until they are well mixed.
Step 4
Melt the butter or margarine and slowly pour it into the crust mixture, stirring to evenly coat the graham cracker crumbs and ground pecans.
Step 5
Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and all the way up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Use all of the cracker and pecan mixture, making sure that the crust is evenly thick. If you are using a smaller pan, you will get a thicker crust, so you can reduce the amount that you use, but crust thickness is purely a matter of taste.
Key Lime Pie Filling
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2
Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl until they are frothy.
Step 3
Add the sweetened condensed milk and cream of tartar and beat the mixture until it is thoroughly combined.
Step 4
Reduce the speed on your hand mixer to low and slowly add the key lime juice until it is incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip the mixture for about 5 minutes.
Baking the Pie
Step 1
Pour the pie filling into the crust. You can place the pie pan on a lipped baking sheet before placing it in the oven in order to catch any overflow during baking, if you wish.
Step 2
Bake the pie for 15 to 20 minutes. When it is done, the pie will be set but still have a little bit of jiggle when you nudge it.
Step 3
Remove the pie from the oven and set in on the counter where it can cool undisturbed. The pie will continue to set while it cools.
Tips and Warnings
- Garnish the pie with whipped cream and slices of lime, if you wish. For a more noticeable pecan presence, use chopped pecans instead of ground pecans.
- Key lime pie should not have any browning, so watch carefully toward the end of the baking time to be sure you don't over-bake it.
Things You'll Need
- Crust:
- 1 cup graham crackers
- ½ cup pecans
- 4 tbsp. butter or margarine
- 9-inch pie pan
- Lipped baking sheet, optional
- Food processor, optional
- Filling:
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ tsp. cream of tartar
- 1/3 cup key lime juice
- Large mixing bowl
- Hand mixer
- Whipped cream, optional
- Lime slices, optional
References
- "Bubby's Homemade Pies"; Ronald Silver, et al.; 2007
- "Minnesota Keeper Recipes"; Patty Johnson
- "More From Magnolia"; Allysa Torey; 2004
- Florida House of State Representatives; SB 676 - Official State Pie/Key Lime; July 2006
- What's Cooking America; Key Lime Pie: History of Key Lime Pie; Linda Stradley; 2004
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