Pie*ography: Key Lime Pie

 The bottom of the backside of my recipe card reads "One of B______'s favorite pies", a note from his mom. And it very quickly became one of my favorites, and then one of our children's favorites.
Perfectly blended sweet meringue, and a tart, creamy key lime filling. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I don't make this pie often, mostly for B.'s birthday, or Valentines Day, but we celebrated Passover last Wednesday and this was our dessert. A fitting end to the bittersweet reflection that Passover invokes. So here is my contribution to Anne Marie's Pie*ography.

Let's take a moment to admire that beautiful, golden meringue, shall we?

A few things to say before I divulge the recipe:

The weather can very much affect this pies outcome, but don't let that stop you, just know that it might be a little "weepy". Perfectly acceptable to serve your guests, but not going to win you a prize for looks at the county fair. (See the last picture in this post, as it was drizzly outside the day I made it.)

Also, this pie really needs to be made and eaten the same day, it doesn't keep very well and gets all syrupy and drippy and your meringue "melts". My advice is to gather together anyone you want to impress, put on a pot of coffee and have some pie.  

Allrighty now, who's ready for the recipe?

Key Lime Pie

~4 egg yolks

~6 egg whites

~1/2 c. Key Lime juice (I use Nellie and Joe's which I've found at W*Mart. That was some time ago and I don't know if they still carry it, or where to tell you to look other than by the lemon juice at your grocery store.)

~1 can sweetened condensed milk (some day, I'll be brave enough to try making my own, but fear of ruining the pie has kept me from it.)

~3/4 c. sugar

~1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

~ Pre-baked pie crust (I add a tablespoon of sugar to my crust dough for this pie, just 'cuz.)

Filling:

Beat yolks until lemon colored.

Blend in condensed milk, then slowly add lime juice and salt. Mix well and set aside. (DO NOT ADD POUR INTO CRUST YET!!!)

Meringue:

Preheat your oven to about 330.

Add cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat until foamy. Begin adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time and continue beating until the egg whites peak. (I stop the mixer and lift the whisk out. If the egg whites in the bowl remain intact with the egg whites on the whisk, it's done. Does that make sense?)

Add 6 Tablespoons of the meringue to your filling mixture and gently fold in. Pour filling into your pre-baked crust. Top with remaining meringue, using the back of a spoon to make peaks.

 Bake until golden, about 10-15 minutes, cool completely on a wire rack.

Serves 8 soon to be very happy people.

(And make sure you go visit all of those other delightful looking pies that have been linked up!)