Key Lime Pie
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and Food Network Kitchen.
A buttery crumb crust filled with a tangy lime and condensed-milk custard, baked just to set and finished with whipped cream and lime slices.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Infuse the zest. Whisk the lime zest with the yolks 2 min until tinted green, then whisk in the condensed milk and the lime juice until smooth. Leave 20 min while the crust bakes. Rubbing the zest into the yolks releases its oils, and the acid begins to thicken the milk.
- 2
Bake the crust. Heat the oven to 160 °C (140 °C fan). Mix the crumbs, sugar and melted butter until like wet sand, then press firmly over the base and up the sides of the dish with the glass. Bake 15 min until fragrant and lightly browned; firm pressing helps the crust slice cleanly.
- 3
Bake the filling. Pour the filling into the warm crust and bake 15-20 min until the edge is set, the centre wobbles slightly and reads 71 °C. That gentle bake cooks the yolks while keeping the texture creamy.
- 4
Chill. Cool on the rack 1 h, then chill at least 3 h until cold and firm. The filling sets further as it chills.
- 5
Top and decorate. Whip the cream with the icing sugar to firm peaks and pipe rosettes or spread it over the pie. Decorate with lime slices and cut into 8. Keep chilled up to 2 days.
Storage
Keep covered in the fridge up to 2 days; add the whipped cream close to serving if keeping longer than a day. Freeze without the cream up to 1 month and thaw in the fridge.
Equipment
- mixing bowls
- 23 cm pie dish
- flat-bottomed glass
- whisk
- instant-read thermometer
- electric whisk
- piping bag with a star nozzle (optional)
- wire rack
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 441 kcal |
| Protein | 7.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 51.5 g |
| of which sugars | 39.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 38.3 g |
| Fat | 23.9 g |
| of which saturates | 13.5 g |
| Fibre | 0.9 g |
| Salt | 0.44 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.7 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
