When authentic key lime juice is driven to the Bronx from the Florida Keys, it is time to make a pie, right?
Afterall, Key Lime pie is light and citrusy and with tons of vitamin C, so it’s gotta be good for you, right?
wrong.
It’s a concoction of ingredients found in a cardiologists nightmare. Separate 6 eggs.
“We shouldn’t make one.”, I thought. So we made two.
For one pie add two cans of sweetened condensed milk to six yolks.
Blend the two together.
This pie dates back to about the same time as our ClockTower, mid 1880’s, when fishermen and pirates in the Keys lived on ships with no refrigeration.
With access to eggs and canned milk and key lime juice,
a pie was the natural result.
Add 1/2cup of the juice for one pie. The acid reacts with and thickens the eggs.
We zested supermarket limes to add color and more flavor.
The crust is just graham cracker crumbs and a stick of melted butter.
Press the mix into the pie plate and bake for 15 minutes at 350〫to set it firm and sweet and crusty.
Now fill the graham shell or just pack the batter directly into your aorta.
While its baking for 10 minutes, still at about 350〫...
...whip the egg whites until they firm and peak.
Take the hot pies out, spread the whites...
...sprinkle with more zest and return to the oven for 5 or 10 minutes more until the peaks are browned off nicely.
That’s it.
Just chill to very cold in the fridge.
flickr
Caribbean pirates died off from heart disease.
I’m sure of it.
