This weekend, I had the most amazingly fun time hanging out with my family in Texas. My mom always goes out of her way to have delicious food around for us when we visit, and this time was no exception. After a recent trip to Palm Beach, she fell in love with the classic key lime pie at Mar-a-Lago. At home, she recreated it with a few signature twists—delicious cream cheese topping and beautiful candied lime wheels. I love how cool and fresh this pie is, and I’m sure I’ll be craving it as soon as I head by to Iowa. Luckily, she gave me the recipe.
Candied Key Lime Pie
Recipe adapted from Oprah.com.
For the crust:
• 3/4 pound graham crackers
• 4 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 sticks melted butter
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
For the filling:
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 can (14 ounces) condensed milk
• 2/3 cup fresh Key lime juice
• 1 lime , grated zest
For the topping:
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
Directions:
1. To make the graham cracker crust, pre-heat the oven to 325°.
2. Break up the graham crackers and blend in a food processor until you have small crumbs. Add the melted butter, sugar and salt and pulse until combined.
3. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan, forming an even layer on the bottom and sides. Bake crust for 10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool.
4. While the crust is cooling, start making the filling by whipping the egg yolks and lime zest at high speed until fluffy, about 5 or 6 minutes.
5. Gradually add the condensed milk and continue to whip until thick, about 3 or 4 minutes longer. Lower the mixer speed and slowly add the lime juice until incorporated.
6. Pour the filling mixture into the crust and bake for 15 minutes, or until the filling has just set.
7. To make the topping, mix the sour cream, sugar and vanilla and carefully spread on top of the pie. Bake another six minutes then cool overnight (if you can stand to wait that long).
8. Top with a slice of candied lime (blanch thin slices of key lime in simple syrup, remove from syrup, dust with sugar and let dry)!
**Bonus step: Use your leftover egg whites to whip up some meringues, and top those with some more delicious candied lime slices.
