the key

i've made key lime pie before, but the consistency wasn't quite what i wanted; it was too much like delicious lime pudding in a pie crust. this time, i did a bit of a mashup of some very similar recipes, and it was spot on. i've seen recipes with some weird additives (gelatin, cream cheese, sour cream) but the trick to getting the right consistency (not too pudding-like, not jello) seems to be the beating the egg yolks good and proper. little excites me more than having something not so great the first time, and then finally getting it just right, so i figured i'd share.

Key Lime Pie

• graham cracker crust
• 3 egg yolks
• 14 oz. can of condensed milk
• 1/2 cup of nellie & joe's lime juice

1. Beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer on high for 5 minutes. Really do it for 5 minutes, don't do it for 3 and decide that's enough. Time it.
2. Keep beating, slowly adding the condensed milk, over a period of 4 minutes.
3. Mix in the lime juice.
4. Pour into the crust, bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
5. Cool on a rack. When it's cool, stick it in the fridge, preferably overnight.

notes: I haven't actually tried it with any other type of lime juice. america's test kitchen compared regular (persian) limes to key limes and decided that regular limes are fine, but the word on the street is that this particular brand of lime juice makes a huge difference. i can tell you that the flavor is awesome, but i don't know how it compares to using regular lime juice+zest. if you want this brand of lime juice in new york, you have to go to d'agastino's. i know, i know.

if you make the crust yourself, use 12 crackers worth of crumbs, 6 tbsp of butter, 2 tbsp of light brown sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of salt. bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (i have a recipe that says 7 minutes, but it really needed more). if you have the 9.5 inch pyrex pie dish (which is far and away the most popular pie dish around), don't build the crust up into the ridged part of the side. there is not enough filling and you will be left w/ a giant standing ridge that is a little more in danger of burning that if it wasn't there. however, if you know you are going to give this a whipped cream top (as opposed to just serving it w/ a dollop of whipped cream on the plate) you can let the crust be a little tall so there is a place for the cream.

also, since i last made this, i have learned that you can freeze egg whites. put them in an ice cube tray!

in other food-related news, rachael ray is going to be on celebrity jeopardy, which is really the only rachael ray-related thing i've had any desire to watch since i heard her say EVOO for about the gajillionth time a few years ago.

finally, this overheard from last week is absolutely hysterical.