Key Lime Pie

What's better in the summertime than a nice slice of a classic dessert like Key Lime Pie? It’s cool and refreshing plus it takes very little prep and bake time. As much as I love baking sometimes the last thing you want to do is spend too much time slaving away next to a hot oven in the sweltering heat. Though it is nice to have a pretty pie that gives off the illusion that you did. Seriously this took like 5 minutes to whip up!

I made this around the 4th of July when I was on a weird key lime pie kick. I blame one of my favorite restaurants called The Local, about hour away from my town; they have an awesome key lime pie! And for some reason after I taste a really good dessert at a restaurant I always seem to have to attempt to make it myself…it’s a sickness, I think. ;) 

Key Lime Pie -

I might as well admit, yes,  I used a … store bought crust {gasp}. This is probably one of the only times I will advocate store bought over homemade; it’s really just as good and makes the process even simpler. But you can make your own if you feel so inclined. On this particular evening, I just wasn’t. This semi-homemade pie turned out really delish; creamy and tangy with a little crunch from the graham cracker crust.

One thing I didn’t skimp on was homemade whipped cream to pipe on top. It takes a little extra effort but it’s so worth it! Trust me, once you make homemade whipped cream you’ll never go back to the store bought stuff again. I personally don’t really care for the taste of Cool Whip and Ready Whip melts like 2 seconds after you use it (learned this the hard way when it basically destroyed a dessert I had made). This whipped cream recipe is simple, only take a few ingredients, doesn’t melt too fast, and tastes amazing!

I also garnished the pie with a slice of lime and a little zest. Happy pie making people! :)

Ingredients:

pre-made graham cracker crust (or you can make your own)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup lime juice

4 egg yolks

pinch of salt

lime zest

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, egg yolks, and salt and whisk until smooth. Pour into crust, leaving 1/8 inch at the top. Bake 20 – 25 minutes, or until filling is set around the edge; slightly loose in the center. Allow to chill in the fridge for a few hours then garnish with whipped cream, lime slices and zest.

Basic Whipped Cream Recipe -

(Recipe found @ http://melissaraydavis.hubpages.com)

Ingredients:

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Mix the liquid ingredients in a bowl. Mix any additional dry ingredients with the powdered sugar then mix the dry ingredient mixture with the liquid ingredients.

Whip the mixture with an electric hand mixer until raised peaks form in it and hold their shape. It should take about four minutes (or much longer if using a manual hand mixer or whisk).

Serve over your dessert and enjoy! (Makes enough for at least 8 dessert servings.)