How to Make a Key West Key Lime Pie

Down in sunny Key West Florida, amidst the sand and sea, shops and tourist attractions are a few little restaurants that still stick to the old Cuban Conch recipes. The food is simply fantastic but the capper at the end of the meal is always a slice of delicious, tangy but sweet, Key Lime Pie.

Now you can find variations on the recipe throughout the U.S. but I grew up on the original recipe. Lucky me! Both of my parents are from Key West and I'm half Cuban to boot. So today, I'm going to teach you how to make an original, Key West Key Lime Pie. This recipe will make two pies because one just isn't enough.

Ingredients:

Pie Filling and Meringue -
14 eggs (room temperature)
4 cans of condensed milk
1 bag of key limes-room temp. (will need up to 2/3
cup of juice)
12 tbsp sugar
½ tsp cream of tartar

Pie Crust -
2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt
6 tablespoons ice water

Prepare the pie crusts one hour in advance first:

1.Mix flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter, until mixture resembles the texture of tiny beads. Don't use your hands to try and mix it, the heat from you hands will melt the shortening, causing the pastry to be heavy, not light and flaky.

2.Once mixture is the right texture, add the ice water and combine with a fork. It may appear as if it needs more water, it does not. Quickly gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a 4-inch-wide disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

3.Remove dough disk from refrigerator. If stiff and very cold, let stand until dough is cool but malleable. Cut the disc in half.

4.Using a floured rolling pin, roll each dough disk on a lightly floured surface from the center out in each direction, forming a 12-inch circle. To transfer dough, carefully roll it around the rolling pin, lift and unroll dough, centering it in an ungreased 9-inch regular pie plate. (Or you can fold dough in quarters, then place dough point in center of pie pan and unfold dough, whatever is easiest for you.)

5.For Baked Pie Crust (also referred to as Baking Blind): Place rolled-out pastry in pie plate, gently press against bottom and sides of pan. Trim overhanging edge of pastry about 1-inch from the pie plate's edge. Tuck this rim of dough underneath itself so that folded edge is flush with pan edge. Flute the edge. Prick crust thoroughly on the bottom and sides with the tines of a fork to help prevent the dough from blistering and "puffing up" as it bakes. Bake at 425*F (220*C) for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool before filling. Proceed with recipe's directions
Filling and Meringue directions:

In a measuring cup, squeeze in approximately 2/3's a cup of fresh squeezed lime juice. You can take each key lime and press it to a counter, rolling it back and forth to release the juice from the pulp. After a few roll-presses, cut the lime in half and squeeze into a measuring cup for liquids.

In a large mixing bowl, separate 8 egg yolks and two egg whites into bowl. Beat the yolks and white mixture until thick. Add Condensed milk (all cans) then beat the mixture again, thoroughly mixing the eggs and the condensed milk. Beat in the lime juice. Once you have mixed all ingredients, taste for tartness. If too sweet, add a bit more lime juice.

Preheat oven to 350°

Pour the filling into each pie crust, filing up to just below the top of the sides of the pie. Place on a large baking sheet and put into the oven to bake for 15-17 minutes.

Once they are baked, set out to cool for approximately 30 minutes. While cooling, mix up the ingredients for the meringue.

Separate out six egg whites from the remaining, room temperature eggs. In a mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the egg whites. Slowly add in the 12 tbsp of sugar, one at a time and then the ½ tsp of cream of tartar. When the mixture is stiff and frothy, it is ready to spread over the tops of your pies.

Use your spoon to add peaks to your meringue. Preheat oven temp to 250°, place the pies back into the oven for approximately 10-15 minutes or until peaks are browned.

Let the pies cool completely on bakers racks (about one hour), then store in a refrigerator for another hour.

The pies are now ready to serve! If you add a hot cup of Cuban coffee to serve with your slice of pie, you will have brought a little sun, a little ocean air, a touch of Hemingway and a little Key West into your kitchen. Enjoy!