Earlier this summer I had a go at key lime pie. I used a recipe that my aunt had used a few years back from a Betty Crocker Cookbook that has some truly great desserts. I whipped up the key lime zest and juice with some cream cheese, threw it in the freezer, and proceeded to enjoy a pie that had the weight of a brick. This pie just wasn’t enough, I needed a classic key lime pie.
I had never gone the custard route before, but it was time to get over my fear. As I flipped through the pages of How to Be a Domestic Goddess, I saw a recipe for mini key lime pies. When you live with only one other person, it’s hard to rally to make a cake or a pie, but something bite size? Well, that you can justify.
I read through Nigella’s recipe, and I had some questions. Pulse the butter with the graham cracker when it’s cold? How many of my little key limes would amount to the zest and juice of 2 limes? Do I really only need 7 ounces of condensed milk?
Because this was something I’d never done (at least the real way) before, I decided to consult Mark Bittman. He knows How to Cook Everything, surely he could tell me.
A note—I have never followed a recipe out of his book, but anytime I have a question, I consult him first. Odd? I think so.
I pulled it out and looked at his recipe. But I had just returned from Savannah and I knew Paula made a key lime pie, so I decided to turn to The Lady as well. And then it just didn’t seem right to leave Ina out of the equation.
5 cookbooks later, all was said and done, and I had tried 4 new things:
- cutting the butter into little pieces to make the crust (it always looks good on cooking shows)
- setting out my mise en place (which included a grasshopper brownie) so I would be standing with eggs at the ready
- cranking my mixer all the way up
- making a key lime pie that uses a custard
And I used a total of 5 cookbooks to make sure my pie would come out okay.
It was delicious.
The reason for this post is two-fold:
- It’s all about trying new things in the kitchen.
- I never took a picture of the finished product.
