happy pi day! part 1
As we all know, today (March 14, aka 3.14) is Pi Day. In honor of Pi Day, I will share not one, but TWO recipes! How's that for irrational? (hahaha!)
First up is my husband's favorite - Key Lime Pie. This is my emergency pie as I usually have all the ingredients on hand and can whip one up in about 30 minutes. So easy! I tend not to use food coloring in mine, so it ends up more yellow than green. The Hubby also likes it when I add a little lemon juice to mellow out the flavor. I have juiced tiny key limes by hand, but generally I use a bottle of key lime juice for the convenience and seasonality. There are many variations of this pie, but my go-to recipe is a tangy, smooth, reasonably dense option. Others are topped with meringue or have fluffy fillings. Not here!
Key Lime Pie
Makes one 9" pie
For crust:
1 package graham crackers
1 T sugar
3 T butter, melted
For pie filling:
14 ounces (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice
2 egg yolks
2 tsp lime zest
optional:
2 T lemon juice
2-3 drops green food coloring
You can also use a prepared graham cracker crust, of course. Otherwise, follow these steps:
Preheat oven to 325F. Crush graham crackers by pulsing in a food processor or blender until fine. Add sugar to graham crackers and pulse a few more times. Combine crumbs and melted butter in pie plate and stir until crumbs are evenly coated. Press mixture evenly into pie plate. Bake for 5 minutes at 325F while you prepare the filling. (You can skip this step if you like your crust softer. I like mine a little crunchy!)
Filling:
Combine sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice, zest, lemon juice and food coloring (if using) in a medium bowl. Whisk together until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes at 325F. Cool and chill before serving, at least 2 hours. Serve topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
For a deep dish pie, use another half-package of graham crackers and another tablespoon of butter for the crust. For the filling, use 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk and 3 egg yolks. I increase the juice by a few tablespoons, too.
First up is my husband's favorite - Key Lime Pie. This is my emergency pie as I usually have all the ingredients on hand and can whip one up in about 30 minutes. So easy! I tend not to use food coloring in mine, so it ends up more yellow than green. The Hubby also likes it when I add a little lemon juice to mellow out the flavor. I have juiced tiny key limes by hand, but generally I use a bottle of key lime juice for the convenience and seasonality. There are many variations of this pie, but my go-to recipe is a tangy, smooth, reasonably dense option. Others are topped with meringue or have fluffy fillings. Not here!
Key Lime Pie
Makes one 9" pie
For crust:
1 package graham crackers
1 T sugar
3 T butter, melted
For pie filling:
14 ounces (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice
2 egg yolks
2 tsp lime zest
optional:
2 T lemon juice
2-3 drops green food coloring
You can also use a prepared graham cracker crust, of course. Otherwise, follow these steps:
Preheat oven to 325F. Crush graham crackers by pulsing in a food processor or blender until fine. Add sugar to graham crackers and pulse a few more times. Combine crumbs and melted butter in pie plate and stir until crumbs are evenly coated. Press mixture evenly into pie plate. Bake for 5 minutes at 325F while you prepare the filling. (You can skip this step if you like your crust softer. I like mine a little crunchy!)
Filling:
Combine sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice, zest, lemon juice and food coloring (if using) in a medium bowl. Whisk together until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes at 325F. Cool and chill before serving, at least 2 hours. Serve topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
For a deep dish pie, use another half-package of graham crackers and another tablespoon of butter for the crust. For the filling, use 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk and 3 egg yolks. I increase the juice by a few tablespoons, too.