Valentine's Day Key Lime Pie

Step One: New pie places pop up all over Seattle (cupcakes are so 2009).

Step Two: The Stranger writes a questionable article on these new pie places.

Step Three: Enthusiastic Pie Connoisseur skims the article and zeroes in on the accompanying picture of a key lime pie (with a sloppy-looking whip cream job, might I add).

Step Four:  Enthusiastic Pie Connoisseur enthusiastically requests a Key Lime Pie from me, That Pie Girl.

For the pie I had to buy two limes (one for the zest, one for the decorative slices on top), and one little plastic bottle of lime juice (those plastic bottles are just over 1/2 cup).  In the baking aisle, I found condensed sweetened milk.  In the refrigerated section, I got some heavy whipping cream (why is the phrase, "you are what you eat", running through my head right now?!) and some cage free eggs for the yolks.

And yes, that is a fancy (and not too complicated) home made whip cream device, complete with miniature gas canisters.  Fun, but whip cream made without the device would be just as good, and would require reading fewer instructions with WARNING: May cause blindness messages.

Gas canister is cute, but not cuddly!

It's all about the crust (or "pie shell" as the pros say)...

At home, I followed the recipe in Carole's book for making the crust.  I have a food processor, but I was feeling really lazy about washing it out afterward, so I used the disposable  ziplock-bag-and-rolling-pin method.  In the end, I'm sure this was way more effort and time than just washing the darn food processor, but at least now you all know you don't need a food processor to make the crust.  You're welcome.

Maybe food photography is my next blog topic...

A long-term abusive relationship...

After baking the crust, I beat the egg yolks.  Now, Carole called for beating them "until they are a light color", but she also warns not to overbeat them either.  Ummm....?  I beat them for probably five or six good minutes, decided that the color had not changed at all, and went ahead with the next step anyway, adding the sweetened condensed milk, lime zest and lime juice.  Hint: Five or six minutes was perfect!  I'm wondering if yolks ever can get to be a lighter color...

At first I was worried that the filling only took up about half the pan.  Then I locked and loaded my whip cream canister, made some "rosettes", and it all made sense.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Final thoughts:

• This pie is fast to make and bake (a little over one hour total) because the crust is simpler and more fool-proof than traditional pie shells.  
• It was a little tart for my taste the night it was made, but after two days in the fridge it was just right.    
• Use the lime juice in little plastic lime-shaped bottles, but do not use pre-made crumbs or crust.  

Another American classic pie (surprisingly does not appear in Betty!) that reminded me of drinking Coronas with lime in Mexico.  Hmmmm.... maybe I need to rethink what "American classic" really means...