Red Key Lime Pie

I made my first key lime pie not long ago (Chocolate Key Lime Pie, actually), and was amazed by how easy and tasty it was.  I know I say this quite often--I can only imagine how many times I have been so excited to learn how simple many of the things I have made turned out to be.  But key lime pie is truly the ideal recipe for anyone that thinks they aren't a qualified baker (that's just a bunch of hooplah!) or just plain don't like it.  It's a simple recipe with eggs, key lime juice (that can be purchased in a bottle!) and sweetened condensed milk (from a can!) baked in a graham crust.  And with a short bake time, there's just no going wrong.



When I first met my new boss, we got into introductions, which led to me discussing my adoration of cooking.  He mentioned that he had a red key lime tree, which he had picked up after learning about the fruit from a chef friend.  They are quite rare, apparently, and though I tried looking these limes up, I had a tough time finding details.  Fortunately, he was kind enough to share some, bringing me the opportunity to make another pie with a new twist.

I cut the limes in half first to prepare them for juicing.

My husband got me a citrus juicer attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer not long ago, so I was super excited to use it and get the most out of the lime juice.  Hand squeezing is ineffective compared to this!

The juice looked just like orange juice, but it had citrusy mix of lime and orange scents.

I used the same process I had for my Chocolate Key Lime Pie, mixing in sweetened condensed milk and some Greek yogurt to add some more creaminess.  Greek yogurt is amazing -- I love it with fresh fruit, baked in cakes, and just to add something extra to a dessert.

After pre-baking the crust to get it slightly golden, I poured in the filling.

A short 15 minutes later, this pie was ready for my family function.

I let it cool for a while, then topped it off with some homemade whipped cream and voila.  I really loved the flavor the red key limes added.  While my last key lime pie was delicious, the citrus flavor added here was superb and made for a very mild orange flavor that mixed well with the key lime taste.  And that light golden color!  I love it.  This will make a fantastic summer pie and has me wondering if I need to invest in a key lime tree.  If you see these red key limes, grab some!

Red Key Lime Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

For the pie:
5 egg yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup key lime juice (juice of about 8 limes)
1 graham pie crust (9 inches) (or 2 smaller crusts)

For the whipped cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake crust for 10 minutes. If using fresh limes, cut limes in half. Squeeze to juice or use a juicer. In a large bowl, whisk or use a fork to mix together condensed milk and yolks until well combined, then beat in the Greek yogurt. Add juice and mix well. Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes. Cool pie on rack, then cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

For the whipped cream topping, beat heavy cream for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract.. Add to piping bag and decorate top of pie or just spread evenly over the top.