For Marco's birthday we threw a party at our new apartment. Since his favorite dessert is Key lime pie, I decided to make a variety of different recipes and have our party guests decide which was best. The winner was the most homemade, which gave me all kinds of bakerly pride that my hard work was worth it. So here is the winning pie recipe for everyone to spread the homemade love to your families and friends.
Key Lime Tart
Makes One 9-inch Tart
(I doubled this recipe for my 11-inch tart, plus 2 tartlets)
Ingredients
- Graham cracker dough (recipe below)
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons grated Key lime zest (I used regular lime zest)
- 1/2 cup Key Lime juice
- Pinch of salt
- Candied Key Limes for garnish (recipe below)
Directions
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch round. Fit dough into a 9 inch tart pan pressing in the edges. (I used an 11 inch tart ring and had to double my filling recipe, and even had dough left over) Prick the dough all over with a fork. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line tart shell with parchment, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill with pie weights. (I used another oven safe dish on top to keep the dough from puffing up) Bake until the crust begins to turn golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove parchment and weights. Return to oven. Bake until crust is golden brown about another 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to completely cool. (Do not remove from tart pan)
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat yolks on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. (I whisked by hand because there wasn’t enough volume in the bowl to use my mixer) Add condensed milk, lime zest, lime juice, and salt, and beat to combine, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (I used my Kitchen-Aid mixer for this step)
- Pour filling into cooled crust and bake until set, about 10 minutes. Transfer tart to a wire rack to cool. Once completely cool, loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled; at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
Graham Cracker Dough
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup untoasted wheat germ
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (I used salted butter)
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, , cinnamon, and salt.
- Beat butter, brown sugar, and honey with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scrape down sides of the bowl as needed.Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix to combine.
Candied Key Limes
(I doubled this recipe for my 11-inch tart)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 Key limes, very thinly sliced
Directions
- In a saute pan, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar devolves. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Add lime slices in a single layer, arranging them so they do not overlap. Cook until white pith is translucent, about 30 to 40 minutes, turning slices two or three times during cooking. Drain and transfer slices to a wire rack to cool completely before using.
All recipes from Martha Stewart books, Baking Handbook and Cookies.