"iron chef": battle key lime

The other day, David dropped off an obscene number of key limes. I almost felt like I was on "Iron Chef", like that guy who takes a big bite out of that pepper. Yum.

Apparently, Randazzo's had (another) sale on bulk fruit...this time, key limes were the hot item, coming in at 2 bucks a boxful. What a steal. But really, though, how many things can you make with key limes?! My mom had already made a key lime cake, so it was my turn to have a shot at key lime deliciousness. And my item of choice? Key lime pie!

So now, my friends, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle...

ALLEZ CUISINE!!!

Seriously, though, I doubt that my uncle has ever baked a day in his life. No offense, Uncle Gary. :)

Let's just say that I now realize why key lime pies are so expensive. Why, you ask? Because key limes are a pain in the bootay to juice! Oh my, yes. Consider key lime-juicing to be a multi-step process...

1. Microwave key limes to get the juices flowin'.
2. Roll 'em.
3. Slice 'em.
4. Juice 'em.
5. Rest your hand....and repeat. Like, 25 times.

Now at the start, this isn't all that bad, this juicing thing. But after awhile...more like, 45 minutes later...you hand realllly is gonna start cramping up. Seriously. Unless you're a professional juicer, that is. And really, I'm not doubting anyone's abilities here, but I recommend seeking out some kind of mechanical juicer to get you through.

So all of that yielded about 3/4 cup juice and key lime-guts...aka the pulp and seeds. Thinking that I had used up all key lime-reserves, I stopped juicing and strained out the guts and went along my merry baking way. WRONG. MORE key limes were in our garage. I did not become aware of this, however, until after the pie had been made. Oh well. My hand may have been saved.


But look how pretty these key limes are! And so green. They really do smell good, too. The only bad part is that the acid kills your hands when they're in that dry-as-a-desert state that is typical in the lovely winter season.

And here is the all-squeezed-out-key-lime mountain that results. They kinda look like little aliens, in a way...with teeth. Or maybe I've been baking for too long today.

Oh, and there's this sour cream-powdered sugar creamy-ness topping that goes on the pie once it's ready to be served...which won't be until tomorrow night. So until then, there will be no pictures of the completed pie. :( All we can do is dream of how delicious it will taste....


Key Lime Pie
Taken from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup white sugar
4 tbsp. butter, melted

2 (14 oz.) cans condensed milk
1 cup key lime juice
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Press mixture into 9-inch pie pan. Bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.

In separate bowl, combine condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended, and place filling in cooled pie shell. Bake in oven for 15 minutes, and allow to chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, combine sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over top of pie. Serve chilled.