Pepe's Cafe Key Lime Pie

Last week was rife with kitchen mishaps. If you follow this blog on Facebook, you'll know that I baked a pocked and overly eggy shaker lemon tart whose cloying, stringy filling was reminiscent of mop 'n' glo—mop head and all, really. I also had two nasty run-ins with the mandoline slicer and am currently operating at 60% finger capacity on my right hand. My worst kitchen moments occur when I'm rushing or distracted or both. On the ill-fated shaker lemon day, my momma was seeking a lesson on using the scanner and I was trying to wrap up some photos before losing the light, and whether or not the recipe was destined to fail, I did it no favors by rushing through to do three things at once. It's a merit badge reminder that I seem to lose every now and then.

But obviously, since this post features the most delicious Key lime pie in my family's memory bank, I got my groove back later in the week. And what finally slowed me down was Molly O'Neill's fascinating article on the story of Key lime pie. Convinced that sweetened condensed milk is a strange modern additive, O'Neill travels down to Florida to learn about the pie's history and original ingredients. There she meets David L. Sloan, a baker, former cruise ship director, and ghost wrangler, as well as the foremost Key lime pie authority.

Years previous, Sloan had discovered in a ghostly mansion a recipe handwritten by the pie's fabled inventor, "Aunt Sally," and he has continued to research the pie in all its iterations. The story is spliced with the history of sweetened condensed milk, and its inclusion in the pie is indisputable, Sloan asserts. Throughout the article he hints to twists and preferences that make this pie a family's own—cream or meringue topping, cookie or graham cracker crust, bacon or cardamom mixed in—but the invariable main filling ingredients are sweetened condensed milk, Key lime juice, and eggs. What follows is one of Sloan's favorite classic recipes, courtesy of Florida's Pepe's Cafe, and whether you take it in sum or consider it a blank canvas, it's a dang delicious way to treat your Key limes. Just be sure not to rush.

Key Lime Pie
Adapted from Pepe's Cafe, via Bon Appétit

I have access to California Key limes here, which I gather are greener and less complex than Florida Key limes. Mexico Key limes abound as well, and they look more like their Floridian counterparts, but I didn't come across them until after I'd made this. Just getcher hands on whatever Key limes you have, because this pie is outright excellent.

For the crust
1 1/2 cups pulverized graham crackers (from twelve 2 1/4" x 4 3/4" crackers, i.e., full-size grahams)
1/4 cup sugar (this could be reduced by half; do so if you're not that into super sweet)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Hearty pinch fine-grain sea salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1.  Arrange the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix the ground crackers, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Drizzle on the butter, and toss with a fork until evenly moistened. Press crumbly mixture along the bottom and up the sides of a nine-inch pie plate (I had extra; made a good ice cream topping).

2.  Bake until crust set and golden brown, about ten minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.

For the filling
2 large egg whites
4 large egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh squeezed Key lime juice

To serve
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1.  Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until they've formed stiff peaks, but aren't yet glossy. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk. Add the lime juice and whisk until combined. Fold in one-third of the egg whites to lighten the mixture, then fold in the rest until evenly combined.

2.  Pour the filling into the graham shell, spreading evenly along the top. Bake until just set in the center, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. To serve, I found it was easiest to run my very sharp knife under hot water and dry it before each cut. The warm knife sliced well, and the whole thing served up totally intact—much cleaner than I thought it would.

3.  When ready to serve, beat the heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Top each slice with a dollop of whipped cream, or mound it in the center of the whole pie if you're going to eat the entire thing and prefer that presentation. Pie keeps best without the whipped cream atop and will last for about three days covered in the fridge.