There's nothing like a little Emmylou to put a smile on my face and a whistle in my step. This song is Emmylou's Mama's favorites, and one of mine too. That's the amazing Sam Bush on mandolin, it's hard to get better than Sam.
Generally when people talk about Key Lime Pie they are talking about the gloopy concoction of lime juice, gelatin, and sweetened condensed milk beloved of artery clogged inbred Southerners. I refuse to deal with that. They're sticky, oversweet crap. Hang with me here through this process and you will be able to make a Key Lime Pie that will send their heads to swimming.
First things first though, we need to make a lime curd. It's a stand alone good thing, wonderful as a pastry filling, a cake layer separator or on a freshly griddled scone, reason to live.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup fresh lime juice, strained of seeds and pulp
finely grated zest from the limes you squeezed to get the cup of juice
8 tablespoons (i stick) sweet butter, cut into 1/4" cubes then frozen
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 egg yolks (be sure to save the whites we are going to do a merengue later)
Cube the stick of sweet butter and stick it into the freezer. Using frozen butter as we make the lime curd will slow the process of incorporation and will also keep the curd at a cooler cooking temperature. This trick is essential for a silky smooth, glossy curd. It works great with a Hollandaise too.
Use a fine grater or microplane to zest the limes before you slice them., it's much easier that way. Don't over grate though, the thin layer of zest is all we want, the pith is bitter and of no use to us.
Roll the limes with your palm before slicing and juicing. This will help break up the juice sacks and you will get a lot more juice from your limes.
Juice the limes through a fine mesh strainer. We want no pulp, and absolutely no seeds.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until smooth.
Add the lemon juice.
Use a large pot of simmering (not boiling) water as a bain marie to cook the curd. Add the frozen butter cubes and whisk relentlessly. Keep cooking it until it is thick, glossy, and trails from the whisk remain in the curd as you stir. If you use a candy thermometer (don't ever be ashamed to use things like that) you want the temperature of the curd to reach 185f.
Remove from heat and whisk in the zest.
Put the curd in a sterilized (if your dishwasher has a sterilize setting that will do just fine, otherwise boil the jar for 10 minutes and air dry) jar and refrigerate overnight. If you use the curd in the morning to drop some scones on the griddle and bubble up a pot of Earl Grey, no one will blame you, as long as you make another batch of curd and control yourself all the way through for pie.
Now for the real fun. The curd has chilled overnight, it's thick, glossy, and luscious. Time. For. Pie.
First we need a crust. I prefer a ginger snap crust to graham cracker.
INGREDIENTS FOR GINGERSNAP CRUST
3 cups gingersnap crumbs
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 stick sweet butter, melted
Put the gingersnaps, sugar, and spices in the food processor and run it on annihilate until you have well mixed, fine crumbs.
While the processor is whirling, pour in the melted butter, pulse several times to get a good mix of fine, moistened crumbs.
Press the crumbs evenly in a pie pan, bake at 400° for ten minutes.
Cool on a rack for half an hour. Then refrigerate. Too rapid a cool down will cause shrinkage and cracking, we don't want none of that mess here.
Soften two tablespoons powdered gelatin in 1/2 cup good amber rum. I use Havana Club from Cuba on account of it's the best rum out there. Mount Gay from Barbados isn't a bad substitute if you don't know a smuggler.
Cream the gelatin/rum with 1 pound cream cheese until smooth. Add in the lime curd and beat on high until smooth and fluffy.
Mound into the pie crusts and refrigerate.
Remember those egg whites you saved? Now's the time to make the merengue. Get the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and allow them to come to room temperature. Take a cup of powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons water in a non reactive saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the edges begin to bubble. Cut the heat and allow to stand undisturbed.
Beat the egg whites until they are foamy, then add 1 teaspoon cream of tartar. Whip on highest speed until very stiff (Viagra stiff) peaks form.
Turn the heat back up on the syrup and stirring constantly bring it to the soft ball stage (285 on your candy thermometer). Turn into a tempered glass measuring cup that has been hosed down with cooking spray.
With the mixer back on high pour the hot syrup into the egg whites.
Mound the merengue onto the filled pie shells, stick under the broiler on highest setting for 30 seconds to a full minute. Take care not to scorch.
Cool for another half an hour, then refrigerate. To serve, cut with a thin blade knife and watch the stunned faces of your Southern friends as they struggle to find a way to criticize your Yankee Carpet Bagger ass for the heresy you have created. It's lighter, cleaner tasting, and a thoroughly delightful pie that is much better than the overpoweringly sweet crap they grew up with. Laughing at the discomfort they feel from the cognitive dissonance is rude, but a hell of a lot of fun.
