SUNSHINE’S KEY LIME PIE
The following recipe is from South Florida chef Norman Van Aken’s cookbook “My Key West Kitchen” (Kyle Books, 2012). During Van Aken’s early years in Key West, he met a local pie-maker named Sunshine who introduced him to his very first Key lime pie. This recipe is a tribute to that introduction.
Makes 2 pies
FOR THE CRUST:
3/4 cup sliced almonds,
lightly pan-toasted One 4.8-ounce package graham crackers, crushed in the bag
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup unsalted butter,
melted
Two 14-ounce cans
sweetened condensed milk
One 12-ounce bottle Key
lime juice 10 extra-large egg yolks (reserve the clean whites for the meringue)
FOR SWISS MERINGUE:
2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup egg whites
Pinch kosher salt
1. Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pulse until well-ground but not quite dust. The mixture can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week if not using right away.
2. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the melted butter to combine. Divide evenly between two pie pans. Press the crust firmly onto the bottoms and up the sides of the pans, making a small rim.
3. Bake the crusts until bubbling and turning from shiny to matte, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool in the pans on a wire rack.
4. Pour the condensed milk into a large bowl and stir in the Key lime juice. In another large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until pale yellow Add the Key lime mixture, stir well and pour into the pie crusts. Tap the pans on the countertop to remove any air bubbles and bake for about 15 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Let the pies cool to room temperature, then wrap and refrigerate for up to 10 hours.
5. When you are ready to serve the pies, make the meringue. Set a pan of water large enough to fit the bowl of your mixer to a simmer. Add the sugar, egg whites and salt to the bowl and whisk gently by hand over the simmering water until the mixture is room temperature and you can’t feel any sugar granules when you roll the mixture around in your fingertips. Transfer the bowl to its mixer and whip on high speed until the meringue turns bright white and holds medium peaks. Apply the finished meringue to the chilled pies. Torch at will.