I saw key limes in the store the other day and thought, “This is the perfect time to make my grandmother’s key lime pie!” At least, this is another recipe from my mom’s recipe box, and I think it came from my grandmother. I know Loretta made a really good key lime pie — I imagine it’s difficult for anyone to live in Florida as long as she did and not have a key lime pie recipe.

I’m not sure if there is a missing step in this. The original recipe card didn’t give any baking instructions, only to chill it. However, because it has raw eggs, it seems like baking would be wise. Unless there’s enough acid in the lime juice to kill any bacteria? I consulted another recipe online, which calls to bake for 15-17 minutes or until the center is set yet still wiggly when jiggled. I gave this ten minutes and it didn’t jiggle at all. Next time, I might try this without baking and see what happens.

Other notes:

1. I also followed the tip of the recipe linked above and upped the lime zest from 1/4 teaspoon to four teaspoons, and I’m happy with that.
2. Unless you really need to indulge in some rage baking, save yourself some time and effort and just get a bottle of key lime juice. It took most of a bag of key limes to get enough juice for the recipe, and while juicing them was great for working out some anger issues, my hands weren’t as happy about it.

1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. key lime juice (bottled is fine)
4 tsp. lime zest (about 6 key limes, or just use 1/4 for the original recipe’s amount)
pre-baked pie crust (graham cracker is great!)

Mix together the milk and egg yolks and beat slightly. Add the lime zest and set aside.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and add the sugar, barely beating it in.

Dump the lime juice in with the condensed milk and stir until thick. Fold in the egg whites gently and thoroughly. Pour into a pre-baked pie shell and chill for several hours.

Maybe: Bake at 350F for 15-17 minutes in an unbaked pie shell if it makes sense from a food safety perspective (see second paragraph above).