Key Lime Pie

Don't let its plain appearance fool you--this pie is to die for!

Happy Pi Day!  Pi is the number you get when you take the circumference of a circle and divide it by the diameter, or roughly 3.14.  And today is March 14, 3.14.  So Happy Pi Day!
In honor of Pi Day, we eat pie.  This year I made strawberry rhubarb, key lime, and pumpkin (for my kids, who think its the best thing ever).  Since I've already posted the strawberry rhubarb, and everyone knows how to make pumpkin pie, I'll post the key lime recipe.  It's fantastic anyway.  I was surprised to find I hadn't put it here already. 

As a sidenote, if you want your pie to be green, you need to put food coloring in it. I recommend doing that when you're mixing the yolks with the sweetened condensed milk.  Remember that yellow yolks will change the color of the pie, so maybe add a bit of blue to balance that out. I prefer to leave mine it's natural color. 

Key Lime Pie

Crust:
1 sleeve graham crackers (10 crackers), turned into crumbs (I prefer a food processor for this)
2 T sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:
3 large eggs, separated
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 T grated lime rind
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 4-8 limes)
1 T lemon juice
2 T sugar

For the crust: Combine the cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl.  Add the butter and toss with a fork until everything is evenly coated.  Press into a 9-inch pie dish and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

For the filling:  Preheat the oven to 325F.  Whisk egg yolks, then add the sweetened condensed milk, lime rind, lime juice, and lemon juice and whisk until smooth.  In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, then add 2 T sugar.  Continue to beat until soft peaks form.  Don't over beat!
Using a whisk, carefully fold the whites into the yolk mixture, then pour into the crust.  Bake at 325F for 20-30 minutes, or until the whole pie has puffed up evenly and the edges of the filling are cracked.  Cool on a rack for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until fully cooled, about 4 hours.  Serve with whipped cream if desired.

This is my strawberry rhubarb pie, but I just had to show you the Pi in my Pie.