Key Lime Pie

I was recently on a Caribbean cruise...and for those of you who have cruised before...you know that the food is amazing! There were far too many options...and no way I could sample everything. But I did the next best thing...and came home with the Royal Caribbean International Cookbook...Savor. In it are many of the delicious dishes that I enjoyed...and others that I intend to cook up in my own kitchen.

I couldn't wait to try their recipe for key lime pie...since I had so enjoyed it on the cruise. It's really very simple...and even more so if you use a ready-made pie crust.

Key Lime Pie

• 1 cup (250 ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 (9 inch or 23 cm) pie shell, pre-baked

Garnish:

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) whipping cream
• lime zest
• freshly cut lime slices

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Place condensed milk in mixing bowl, and beat at low speed, adding egg yolks one at a time.
3. Add lime juice, and mix thoroughly.
4. Place mixture in pre-baked pie shell.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.
6. Let cool and refrigerate for 2 hours.
7. Whip cream...sweeten to taste.
8. Top pie with whipped cream and lime zest.
9. Serve on chilled plates.
10. Garnish with lime slices.
11. Serves 10.

Culinary Notes:
It is a well known fact that the Key lime is indigenous to Florida and the "key" ingredient for the state's popular Key lime pie. Forced to substitute condensed milk for fresh--which was scarce before the arrival of the railroad in 1912--cooks discovered that the chemical intervention between the condensed milk and the Key lime actually "cooked" the pie without baking it. (excerpt from cookbook)

Enjoy!