How We Made the Best Key Lime Pie Recipe Even Better

It started like any otherFrankenrecipe: by choosing the five or so top-rated recipes for our chosen dish and making (and tasting) them all. Our chosen dish this time? Key lime pie.

So we baked. And sliced. And stuffed our faces with various versions of the pie. We dissected what we liked and didn't like about each one while riding huge sugar highs (and crashes). As always with our Frankenrecipes, the goal was to combine our favorite elements from each recipe into a new, unbeatable version of this perennial favorite.

But there was a problem. A clear front-runner from the beginning,an (almost) perfect recipe fromGourmet, May 2003,, defied improvement no matter what tweaks we made to it. We fussed with the crust, the filling, and the technique, but each time, the original recipe won. For the first time in Frankenrecipe history, we were worried—could we build a better pie?

Upon further inspection of theGourmetrecipe, we noticed a full disclosure in the headnote: their recipe was modified from the classic one often found on condensed milk and Key lime juice labels (which reminds us ofanother famous recipefound on packaging). Now we knew we were up against a true OG Key lime pie, one that had been distilled down to its most essential parts: a buttery and crunchy crust, a luscious custard, a balanced combination of sweet and sour flavors, and a creamy topping. So we upped our game, making little tweaks to each of these components. We didn't get anywhere.

Until we did. It turns out even the most perfect recipe can be improved. And when it comes to ourbrand new Key lime pie recipe, that improvement came in the most unexpected place.

Traditionally, Key lime pie is made with a near-effortless crust of graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Some of themanbetx苹果下载we testedadded almonds to the equation. And one even threwa honey nut cerealinto the mix. But though we liked the almonds (not so much the cereal), none of these crusts delivered the classic Key lime crust we were looking for. One addition we did accept? A little ground cinnamon, which we found inthis pie crust. With a little extra butter to help it hold its shape and cut down on crumbliness, and a pinch of salt (because every crust needs a little), we were set.

The custard base for the Key lime pie was the only element that divided our staff. This custard is traditionally three ingredients: eggs, lime juice, and sweetened condensed milk. Usually just egg yolks are used, which creates a smooth, glossy, almost gelatinous custard, preferred by some (like me). But othermanbetx苹果下载call for whipping a few egg whites and folding them into the base, resulting in a lighter, fluffier texture. (And onerecipeeven used softened vanilla ice cream, resulting in a texture that resembles a semifreddo—a very un-Key Lime Pie-like consistency.) In an effort to control the amount of sweetness going into our pie, we tested a filling with evaporated milk plus our own prescribed amount of sugar. The outcome? Epic fail. It was a tan, grainy mess. Ultimately we couldn't beat the classic egg yolk and sweetened condensed milk base, so we stuck with that.

Key limes are smaller and have a higher acidity (and a more tart, more bitter flavor) than regular limes. Our only complaint about the belovedGourmet馅饼食谱的提示,请特征rness—despite the saccharine quality of the condensed milk, that tannic Key lime flavor was still getting through. To get to the bottom of it, we baked pies using only Key lime juice, pies using bottled Key lime juice, and pies using a combination of half Key lime and half regular lime juice. The bottled Key lime juice was astringent, with an unattractive color—it didn't impress at all. The Key lime/regular lime mix was good but not great; the flavor seemed watered down.

Suddenly, between bites of pie, we were struck by an epiphany: what about a splash of lemon juice? Could lemon be just what our lime pie needed?

We made an all-Key lime juice pie and added a few tablespoons of fresh lemon to the filling. And what do you know: The sweet, floral lemon flavor was the answer to our problem. It cut the bitterness of the Key limes in just the right way, without detracting from the delicate sweet-and-sour harmony we struck between the citrus juice and the sweet, rich custard.

We'll skip anyKey lime pie with meringue toppings—fresh, fluffy whipped cream has the right creaminess to complement the pie's tangy sweetness. Unlike theGourmetrecipe, which calls for plain whipped cream, we like a topping that is delicately sweetened using powdered sugar. The powdered sugar dissolves much better into the cream than granulated, which can make your cream grainy. It's a little thing, but as this round of Frankenrecipe taught us, even the little things can make a big difference.

Our Favorite Key Lime Pie

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