The Keys keep on callin' me

So, after a coffee in Santa Monica this morning with my lovely new friend Mandy (blog writer, food stylist, chef extraordinaire), I rushed home to prepare my Key Lime Pie for lunch with Diana tomorrow.  Mandy and I talked a lot about Personal Chefing... it's exciting to think about my business coming to fruition...and soon!!

I've been looking forward to making this pie since I bought the bag of limes a few days ago.  I made amazing graham cupcakes with Key lime frosting and they came out wonderful, so I had high hopes for the pie.  I got this recipe from Epicurious:

Key Lime Pie

For crust
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs from 9 (2 1/4-inch by 4 3/4-inch) crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For filling
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice

For topping
3/4 cup chilled heavy cream


Make crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl with a fork until combined well, then press mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of a 9-inch (4-cup) glass pie plate.

Bake crust in middle of oven 10 minutes and cool in pie plate on a rack. Leave oven on.

Make filling and bake pie:

Whisk together condensed milk and yolks in a bowl until combined well. Add juice and whisk until combined well (mixture will thicken slightly).

Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack (filling will set as it cools), then chill, covered, at least 8 hours.

Make topping:
Just before serving, beat cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve pie topped with cream.

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Other than squeezing 15 little limes and crushing graham crackers into dust, this was a pretty easy recipe to make. 

The crust took 10 minutes to bake and the pie filling will set in the fridge over night.  Tomorrow I will make fresh whipped cream to dab on top of each slice.  I can't wait to taste it... who am I kidding, I tasted it before I cooked it* and it was delicious.  I am sure once it is refrigerated, it will be even better. 

*keep in mind that this recipe contains raw egg yolks, taste the raw batter at your own risk!

The finished product:

I'm out of key limes... what's next for me?  Any thoughts on what I should cook next or what kind of cooking/kitchen advice you'd like from me?  I'm open to suggestions so feel free to comment below!!

Chow for now! :)