Husband's Key Lime Birthday Suprise

It's Husband's 24th birthday today! In his honor, I'm baking one of his favorite's-

Key Lime Pie

I have a favorite (simple) recipe that never fails, Southern Living Cookbook's Key Lime Pie.

The ingredients:

• 3 Large Egg Yolks
• ½ cup Key Lime Juice
• 1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• ¼ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ready made 6-9 oz Graham Cracker Crust
• Garnishes: Whipped Cream (with a Stabilizer), Berries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the egg yolks and lime juice.  Add the condensed milk, vanilla, and salt.  Whisk until blended.  I added just a tinsy bit of green and blue food coloring...for, you know, fun.



Pour the tasty goop into the pie shell (baked for just a few minutes beforehand) and pop it into the oven for 10-15 minutes.  Pull it out when the top is slightly jiggly, but not runny. 

Watch your crust!  If your oven is anything like the oven we have here in the nest, your crust could burn in just a few minutes. Be sure to have foil on hand to cover pies.

Let the pie completely cool before adding garnishes. 

Theres' nothing better than homemade whipped cream.  And nothing easier. 

Whipped cream

Ingredients:

• 1 Pint Heavy Cream
• Powered Sugar
• Vanilla to Taste
• Stabilizer (I like to use Dr. Oetker's Whip It)

Pour the cream into your stand mixer or bowl with hand mixer and whisk for 1 minute until bubbles begin to form.  Add the powered sugar to taste ( I typically use a half cup per pint).  Add vanilla to taste, typically a half tablespoon.  Quickly add the stabilizer before peaks form in the whipping cream.  Don't over beat.  Stop before the peaks begin to separate.

Wow that was easy.  And look what a pretty pie it makes.

Happy Birthday!