Food Network Kitchen’s Key Lime Pie with Butter Cracker Crust for Summer Slow Cooker/Zucchini Fries/Picnic Brick-Pressed Sandwiches, as seen on Food Network.
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen

Key Lime Pie with Butter Cracker Crust

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 3 hr 30 min (includes chilling time)
  • Active: 25 min
  • Yield: 6 to 8 servings
We were pleasantly surprised that salty, buttery crackers worked just as well as graham crackers for this Floridian custard pie. This crust would also take nicely to a filling of peanut butter mousse or pudding.

Ingredients

Crust:

Filling:

Directions

Special equipment:
A piping bag with a star tip
  1. For the crust: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie plate. Put the crackers in a food processor and pulse until they form fine crumbs. Add the butter, sugar and egg white and pulse until the mixture comes together like wet sand (it should hold together when pinched). Transfer to the prepared pie plate and press evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
  2. For the filling: Whisk together the condensed milk, lime juice, salt and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Pour into the cooked pie shell and bake until the filling is set and only slightly jiggles in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely at room temperature and then refrigerate, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until chilled, about 2 hours or up to overnight.
  3. Prepare the garnish: Use a citrus zester to make strips of zest. Then cut away all of the peel and white pith (save the other half for another use). Cut the lime "meat" into small chunks.
  4. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip with whipped cream. Pipe mounds of whipped cream around the edges of the pie and decorate with chunks of lime and zest. Serve immediately or return to the refrigerator to chill until serving.

Cook’s Note

For the whipped cream: Put 1 pint heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a well chilled bowl or in a bowl over ice. Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.