I always remember the opening scene of Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, when they go into that diner and get the piece of key lime pie that is green and Jello-like. It’s one of the most vivid scenes I remember from the entire movie, and one of the grossest.
Me again,
If you can get hold of “Rose’s West India Sweetened Lime Juice”, that really works. You know the stuff that comes in a glass bottle and you can mix it with lemonade? In fact I think West India lime is another name for key lime.
I used it when I followed the recipe above (post 4) and it was yummy.
Let us know how it turns out!
Rose’s lime juice is sold in liquor stores–it’s one of the prime ingredients in a gimlet. It’s used in my favorite variation of a tequila gimlet: 1 part tequila, 1 part Rose’s, a splash of Cointreau, and a wedge of lime. I can see how it would be good in a pie.
yum!
Will be trying the tequilla 
Former chef chiming in here. I wrote this for the last restaurant I worked in:
key lime pie
Ingredients needed:
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
4 oz. butter, melted
zest of 1 lime
zest of 1 lemon
7 eggs
8 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
16 oz. key lime juice (Nellie & Joe’s is excellent)
22 oz. butter
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Crust:
Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, melted butter and zests in a large bowl.
Press half of crumb mixture into each of two pie plates.
Bake @350 degrees for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Filling:
In a medium sauce pan, heat lime juice to simmering.
In the meantime, combine 6 eggs, yolks and sugar in a large bowl.
Cut butter into small cubes and set aside.
When lime juice is hot, slowly drizzle it into the egg/sugar mixture, whisking constantly.
Return mixture to saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium heat until thick.
Remove from heat, add butter all at once. Whisk until butter is melted and thouroughly mixed.
Carefully ladle half of mixture into each of the two pie shells.
Refridgerate until set.
Makes 2 8-serving pies
I am very pleased to see that a cook has included a recipe that does not include the dreaded sweetened condensed milk. Please make your custard – it is SO very worth the effort in taste and texture.
As another idea, I recently made a Key Lime pie (yes, buy the bottled Key Lime Juice) and instead of graham cracker or other pie crust, I used crushed pretzels for a crumb crust. Salty & tangy & sweet – deeee-lish!
Hear, hear. Let me echo that. I think the standard three-ingredient key lime pie–featuring cloyingly sweet condensed milk–is an abomination and has all the subtlety of a Mach truck with missiles attached to it.
I’ve tasted lighter variations in upscale restaurants and would like the recipe.
Now this I must try! Sweet and salty is one of my favorite combinations.