Key lime pie

Today's project; KEY LIME PIE. Unfortunately it creates more egg whites! Yesterday I made ravioli with a friend and we tried a new noodle recipe that left me 24 egg whites. Never had that many before in my life! Now with the key lime pie I'll have 6 more. That's 30 egg whites. I really need to come up with something to do with them....surely that will be another blogpost but today's is Pie.
I have been in love with Key Lime Pie since I purchased a key lime tart in Washington D.C..
I adapted a couple of recipe I read....but added fresh ricotta cheese; cause I had it.

Key Lime Pie

6 large egg yolks

4 packed teaspoons lime zest (10 limes this time)

1/2 cup + lime juice (6 limes; a little bit over 1/2 cup...what would do with 2 T juice? I threw it in)

1 cup freshly made ricotta cheese (okay you can use the purchased kind if you have to.)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 recipe graham cracker crust

Make the filling first; it can sit and thicken while you do the crust. whisk the zest with the egg yolks, they will take on a bit of the green color. 

Whisk the rest of the ingredients into the egg yolks. I used to add a tiny bit of green food coloring here...but traditionally key lime pie is yellow, since key lime juice is not very green. Set aside for the 30 minutes or so that it will take to do the crust.(I still think a drop of green food coloring gives a hint of what is in the pie...but my kids think it is horrible to put food coloring in anything.)

Graham Cracker Crust 

8 whole graham crackers, broken up

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled

3 Tablespoons brown sugar 

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325. Butter 15 4 oz jam jars, try not to get any on the top edge, set in 2 cake pans. Crush crackers; (a food processor is a girl's best friend here) when you have fine crumbs add the butter, sugar and salt. Put about 1 Tablespoons in the bottom of each buttered jam jar. Tamp it down, I have this cool tamper...use your fingers if you have to. I had 4 more bottoms than I had filling so if you like the crust you can add another teaspoon to each jar. I don't want to have a thick crust.

Bake for 15 minutes or so until toasted and fragrant. 

Put large measuring cup full of water in microwave and bring water to a boil. This will be poured into cake pans after the jars are filled. Get small pot of water on stove with jar lids in ready to boil.

Take out of oven and set on wire rack while filling with lime mixture. I used my ice cream scoop and put one scoop in each jar. Clean off edge before pouring boiling water into the cake pan, the water should come up almost half way, then return to 325 oven for 30 minutes. After cooking for 20 minutes turn the heat on to boil the lids for a few minutes before needed. (Just a guess here, mine cooked for 30; sure wish I had an instant read thermometer) They should jiggle in the middle still. Take out. Put on wire rack, check tops for cleanliness, clean if needed. I lay the lids down on paper towels for them to dry then cover all the jars. Putting a potholder in my left hand I pick up each jar with lid with tongs, place in my left hand and put a ring on each jar.
Serve with whipped cream on top.

These were wonderful. I left them at room temperature and they lasted 3 days here. This canning method is called open bath and is not approved for storing of food. Do not think these will be safe for 6 months, they wouldn't be. This is more for the 'cute factor' and it makes it easy to give a small gift to someone. (My exercise 'boss's' birthday was the next day and she got one of these with a spoon that I'd written 'Happy Birthday' on. Simple and cute.)