Keyed Up

I don't have a lot in common with the Westchester baby-track set, but I do like to bake. There's something comforting to me about knowing that if I put a set few ingredients together in exactly the right measurements and combination, I will get something delicious as a result. It's quite calming, actually.

So, today, inspired by my recent weekend trip to Miami, I clicked on a little Food Network for background noise and set about making a Key lime pie. I found the recipe on the adorable blog Laura Rebecca's Kitchen, and she got the recipe from a place in Key West called Pepe's. You can't get much more authentic than that.

I honestly couldn't remember the last time I made a pie, but I had a glass pie plate in my cupboard and everything, and that alone made me happy. Turns out, baking a Key lime pie is not as hard as one would think. Preparing the graham cracker crust is easy (and eventually delicious), and making the filling is equally easy, especially if you have this weird sex-toy-looking device for juicing limes called a citrus reamer that my coworker lent me.

Even though I managed to use every bowl I own in order to properly prepare everything that needed to be mixed, combined, separated, and juiced, the whole process took maybe an hour and a half tops. That's reasonable for a homemade dessert. (Hint: To better simulate the flavor of Key limes, I juiced two regular limes and half of one lemon. Made the whole thing a little more tart.)

The finished product:











Ahhhhh, sweet success. Not quite as good as the pie I had at Grillfish restaurant in Miami, but not bad coming from a tiny kitchen in Manhattan: