The year I met my husband, he was about to turn 28. I noticed him at the party before I knew his name. I saw him across the room, thought he was handsome, and knew he would be trouble. He tells me now that he only started pursuing me because I followed him on Twitter, so thank goodness for social media, I guess.
I never set out that night to find a man, in fact, the idea of a relationship hadn’t crossed my mind in quite some time. He wasn’t looking, either. Our roommates dragged us to the party with nothing more in mind than a fun time with friends, but little did they know what would happen when they forced us to come with them.
My husband is the most generous person I know. He’s a dreamer and an artist and a true optimist. He believes the best in everyone and sees the world as a place of infinite possibility. He dreams in cinema and has an imagination as big as mine. He’s my safe place and the love of my heart.
So today, on his 33rd birthday, I made him his favorite dessert, Key Lime Pie. Pies aren’t my strong suit, and neither is squeezing 40 Key limes, but we do big things for the people we love. The first time I made him this pie was for his 28th birthday and I told him I wouldn’t make it again, but I totally lied. 40 limes is a small price to pay for the man I married.
This recipe is adapted from the Epicurious website, and isn’t actually a pie, per se, but more of a tart. I had to search for this recipe twice; once when I made it the first time, and decided it was too much trouble so I didn’t save it, and again when I decided to make it again this year.
Key Lime Pie:
Crust:
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- 2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 3/4 cup flour
- 7 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
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- 2 – 14oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon key lime juice
- 2 teaspoons key lime zest
Preheat oven to 350. Spread coconut on a sheet pan in an even layer and toast, stirring occasionally, until golden. 5-7 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Sift together flour, confectioners sugar and salt in medium bowl. Add coconut, butter and 1 or 2 Tablespoons cold water. Mix with pastry blender until dough can be squeezed into a ball. Press dough onto bottom and up the sides of a 10″ tart pan, freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Place parchment paper over crust & fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place on a baking sheet and bake until golden about 20-25 minutes, cool completely on a rack.
For the filling: In a large mixing bowl whisk together well the milk and egg yolks, Whisk in lime juice and zest. Add filling to cooled crust, transfer to a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until just set but not firm. Remove to a wire rack to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Land of Midnight Baking 