Recipe: Key Lime Pie with Greek Yogurt | Cooking On the Side (2024)

FAQs

What makes key lime pie thicken? ›

Combining the lime juice with the egg yolks and condensed milk creates a chemical reaction that causes the mixture to thicken all on its own (the acid causes the proteins in the yolks and milk to bond together).

Of course, some people like a dessert with a bit of bite and appreciate that extra acidity. The main difference seems to be that it requires a lot more of that aromatic Key lime juice to make the famous pie sing.

Why does key lime pie get runny? The biggest culprit of a runny key lime pie is not letting it chill for long enough. Since this is one of those summer pie recipes that's not baked, chilling the pie helps it set and prevents it from being runny.

Adding Thickener

A thickener prevents the filling from being too watery by adding a substance that will absorb some of the liquid that seeps out of the fruit. A small amount of thickener should not alter the flavor of your pie. Use cornstarch as a thickener.

As it turns out, undercooking and overcooking can both cause weeping meringue and unwanted moisture on top of your pie (aka beading). Overcooking meringue causes those little sugary drops of moisture on top of baked meringues.

Be sure to keep your pie covered with the provided dome lid and additional plastic wrap to keep it air tight. How long can I keep key lime pie out of the refrigerator? We recommend leaving your pie pie out at room temperature for no longer than 4 hours.

Easiest ways to fix a runny pie.

Let your pie cool overnight. Don't be tempted to cut into it sooner! If possible, pour the extra liquid off the pie (save that for ice cream!) and pop it into the freezer for 10 or 15 minutes before serving. It'll hide the runniness and taste great!

One of the most common and easily remedied key lime pie problems is over-baked pie. It's tricky to know when the pie is done, but here's my secret: bake the pie until the filling is only slightly jiggly in the center (about 18–20 minutes). It should be firm to the touch, but not totally solid.

In the 1800's a ship salvager named William Curry, Florida's first self-made millionaire had a cook known as Aunt Sally. Historians believe that Aunt Sally did not create the pie but instead perfected the pie created by area fishermen. William Curry has a mansion in Key West that is still standing today.

Unless you live in the Florida Keys, key limes are near impossible to find. Furthermore, they're so tiny that you'd need to juice at least twenty of them for this recipe. No thank you! Ordinary limes make an exceptional Key lime pie, and they are a much better alternative to bracingly tart bottled Key lime juice.

Who made the original Key lime pie? ›

There's an old story floating around Key West that Key lime pie was invented back in the 1890s—way before the Borden company's recipe—by a woman known only as "Aunt Sally". She allegedly concocted the pie in the kitchens of Key West's Curry Mansion, where she had access to sweetened condensed milk.

Key limes are quite different to your regular limes. They're smaller, more acidic, and taste slightly more tart and bitter than what you may be used to. That tartness is what makes an authentic Key lime pie from the Florida Keys incomparable.

Mixing your filling will often create many little air bubbles. When you pour the filling into your crust shell, the bubbles will float to the top and will leave tiny craters in your baked pie. To avoid this, pour your filling into the crust and use your kitchen torch to 'pop' the bubbles.

Easiest ways to fix a runny pie.

Let your pie cool overnight. Don't be tempted to cut into it sooner! If possible, pour the extra liquid off the pie (save that for ice cream!) and pop it into the freezer for 10 or 15 minutes before serving. It'll hide the runniness and taste great!

Some pie recipes thicken the filling with flour; others use cornstarch, while others still rely on tapioca.

Here's the science: The acid in the key lime juice reacts with the proteins in the milk to thicken the mixture. That's why you don't need to bake it. To be fair, there are lots of fancier key lime pie recipes out there.

Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency. Tapioca starch is preferable for products that will be frozen because it will not break down when thawed. We like tapioca in blueberry, cherry or peach pies.