Recipe #2: "Family Style" Frozen Key Lime Pie

So, I have never tried key lime pie.  That’s right.  I’ve never had the homemade option, and if I ever order a dessert at a restaurant, I normally go for a chocolate number.  So I was a tad nervous going into this as I wasn’t exactly sure how it was supposed to turn out (aside from the obvious title).

This is going to be short and sweet: this is pretty much THE easiest pie I’ve ever made.  It had minimal ingredients, and whipped up in no time (a total of a half hour to be exact).  To start, the graham cracker crust is the same as the cheesecake’s from last week….how easy (with one under my belt, the nervousness was gone)!  I tried to make it more even this time….more in the middle, less where the pan bends to vertical.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t too successful in that area, but in the tasty area, I definitely scored.

The filling and topping were both super easy.  I again used my mixer (love, love, love!).  It made whipping the egg yolks a serious breeze and the whipped topping of cream, sugar, and vanilla sooooo creamy and yummy (yes, I had a few spoonfuls before adding it to the frozen pie….again, purely for quality assurance purposes).  One note: I did measure out the lime zest (instead of grating it right into the mixer, as I had said I would do for the lemon zest in the cheesecake).  It was WAY easier to do with the lime zest…I’m not sure if this is the reason, but it seemed like the lime zest was drier and therefore, didn’t compact when measured as the lemon zest does. 

The pie was seriously so easy that I have little to report on the process (not good for my “content of interest” that blogspot suggests I have in order to be “googled”)!  I will say this though....I will be adding a small fruit juicing device (I've seen handheld ones or small countertop numbers) to my "Budding Contessa Wishlist".  Limes do not juice well just by squeezing them!  I used half fresh-squeezed juice and half juice-from-the-plastic-lime-bottles you find directly next to the real limes in an area I like to call the "lazy persons bin" of the produce section. 

My husband and I tasted it tonight, and it was delish!  I thought it tasted like a margarita and he thought it tasted like lime sherbet….either way, how can you go wrong?!  He said he would definitely have another piece….I think that means it’s a hit! 

Note for next week: I will be skipping the Espresso Ice Cream recipe that is next in line and moving straight onto Orange Pound Cake.  I had to cut some recipes, and since I don’t have all of the required equipment, I’ll save this one for another challenge.