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01/13/2002 Archived Entry: "Key Lime Cheese Pie"

If you’re not lucky enough to be travelling to or staying in Florida this winter, you can at least get a taste of the sunshine state with this easy Key Lime dessert. It’s a different take on the more traditional Key Lime pie. This pie is slightly tangier and creamier due to the cream cheese. Still, it is, like the original, very easy to make.

Key limes are impossible to find in New York stores, but I tried the recipe with regular lemons and it was excellent, if not quite as fragrant and tangy. You can also make it with lime juice or a mixture of lemon and lime. I would not use bottled Key Lime juice, which I do see in local stores. I find it has a metallic edge.

I made my first pie (I’ve done it three times now) with Key Limes that were grown in the greenhouses of The Manor, the restaurant in West Orange, New Jersey. The recipe is from Wade Knowles, of the family that owns The Manor, although it is not a recipe that they serve in their elegant a la carte restaurant, the Terrace Lounge. It’s a bit too homey for the restaurant, although I served it at a dinner party to oohs aahs and “Can I have another slice?” Wade has a house in Key Biscayne, where he has Key Lime trees in his garden, and the recipe is from a neighbor there.

Another note: This pie only seems to set-up sufficiently after 24 hours of refrigeration. So plan ahead and make this recipe with enough time for it to become firm. Still, the first time I made the pie, I gave it only several hours in the refrigerator (the recipe Wade passed on said it needed only an hour) and even though it was still oozy and didn’t slice neatly, it was a huge hit.

Key Lime Cheese Pie

For the filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup plus 1 or 2 tablespoons Key Lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 8-inch graham cracker crust-lined pie plate (follow package baking directions if purchasing a ready-made crust)

For the topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 teaspoons sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk With a hand-held electric mixer, beat them together very well, until very smooth.

Add the vanilla and Key Lime juice. Beat again until smooth.

Pour the filling into the crust.

Refrigerate overnight.

Prior to serving, in a chilled, stainless steel mixing bowl, beat together the heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 4 teaspoons sugar. Beat until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream mixture over the top of the pie.

Keep refrigerated and serve within a few hours.