Baby "Key" Lime Pie

My initial introduction to key lime pie was courtesy of one of my father's parishioners who had relocated from Florida to Tennessee. When she came for a visit she not only brought the refreshingly tart pie but also a taxidermed juvenile alligator. You know, for the kids.

While this recipe recreates the deliciousness of the pie, it can't quite capture the sheer terror of finding a leering, glassy eyed alligator perched on the shelf in your closet. (Didn't you take it downstairs and hide it in the dryer last night?! You could swear that you slammed the dryer door before running up the stairs and double bolting the basement door...)

If you've never made a key lime pie before, the basics are this: 1) lime juice.

I am not a purist. Have you ever juiced key limes? It's a bitch. Therefore, any green citrus fruit with the plu# 4048 works in my book.

2) condensed milk

3) a graham cracker crust. I made mine in my muffin tin, natch.

There's some baking and fridge time involved. I'll let you read about that in the linked recipe if you're so inclined. Just know that you'll eventually end up with something lovely like this:

instead of some stuffed animal. (Kids like stuffed animals, right? Right?!)

(baking note: recipe has been quartered)