On my honeymoon cruise from Miami to Mexico, I found out I get seasick on big boats. The anti-nausea medication made me sleep the whole way. So we took an extra week and visited the Florida Keys as a sort of do-over. My husband tried every key lime pie on every menu he met. He loved them all. I’ve combined a few recipes over the years to settle on this one. I use pastry chef and cookbook author Stella Park’s graham cracker crust because she doesn’t add extra sugar, the custard recipe from a 1946 Florida Keys cooking pamphlet because it uses the whole eggs and not just the yolks for a lighter texture, and my own recipe for candied lime peel for garnish.

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

The custard recipe comes from a 1946 Florida Keys cooking pamphlet. Photo by Christine Burns Rudalevige

FOR THE CRUST:

2 cups (9 ounces), finely ground plain graham cracker crumbs

4 tablespoons (2 ounces) melted unsalted butter

FOR THE CUSTARD:

3 large eggs, separated

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, preferably from Key limes

Sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Candied lime zest for garnish

To make the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs and butter. Scatter the mixture into a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate and press into an even layer over the bottom and up the sides. Bake at 350 degrees F until firm, about 18 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

To make the custard, whisk the egg yolks with the whole egg in a large bowl. Beat in the condensed milk, lime zest and juice.
In a second large bowl, beat the egg whites until firm peaks form. Fold one-third of them into the custard mixture, then fold in the remaining whites. Pour the custard into the pie crust and bake for 15 minutes, or until barely set. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely, then refrigerate overnight. Serve with sweetened whipped cream and garnish with candied lime zest.