Meringue and Limes

I'm still laughing about Cora's call. She was in panic mode about those girl's ideas for dessert to take to the After School Picnic. They had found one of the fancy cookbooks I'd bought while still in high school, thinking I might be able to cook my way out of Harts Corner, or at least find a job with some restaurant town far away, not a café in another East Texas town. In this particular cookbook, Bethy Rose found a "dream pie" as she called it, a recipe for Key Lime Pie with a tall meringue.

I calmed Cora down and assured her I'd be over on Friday afternoon before the picnic on Saturday. I'd gather up all the ingredients and help the girls make the buy. She wanted a copy of the recipe so she could make sure she had everything set out so the mixing and baking wouldn't take too long. I think she's really just curious about what in the heck kind of pie this Key Lime thing is. I dropped a copy off on my way home from the café.

Key Lime Pie

Make a graham cracker crust or buy one of the tasty ones already made up (9-inch). Set aside.

4 egg yolks                                            1 can (14-oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice (fresh or bottled)

Whisk the yolks, condensed milk and lime juice together.  In another bowl, whisk 2 egg whites until nearly stiff and fold into the yolk mixture. Pour into the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes, or until mixture is set but slightly jiggly. Let cool on rack.

Refrigerate, uncovered, at least four hours.

(I'll probably go over to Cora's with the girls right before we head for the picnic and have them create the meringue.)

Before serving, or carrying to the picnic, preheat the broiler.

Using an electric mixer, whisk together 5 egg whites and 1 pinch cream of tartar. Beat at medium speed, gradually adding 1/2 cup sugar, until soft peaks just begin to form. Beat at high speed until peaks are stiff, about 30 seconds.

Spread meringue in peaks on top of pie; make sure it covers to touch the sides completely.

 Broil in the center of the broiler, rotating if needed, until the meringue is golden-brown, about 2 minutes.

And off it goes to the picnic or to the counter in your kitchen waiting for dessert time.
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It's really not a hard recipe to follow. I'm sure the girls can do a pretty good job of mixing and even doing the meringue. I'll have them take turns because sometimes it takes up to five minutes to get those just-right peaks to form.

Come on and join us on Saturday for the End of School Picnic in Harts Corner, Texas, ya'all.