“Lots of lime punches up an American classic.”

Zesty, punchy, creamy, cool…

…this fancy schmancy key lime pie steals the limelight ~ and the moonlight meringue as well.

Swoon..

Fancy Key Lime Meringue Pie

Crust :

1½ cups lady finger cookie crumbs
½ cup sugar
8 Tbs. (1 stick) butter, melted

Key Lime Filling :
3 large eggs
⅔ cup sugar
½ cup fresh lime juice (preferably from Key limes)
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

Meringue :
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
3 large egg whites
1 lime, juice and zest

Preheat the oven to 350.
In a medium bowl, stir together the lady finger crumbs and sugar. Pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir until the crumbs are moistened, like wet sand. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch pie plate and press crust across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake until the crust is golden-brown, about 6 to 8 minutes Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the eggs, sugar and lime juice. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the filling to a heat-safe container. Press a piece of plastic wrap flush over the curd so a skin doesn’t form. Once the curd is completely cooled, after about 1 hour, remove the plastic wrap and use an immersion blender (or a stand mixer or food processor) to incorporate the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well between additions, until all of the butter is added and the lime curd is completely smooth. Scrape the curd into the lady finger pie shell. Press another piece of plastic wrap flush over the top so a skin doesn’t form, and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.

For the meringue, in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and water and stir constantly to create a thick, simply syrup.
While the sugar mixture cooks, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until they form soft peaks, about 3 to 4 minutes. While whipping, slowly pour in the simple syrup, continuing to whip until the meringue holds stiff peaks, 6 to 7 minutes. Add most of the lime zest and juice and beat until incorporated.

Remove the pie from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap. Use a rubber spatula to top the lime curd with the meringue, using an offset metal spatula or butter knife to spread the meringue and create soft and pointy peaks. 

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat the broiler to high. Place the pie in the oven and broil until the meringue browns, 1 to 3 minutes (watch the meringue closely, as broiler intensities vary), or use a handheld torch to caramelize the meringue. Zest the remaining lime rind over the pie and serve.