How can I make a thicker/denser key lime pie?

Question

I made a key lime pie today, it had a nice flavor but the filling was too airy. While airy can be good, I was going for a denser creamier texture. I used 3 jumbo egg yolks at room temperature beaten for about 5 minutes in an upright mixer. To that I added one 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk which mixed for about 4 minutes and then 2/3 of a cup of fresh squeezed lime juice and zest, mixed just enough to totally incorporate (less than 30 seconds). What can I do to make my pie thicker, more egg yolks? cream cheese? Thank you :-)

I cooked it for 10 minutes at 350*

Answer 1

It sounds to me like you made more of a Key Lime Chiffon filling (which still tastes really good) rather than a cooked custard pudding type filling. I'm sorry, but my recipe for a custard type Key Lime filling is over at my parents' house about 10 miles away.

I think you want a cooked filling. Cream cheese would just make it more like a cheesecake. I think your overall ingredient list sounds right, just needs to be cooked - maybe regular condensed milk and sugar rather than sweetened condensed milk.

But Key Lime pie is wonderful no matter how it's made!

Answer 2

Your recipe is out of the 1950s I believe. At least that is when I first ate it. We called it an Ice-Box Pie since it was not baked. The acid in the lime juice curdles (sets) the milk. I still make it and a lemon version also. It is considered unsafe now to eat raw eggs, so I leave the yolks out of the recipe. The recipe I inherited from Mother called for the egg yolks to be put in the bowl w/ the sweetened condensed milk and mixed until just incorporated. Then quickly fold in the lime juice/zest and pour immediately into the baked pie shell or a graham cracker crust. Then top with the meringue made from the left over egg whites. I often toast, lightly, the meringue under the broiler. I now omit the eggs, mix in a package of cream cheese, fold in the lime juice/zest and pour into a graham cracker crust. If I make the meringue, the leftover egg yolks go into someting else - usually pancakes or scrambled eggs the next morning.

The original Key Lime Pie is made w/ cornstarch as the thickener. It is a no-bake pie in that the filling is cooked on the stove top and poured into a baked pie shell. Here's a good recipe. In this recipe you can substitute lemon juice, cranberry juice (not the juice coctail), blueberry juice, blackberry juice, etc. for the lime juice. In fact you can make a fairly decent "apple" pie if you take 1 1/2 cups of apple juice and reduce it over med-lo heat to 6 tablespoons, add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg, and reduce the sugar to 1 cup.

Key Lime Pie

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups hot water
6 tablespoons lime juice or key lime juice
3 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons fresh grated lime peel
1 pastry shell, 9 inch

Meringue
6 tablespoons sugar
dash salt

PREPARATION:
In a saucepan over low heat, combine 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/3 cup cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup cold water. Mix well; add hot water. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until very thick. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice and return to heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Beat egg yolks lightly. Continue beating the egg yolks and slowly pour in about 1/3 cup of the hot mixture; stir egg yolk mixture into the saucepan mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes longer. Add butter and lime peel and let cool.

Pour cooled mixture into baked pie shell.

Beat egg whites until stiff; gradually beat in the 6 tablespoons of sugar and dash of salt. Spread meringue over top of key lime pie. Bake key lime pie for 20 minutes at 300°, or until meringue is nicely browned.

Answer 3

Traditional Pumpkin Pie

Answer 4

Dont beat the yolks first. Add extra zest a little less juice,and it will be thicker.