Real Florida Key lime pie is easy to make:
4 eggs, separated
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice (preferrably fresh but you can also use bottled)
8 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1/2 tsp key lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated key lime zest (optional)
1 graham cracker pie crust
Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
Put egg yolks into medium size bowl, beat slightly. Add 1/2 cup key lime juice and sweetened condensed milk stir until mixed and slightly thickened. Pour into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar or lime juice and zest, beat until foamy. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time and beat until stiff peaks will form. Spread over pie, sealing to the edges. Bake for 15 minutes or until meringue is slightly browned.
Cool pie, then chill. Best served 3-4 hours after meringue is baked. Makes 6-8 (or more) servings.
This is the authentic Key Lime Pie Recipe from the St. Petersburg Yacht Club as in the Florida Cookbook by Jeanne Voltz and Caroline Stuart. It is baked just enough to ensure food safety, though the original recipe did not call for baking the filling. You can get bottled Key Lime juice from
http://keylimejuice.com/ or
http://www.florida-juice.com/ but the fresh is better if you can find the key limes. If you use regular limes, add zest to the filling as well as to the meringue.