Cue the music: school is out for the summer!  That’s right everyone, it’s time to hit the pool, go on trips, watch baseball, and (one of our favorite things to do) BBQ! To me, Memorial Day is the opening ceremony of the BBQ olympics. It’s the big, delicious, overwhelming feast of food that foreshadows all the grilling we’ll be doing during the summer. Sides tend to be pretty standard: beans, slaw, potato salad of some sort, chips, etc. With dessert, I can let my creative juices run a bit more wild.

I haven’t baked much lately, as I tried to cut sweets altogether while on Whole30. Last week, as I stepped back in my kitchen arena donned in my apron and armed with my pink silicone spatula, I was ready to create.

Upon Neil’s request, I made this zesty, creamy key lime pie topped with a lightly sweetened airy meringue. I am so attracted to the the rustic look of this pie made by lifting the pillowy meringue upward with the back of a spoon right before it hits the oven. It felt great to bake again, and the pie was a hit at our family BBQ.

I’m sure it will win gold at your next BBQ, too. Happy summer and let the games begin!

Key Lime Meringue Pie

Prep Time: 15 min. Cook Time: 26 min. Chill Time: Overnight

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

15 honey graham cracker sheets

1/4 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Filling:

Zest of 1 lime

1/2 cup key lime juice

2 egg yolks

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

For the Meringue Topping:

4 egg whites

3 tablespoons sugar

1 pinch cream of tartar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a food processor, blend all ingredients of the crust until it becomes like fine wet sand. When pinched together, the crumbs should lightly stick together. Add more butter if not sticking together. Pat crumbs evenly into a 9″ pie round. Bake the crust for about 6 minutes until aromatic. Clean food processor while crust is baking.

Blend all filling ingredients in the food processor until smooth. Pour into pie crust and bake for about 6 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly while you prepare the meringue.

Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar together until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, and continue to whisk for another minute. Top the pie with the meringue, spreading the meringue up around the whole edge of the crust. Use the back of a spoon to lift the meringue in several places, creating tall peaks.

Bake pie for 12-14 minutes until meringue is lightly browned.

Cool overnight in refrigerator and serve chilled.

The Newlywed Chefs

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