There is nothing quite like home-made key lime pie.

It’s the perfect summer dessert, tart and creamy with a buttery crunch. I also love the sunny yellow color of this dessert. You could make it with normal Persian limes, but key limes really give this tart that distinctive and delicious edge. Some key lime pies are covered with a meringue topping; however I prefer fresh cream which complements the tart lime flavor so well. The original recipe for key lime pie did not require any cooking.

The lime juice mixed with the egg yolks caused the proteins to coagulate and thicken naturally. Nowadays, we are more concerned about the dangers of consuming raw eggs, so key lime pies are cooked in the oven for a short time. However, cooking key lime pie in a conventional oven, usually means cooking at a high temperature.  The beauty of cooking key lime pie filling in a SousVide Supreme is that it can be cooked at a lower and very precise temperature. This ensures that the key lime filling is perfectly cooked through and retains that silky, creamy texture.  This key lime pie is a cinch to make. The hardest part is juicing all those tiny key limes! It’s worth it though, as fresh key lime juice is way nicer than anything from a bottle.  This key lime pie is a stunner and sure to impress your guests.

Ingredients

For Key Lime filling

1. ½ cup (118 ml)of key lime juice, from fresh key limes
2. 14 oz (396 g) can of sweetened condensed milk
3. 4 egg yolks

For the crust

1. 1 teaspoon  (5 g) of butter , to grease tin
2. 6 tablespoons (85 g)of butter, melted
3. 1 ½ cups (150 g) of graham cracker crumbs
4. 2 tablespoons (30 g) of granulated white sugar

For the topping

1. ½ a cup  (118 ml) of heavy whipping cream
2. 2 extra key limes for decorating

Directions

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 180°F/82°C.  Put the lime juice, condensed milk and egg yolks into a medium-sized bowl. Stir together with a spoon/ small hand whisk, until all ingredients are well combined.
2. Place a large (gallon/3.8 liter) zip-closure cooking pouch into a baggy rack. I find this gadget invaluable when I need to pour any liquid into a bag. If you don’t have a baggy rack, you can always ask someone to hold the bag open while you pour in the contents.  Pour the egg mixture into the large (gallon/3.8 liter) zip-closure cooking pouch, and use the displacement method (Archimedes’ principle) to remove the air and zip the seal closed. Once the seal is zipped closed, submerge the pouch in the preheated water bath and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile you can make the graham cracker crust. Grease an 8 inch (20 cm) round spring form tin / pie dish with a little butter.  In a large bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter with a spoon. Pour the crust mixture into the prepared tin / pie dish.  Using the back of a spoon, gently press the crust into the base of the tin.  Make sure it is even, and then place the crust into the fridge to harden.
4. After thirty minutes, remove the pouch from the SousVide Supreme. Open the zip seal and using a spoon, give the mixture a quick stir. Then, simply pour the key lime filling onto the hardened graham cracker crust. Allow to cool for about thirty minutes before transferring to the fridge to cool further. I like to leave my key lime pie cool in the fridge for about two hours, to let all the flavors develop.
5. To decorate the key lime pie, beat the heavy whipping cream with electric beaters until it forms soft peaks.  Place the whipped cream into a piping bag with a medium sized nozzle.  Pipe small circles of cream around the edge of the cake, and one large circle in the center. Place thin slices of key lime on top of the pie.