COLD & CREAMY KEY LIME PIE ICE CREAM

Key Lime Pie is a summer classic you’ll encounter pretty much everywhere in the “Deep South” of the United States. Named for the region where the limes naturalized after being brought over to the “West Indies” by Spanish explorers, the beautiful Florida Keys, (“Cayo” in the original Spanish or “Cairi” in the original, original Taíno Carribean language), these aromatic, pale yellow limes are a divine summer flavor especially when paired with sweetened cream and “shortcrust” crumbles.

The refreshingly bright and creamy personality of this ice cream is the absolute perfect way to cool your palate in between dips in the sea or after a flavorful summer feast.

Although you might have come across images of electric lime green pies advertised as “Key Lime,” their natural juice is actually a pale cream color with a hint of chartreuse. Most Southerners know this and find the fake green food coloring off-putting. Here I kept only the natural pigments of the limes to allow their pure elegance and attractiveness to shine.

If you can’t find actual Key Limes at your local market, never fear! Normal Persian Limes work just as well and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who could tell the difference.

There is absolutely no churning and no stovetop cooking involved, meaning it is incredibly simple to whip up a tangy batch with minimal effort! Especially convenient on a hot summer day…

Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

(Makes about One Half Quart)

For your Graham Cracker Crust Crumbles:

1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (about 9 crackers)* (120 grams)

4 tablespoons good quality Butter, gently melted (55 grams)

1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar (55 grams)

Pinch Kosher Salt

*If you live in a country that doesn’t sell graham crackers, don’t worry! Just buy plain whole grain cookies, crumble them, and add honey and cinnamon until it matches your perfect graham cracker memories!

For your Key Lime Base:

8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened (225 grams)

14 ounces of Sweetened Condensed Milk (400 grams)

1/4 cup Heavy Cream (60 mL)

1 packed tablespoon finely grated Lime** Zest (around 3 Limes) (2 - 3 large pinches)

6 tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice, (from the same 3 Limes) (90 mL)

Pinch Kosher Salt

** Normal Limes work just as well as Key Limes!

Tools:

Small Sauce Pot

Spatula

Oven

Small - Medium Baking Sheet or Pie Tin

Medium Mixing Bowl

Zester

Citrus Press (Juicer)

Hand Mixer* / Stand Mixer*

*Ideal, not essential

Instructions:

For the Graham Cracker Crumbles:

1. Place your oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 °F (175 °C). Gently heat your butter until it is melted. In a medium mixing bowl, crumble your graham crackers then add the melted butter, brown sugar, and Kosher salt. Mix with your fingers until it is evenly combined, making sure to break up any brown sugar clumps along the way.

2. Press the crumbs into a 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) crust in your baking sheet. Bake until the edges are golden brown (about 5 - 10 minutes). Remove from the oven to cool. Once cool, break into small pieces and set aside for later. (You decide how Crumbly or Fine you want your graham cracker swirls to be!)

For the Key Lime Ice Cream Base:

3. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft and whippy (around 1 minute). Add the sweetened condensed milk and continue to mix for another 1 - 2 minutes until the mixture is uniform and creamy. Add the lime juice, lime zest, heavy cream, and salt. Stir for about a half a minute until evenly incorporated.

4. Either fold your graham cracker crumbs into the mixture for soft swirls, OR press half the crumbs into the bottom of your ice cream container, smooth the ice cream over it evenly, then add the other half of your crumbs to cover the top of the ice cream. (I prefer folding them into the ice cream so they can absorb more of the cream. It makes the mouthfeel very pleasant and soft!)

5. Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least four hours. Letting it sit even longer, perhaps overnight, is even better.

 Since this ice cream has a rather thick base, I would suggest letting it relax in the refrigerator 30 - 45 minutes before you plan on serving it!

---

This Key Lime ice cream with will keep for about one week.

---

Notes :

+ Key Limes (from the Florida Keys) are not available everywhere, but don’t worry! Regular limes work just as well and no one will know the difference!

+ Can’t find graham crackers? No problem! Buy simple whole grain cookies and add honey and cinnamon to taste. I used Leibniz’s Vollkorn (wholegrain) biscuits, which are pretty godawful boring when plain to be honest. (Who buys that stuff?) But! They worked perfectly once I played around in the spice drawer a little. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

+ For the Lime in this recipe (in all recipes, really) I would suggest choosing the heaviest lime (compared to others of the same size) because that will be the ripest and the juiciest. Let your fruit reach room temperature before you use it. I even let my citrus sit in the window planter in the sunshine until I'm ready to use it. Give it a little bang on your counter and roll it under a heavy hand before you juice it. This will help release the intense flavor you're looking for. 

+ Zest your limes before you juice them! (Trying to zest an already deflated lime is next door to impossible).

+ I do not recommend adding food dye to Key Lime Ice Cream. As anyone who is familiar with true Key Lime Pie will tell you, it is a pale cream color with the slightest tinge of chartreuse, not electric lime green as many supermarket bakeries would have you believe. Stick to the natural pale color. It’s appetizing and elegant.

+ Toppings: This ice cream already has a lot of personality, so adding anything else might make the dessert feel too all over the place. The best way to serve this ice cream is simply by highlighting what it already has going on for it… namely refreshing citrus and those buttery crumbs of graham cracker. A light sprinkle of citrus* zest and a dash of graham cracker crumbs perfectly brings out the best qualities in a key lime ice cream

*You can stick with lime zest, but if you want to add a splash of color for contrast, bright yellow lemon and/or pink grapefruit also play well with the appearance without altering the overall flavor!

Delicious Pairings for Key Lime:

Sweet: Vanilla Whipped Cream, Light Cookies (shortbread, vanilla wafers, etc.), Almond, Oats/Granola, Tropical and Warm Season Fruits (Banana, Blueberry, Nectarines, Papaya, etc.)

Savory: Perfect for following up most Spiced Cuisines (Vietnamese, Mexican, Cuban, Moroccan), Herby Dishes (Grilled Pineapple with Rosemary and Mozzarella, Blackened Catfish with Lime and Cilantro, etc.), and picnic grub (Barbecue, Grilled Hotdogs, Hamburgers, etc.)

Cold and Creamy Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Laura | July 2019

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Chilling time: 4 hours

Total time: 4 hours 20 minutes

Servings: Makes about a half quart of ice cream

Level of Skill: Easy

Ingredients:

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

• 1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (about 9 crackers) (120 grams)
• 4 tablespoons good quality Butter, gently melted (55 grams)*
• 1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar (55 grams)
• Pinch of Kosher Salt

For the Key Lime Ice Cream Base:

• 8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened (225 grams)
• 14 ounces of Sweetened Condensed Milk (400 grams)
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream (60 mL)
• Pinch Kosher Salt
• 1 packed tablespoon finely grated Lime Zest (around 3 Limes) (2 - 3 large pinches) (Regular limes work great)
• 6 tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice, (from the same 3 Limes) (90 mL)

Instructions:

To make the Graham Cracker Crumbles:

1. Place your oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 °F (175 °C). Gently heat your butter until it is melted. In a medium mixing bowl, crumble your graham crackers then add the melted butter, brown sugar, and Kosher salt. Mix with your fingers until it is evenly combined, making sure to break up any brown sugar clumps along the way.

2. Press the crumbs into a 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) crust in your baking sheet. Bake until the edges are golden brown (about 5 - 10 minutes). Remove from the oven to cool. Once cool, break into small pieces and set aside for later. (You decide how Crumbly or Fine you want your graham cracker swirls to be!)

To make the Key Lime Ice Cream Base:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft and whippy (around 1 minute). Add the sweetened condensed milk and continue to mix for another 1 - 2 minutes until the mixture is uniform and creamy. Add the lime juice, lime zest, heavy cream, and salt. Stir for about a half a minute until evenly incorporated.

2. Either fold your graham cracker crumbs into the mixture for soft swirls, OR press half the crumbs into the bottom of your ice cream container, smooth the ice cream over it evenly, then add the other half of your crumbs to cover the top of the ice cream. (I prefer folding them into the ice cream so they can absorb more of the cream. It makes the mouthfeel very pleasant and soft!)

3. Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least four hours. Letting it sit even longer, perhaps overnight, is even better.

   { Since this ice cream has a rather thick base, I would suggest letting it relax in the refrigerator 30 - 45 minutes before you plan on serving it! }

Nutrition:

(per 1/2 cup serving)

Servings: Four 1/2 cup sized scoops

Fat: 29 grams

Calories: 388

Nutrition estimated by Happyforks.com