Key Lime Pie

Steps

• Prep: Heat the oven to 165°C (330°F).
• Crust: Mix the graham crumbs, melted butter, and sugar and press firmly into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake to set.
  ⏱ Start 8 min timer
• Filling: Whisk the condensed milk and egg yolks together until smooth, then whisk in the lime juice and zest.

  Tip: Watch it thicken as the acid hits the condensed milk — this reaction, not the oven, is doing most of the actual setting work.

• Bake: Pour into the crust and bake until just set at the edges with a slight give in the centre.
  ⏱ Start 15 min timer

  Tip: This short bake is mainly for food safety, pasteurising the yolks, and a little extra firmness — it isn't carrying the whole structural load the way a fully heat-set custard would.

• Chill: Cool completely, then chill until fully cold.
  ⏱ Start 180 min timer
• Topping: If using, whip the cream and sugar to soft peaks and spread or pipe over the chilled pie before serving.