Birthday (Key) Lime Pie

As I may have mentioned before, we have a tradition of celebrating birthdays in our office with yummy treats.  Usually a few days before, I ask the birthday person what they would like, and then I make it.  No problem.  However, one of my office-mates had a birthday last week (during Passover) and I was away.  Upon my return, I agreed to make this pie, but I was a little nervous about pulling it off because I knew there were a number of late evenings in front of me.

I should not have worried.  This pie was a snap to make.  Crush some graham crackers, mix with a little bit of sugar and butter (or buy a pre-made graham cracker crust -- I won't tell) and bake for about 15 minutes.  Then, juice some key limes (or limes in this case, because I could not find key times) and mix them with a can of sweetened condensed milk, lime zest and egg yolks, pour into the crust and bake.  Easy as pie (sorry).

I topped this pie with some very lightly sweetened whipped cream, which I think is necessary to cut the tartness a little bit.  It was delicious.  Everyone in the office raved about it and it was hard to keep them away from the last slice so I could bring some home to my husband.

You can find the recipe here, on Martha Stewart's website.  I made it just as it was.

MSC August: Triple Citrus Cupcakes

Welcome to the August edition of the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club, featuring Triple Citrus Cupcakes.  Marthe, of Culinary Delights, chose these cupcakes, which seem just the thing for hot weather (not that we are having any in LA these days, but in theory).  They were tart, with a delicious glaze and you really tasted the orange, lemon and lime.

These cupcakes are a snap to make, especially if you have a micro-plane zester.  As we all know, Sarah loves zesting, so these are perfect cupcakes for her, and anyone else who enjoys that activity.  The one change I made to this recipe was to rub together the sugar and the zest before creaming them into the butter (a trick learned from Dorie Greenspan), which I think added to the flavor.

These had a really good citrus flavor.  I found them to be more like muffins than cupcakes, especially without the glaze, so I think you could be justified in eating them for breakfast.  I made the glaze with less sugar than Martha suggests and they were really tart with the glaze on, but in a good way.  I made lime flavored glaze, but you could make lemon or orange and I think it would be delicious.  I would definitely make these again and may try grapefruit too!

Thanks Marthe for the great pick.  You can find the recipe in Martha Stewart Cupcakes or here.