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Fluffy Key Lime Tart

Key lime pie meets tarte au citron meets lemon meringue pie. This tart features a buttery graham crust, tart and velvety-smooth lime curd filling, and pillowy clouds of vanilla meringue. A show stopper and palate-pleaser alike. The recipe uses Christina Tosi’s recipe for key lime curd from Momofuku Milk Bar: A Cookbook, which is too perfect to change in any way.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the graham crust:

  • 1 1/2 cup graham crumbs from freshly crushed graham crackers (about half a package of grahams)
  • 8 tbsp salted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

For the lime curd:

  • 1 cup key lime juice
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1 silver gelatin sheet
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the meringue:

  • 4 large egg whites, room temp
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
  • lime zest for garnish

Instructions

  1. Make the graham crust. Pulse graham crackers/crumbs with melted butter and brown sugar in a food processor or blender until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press into a 9 inch tart pan and set aside.
  2. Make the key lime curd. Combine key lime juice and sugar in a blender and process until sugar has dissolved. Add eggs and blend until smooth and yellow. Pour out blender contents into a medium saucepan, and clean out the blender canister. Bloom gelatin by soaking the sheet in a large bowl of cold water. Heat liquid in the saucepan on low, whisking constantly as it heats. Continue mixing and watch carefully–once mixture thickens and begins to bubble, take off the heat and transfer to your clean blender canister. Add bloomed gelatin, cold butter, and salt. Blend until smooth and shiny.
  3. Pour lime curd into your graham tart crust and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set. You may have some leftover lime curd after filling the tart.
  4. Make your meringue. Beat egg whites, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl with the whisk attachment on medium high. Slowly pour in sugar until combined. Continue beating on medium-high until the meringue is thick, glossy, and forms stiff peaks.
  5. Spread/pipe your meringue on top of the cold lime curd, making sure the meringue reaches to the edge of the crust and covers the lime curd completely. Torch your meringue to brown it, or stick it in the oven on the bottom rack at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.
  6. Let cool on a wire rack for an hour. Move to fridge and allow to chill at least an hour before serving. Garnish with lime zest if desired. Keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days, best eaten day of assembly.

Notes

  • You can spread the meringue and create swirls with the back of a spoon or pipe it on any way you desire. Have fun! To toast the meringue, a kitchen torch will work, or bake at 350 degrees F on the bottom rack of an oven for 10 minutes or until meringue begins to brown on top.
  • Don’t let the gelatin in the curd intimidate you! Silver gelatin sheets can be purchased on Amazon. To bloom the gelatin, soak the gelatin sheet in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes, until gelatin sheet is wiggly but not falling apart in your hands.
  • 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin (bloomed) can be substituted for 1 silver gelatin sheet.
  • I’ve made this recipe with key lime juice (bottled from the grocery store) and fresh conventional lime juice. They are both great, but nothing beats actual key limes.
  • Author: Caroline Crockett

Keywords: key lime, lime tart, meringue