Recipe from Jane Nickerson
Adapted by Sam Sifton
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus chilling and cooling
- Rating
- 4(741)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Jane Nickerson was the food editor of The New York Times from 1942 until 1957, when she moved with her family to Lakeland, Fla. There, she eventually became food editor of The Ledger, in Lakeland, then owned by The Times. Her successor in New York was Craig Claiborne, whose star eclipsed hers for, among other things, systemic reasons we wrestle with still. But Ms. Nickerson was a hugely influential force in American home cooking, introducing ingredients and recipes from chefs and home cooks to a nation that met her first on a wartime footing and grew to find itself on a prosperous one. In Florida, she embraced local ingredients and foodways, and in 1973 published “Jane Nickerson’s Florida Cookbook,” an invaluable guide to the state’s appetizing abundance. Her lime pie is a little richer than the more well-known Key lime pie. I like that about it. —Sam Sifton
Featured in: The Unsung Influence of a Pioneering Food Journalist
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Ingredients
Yield:1 (9-inch) pie
- 1¼cups/160 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt
- ½cup/115 grams very cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 3tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed
- 5large egg yolks, plus 3 large egg whites, all at room temperature
- 1(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- ⅔cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 to 5 limes)
- 1tablespoon finely grated lime zest, plus more for garnish
- Whipped cream, for garnish
For the Crust
For the Filling
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Prepare the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Toss in the butter cubes serially, to keep them separate while coating them evenly in flour. Using a fork, cut the butter into the flour, continuing to toss them as you do, until they’re roughly the size of peas.
Step
2
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice water over the flour-and-butter mixture. Using your fork, toss to incorporate, then continue to add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to come together as you stir it. Using your hands, fold the dough over itself a few times, adding just enough water so that it holds together.
Step
3
Form the dough into a disk about 1-inch thick, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to a couple of days.
Step
4
When you’re ready to make the pie, first prepare the pie shell: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 12 inches in diameter, then fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim and crimp edges, then, using the tines of a fork, pierce the bottom crust 8 to 12 times. Line dough with a sheet of parchment paper, and spread evenly with pie weights. Place the pie crust on a baking sheet, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the edges are set. You want it slightly underdone. Carefully remove the pie weights and parchment, and let cool completely on a rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Step
5
Make the filling: In a large bowl, use a whisk to beat the egg yolks until they are thick, then gradually beat in the condensed milk, then the lime juice. Stir in 1 tablespoon lime zest.
Step
6
In a medium bowl, use a whisk to beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold them gently into the condensed-milk mixture. Pour into the cooled pie shell.
Step
7
Place the pie back on the sheet pan and bake until the filling is just set in the center, about 20 minutes. It need not be completely firm because the filling thickens as it cools.
Step
8
Cool the pie on a rack, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Serve topped with whipped cream and about 1 teaspoon grated lime zest.
Ratings
4
out of 5
741
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Cooking Notes
Sandi’s
I use a graham cracker pie crust. Much easier and tastier.
Tara
This is lime pie, NOT key lime pie. Graham cracker crust = key lime pieMeringue topping = key lime pie
Cincy Foodie
This is a Florida Lime Pie, NOT a Key Lime Pie. Ms. Nickerson knew the differences. Different limes and taste. Great recipe. Love the density and flavor of Key Lime Pie, but no one in my house is a fan of graham cracker crust. Sweet and too competitive with the "main event." It's so amusing to read comments. Every cook has their "take" on any recipe. Fair enough! Having lived in Florida for years, I've tasted dozens of versions of both fillings, crusts, and toppings. Try this. It's delicious.
choulli
It's often tempting to go the easy route and forego a homemade pie crust. But, made-from-scratch often differentiates spectacular dessert creations from mediocre ones. It really is worth the time and effort to create desserts whose taste are worth their calorie count! Nothing compares to the flavor of a dessert that is 100% homemade.
Will
The original concept of mixing egg yolks lime juice and condensed milk was that it required no baking. The lime juice acts to set the yolks and milk all by itself. Recipes today specify baking only for food safety reasons. This kind of pie can be dated to the invention of condensed milk. In south Florida in the 19th century fresh milk would be almost non existent.
N. Christopher
My friends in Key West always used graham cracker crusts, and always topped the pie with meringue. I never saw any Conks using whipped cream on their pies.
Andréa
I find graham cracker crust dominates the lime flavor, so I use shortbread pie crust.
Linda
I'm 74 years old. I grew up in Florida and I'll die here as well. The key lime pie I grew up with had a pastry crust and meringue making the pie deliciously tart and refreshing. Graham cracker crust and whipped cream make this pie too sweet. If sweet is what you're after, make banana pudding or sweet tea.
robert basta
For the crust combine 30 Oreo cookies (none of the white center) 3/4 cup of pecans and 3-4 to 1 tsp. cayenne in a blender. Blend to a near flour consistency. Add 4 oz of melted butter slowly until the mixture is pasty. Press the mixture evenly into the pie dish and sides, pierce with a fork about 12 times and bake at 400 for about 10-12 minutes. This combo with the chilled lime and the "heat" from the cayenne makes a wickedly appealing dessert.
Linda Russell
I have this book, and it’s fun to read. Her recipe for Tupelo Honey Pecan Pie has a short essay about Florida honeys; her instructions for “opening a fresh coconut” will make anybody who’s ever struggled with that smile.
Jane
For heaven’s sake, just make the darn recipe as written! It’s delicious. I wasted my time reading about crust preferences and authenticity when I could have been eating another slice of the wonderful pie. I don’t whine when people tell me that cheese whiz goes on Philly steak sandwiches. Just saying
deltaboy1
Hence the name, Florida LIME Pie.
Emily
I like Key Lime Pie but I really loved this recipe. It’s lighter, not too sweet. You could use a Graham cracker crust but I thought the flour crust was perfect.
JimS
Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice is the best.Use a Graham cracker crust. Floow the recipe on the bottle. Easy peasy and delicious.
Necco
For those wanting a really good, quick lime pie. Mix the contents of a small can of frozen lime concentrate, with one can of condensed milk and a small container of whipped cream. Put in ready-made graham pie crust. Refrigerate for a few hours, or pop in the freezer for about thirty minutes, or less. My mother was given this recipe in the 60s, when we lived in Miami. (She used the juice from the key lime tree in our backyard, but the "recipe" called for the frozen concentrate.)
Mia
I loved loved loved the filling! It was perfect! With regular limes :)The only thing is I wish I had read the notes about the crust. It was undercooked at the bottom, and too crunchy on the edges.Will definitely make again but definitely will use another pie crust recipe
SS
This was good - because of the whipped egg whites the filling looked a lot more than an omelet than I was comfortable with lol. Also I think the crust needs to be pre-baked for less time
Bibi
I made this as directed with two changes: 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk instead of the whole, and I added a Meyer lemon juice with zest. Came out excellent.I was tempted to add a couple T cocoa powder to the crust mixture -- chocolate and lime sounded good to me. Whaddya think?
Roberto
There is a difference between "normal," or Persian limes, and smaller, milder key limes. Key limes normally are sold in small, perhaps 1# bags. They have thinner skins and moister flesh. It's like comparing Eureka and Meyer lemons. Both fruits will make a good pie, but you may need to adjust the sugar levels depending on the type of lime used. Key limes make killer margaritas, BTW.
Faran in Thunderbolt, GA
For my pie, I made this recipe's filling only. I put it in a gingersnap crust (home made) and I topped with the meringue recipe from the NYT's Extra-Lemony Meringue Pie recipe. It was perfection. The filling was divine.
Ginnie Webster
Used graham cracker crust. Fantastic recipe!
Jj2palmer
This recipe is excellent! If you have the luxury of buying actual Key Limes to use for the juice in this, do so. It’s worth the trouble to juice the little devils. Trust me. But-and I love being able to say this since I’m usually the one who can’t find some unique NYT Food ingredient-key limes have limited national availability and are available in the south only for a short period of time. Crust is just the vessel. Graham or butter are both good.
molly
Using other’s suggestions that the filling wasn’t enough to fill up the pie I used a smaller pie tin 8” - huge mistake! I had so much filling leftover and couldn’t make another pie crust in time - made a graham crust and a second smaller pie (8”). If you make your whites and yolk mixture properly you will have a beautiful amount to fill up your pie tin. Wish I hadn’t read the comments - usually they are very helpful - not this time.
Bonnie
This was delicious, however my filling did not “firm up”. Did anyone else have this issue?
CM
This is close to the pie I've made for years, except I leave out the egg whites. And for those who don't want to labor on the crust as written, BUT don't like graham either, try a ginger snap cookie crust. The peppery bite in the cookie crust is a nice contrast with the sweet-tart filling and the creamy topping. I prefer non-key limes, as this recipe uses, finding them more tart than key limes. Also less work to juice them. My two cents ..
laura
Yes, people , this is NOT a key lime pie , so why are you all comparing it . Its a delicious spring pie , i took the easy way out with a graham cracker crust , next time i will make the crust in the recipe because it really has a great light flavor, and comes together really fast .
Mike Wilson
Love how some readers - Tara! - declare that this is "NOT" key lime pie. The title of the recipe plainly states that it is a 'Florida' lime pie. The difference is in the type of lime, not the crust.
cook.bot
I love @Robert Basta's idea of adding cayenne and pecans to an Oreo crust. Gotta try that."Her successor in New York was Craig Claiborne, whose star eclipsed hers for, among other things, systemic reasons we wrestle with still." Indeed!Also, check out Maggie Ruggiero's food styling in this pie photo -- for once she managed to do something that wasn't entirely boring!
Martha
In South Florida, where I spent my teens, I’ve had Key Lime pie in the actual Keys with both merengue and whipped cream. My fervent preference is for whipped cream. For the poster who claimed that whipped cream made it too sweet confused me because merengue is always sweeten but whipped cream needn’t be. Unsweetened whipped cream is a perfect foil for both the custard’s sweet-tart elements.
beth
I make it with a gingersnap crust. Always seems to be a hit. I worked in a restaurant in Florida that was know for its key lime pie--they never had meringue on them, always whipped cream.
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