Summer in Texas is approaching fast and it’s going to be a doozy. May has barely arrived and already the temperatures stretch into the 90s. This year, it’s going to be hot, hot, hot.

My mom was raised in Colorado so making the switch from breezy summer days to sweltering humidity wasn’t an easy one. When the unbearable begins to arrive and shade becomes prime real estate she turns into survival mode – the oven stays off and she switches to salads and smoothies all summer long.

So with Mother’s Day up ahead, I decided to try a recipe that both my mom loves and is a cool summer treat – Key Lime Pie.

This recipe was created by a friend and pastry chef I worked with at a cafe last summer. It is a lot of work (a juicer helps the process immensely) but the result is an absolutely delicious, slightly tangy pie that’s more than worth the effort!

“Patty-Cake’s” Key Lime Pie
Crust:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 – 1/2 cup melted butter
Filling: 2 cans sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
6 egg yolks
1 cup key lime juice
6-8 key limes, zested
Mousse: 1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 key lime, zested

Crust: Combine sugar, graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until you can form a log in your hand. Butter bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Press crust in bottom of pan firmly. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before adding filling.

Filling: In mixing bowl, combine sweetened, condensed milk, egg yolks, key lime juice and zest. Mix till smooth and pour on top of cooled pie crust. Smooth filling and bake for 15 minutes. Pie should jiggle like jello in center. Make sure not to overcook the filling.

Mousse: In clean mixing bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream, sugar and zest. Whip until stiff peaks are formed. Spread mousse over cooled pie and smooth top. Refrigerate pie at least 1 hour before removing springform pan and serve.

Our intern is Desiree Johnson, a recent journalism graduate and Texas native. The 26-year-old loves painting, her dachshund Munchie and learning to use what she calls her “real, adult-sized kitchen.”