Ties that Bind

Navigating relationships with the in-laws can be a challenge for any newlywed. Juggling two sets of traditions, expectations, and desires to spend time with you on nationally recognized holidays while trying to build your own traditions (as a family of two) and not hurting anyone’s feelings in the process can be stressful (to say the least). I can’t imagine what it will be like once kids are factored into this little equation!

Jason and I are fortunate that both sets of parents live relatively close by (within easy driving distance). The proximity allows us to spend time with them outside of the usual holiday gatherings on a fairly regular basis.  Still, the newness of our familial ties can be felt; at almost 8 months in we are still trying to figure out how these interactions are supposed to work.  I sometimes worry that my mother-in-law, for example, still feels the need to entertain me and/or treat me like a guest when we are at their home rather than treating me like just another member of the family.  So I was really happy that she asked me to make a key lime pie for Jason’s father’s birthday this weekend.

Back in March, Jason’s dad mentioned that he liked key lime pie but that Jason’s mother never made one. So I told him I’d be happy to make one for him sometime. Fast forward to a month or so ago when Jason’s mother asked him if I’d be interested in making a pie for his birthday. The answer, of course, was yes!

Key lime pie is pretty easy to make and I’ve made them before. But in the weeks since confirming that I would, in fact, make the birthday pie, I started to freak out. What if it didn’t turn out well? What if my recipe (clipped from the local newspaper when I was in high school) wasn’t really that good? WHAT IF MY CRAPPY PIE RUINS HIS WHOLE BIRTHDAY?!?

My initial plan was to make trial run pie sometime before the main event to make sure that my pie still passed muster. That plan crashed and burned when I realized 1) I was going to be gone practically the whole month of April; 2) my book club (where I was originally going to test my pie out) decided to meet at a local restaurant this month given everyone’s busy schedules which nixed the need for my bringing a dessert; and 3) given my efforts to eat better/lose weight, baking a whole pie just for Jason and I was not a very good idea.

Instead, I decided to do a little recipe research, to make sure my original recipe was, in fact, in line with all the other recipes out there for key lime pie (it was).  And then I just reminded myself that I am a pretty good cook and that, even if the pie fails miserably, it is the thought that counts. 

Oh and if all else fails, I can always buy a pie and pass it off as my own.

NOW,  I feel better.

My rustic looking crust

It doesn't quite meet my Type A standards but I guess it will do.

Key Lime Pie
Adapted from a recipe I cut out of The Daily Press sometime in the late 1990s

Ingredients:
1 sleeve of graham crackers
¼ cup sugar
6 TBL of butter, melted
½ cup fresh lime juice (preferably key limes if you can find them)
1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
Whipped cream (optional)

1.Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350. Place graham crackers into food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs (Note: I was being lazy last night and did not feel like getting out my food processor so I crushed the crackers by hand-- the results were a very rustic looking crust. I am now kicking myself for not using the food processor!) Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and sugar. Pat into pie plate. Bake until golden brown about 8-9 minutes. Allow to cool completely on wire rack.
2. Once pie shell has cooled, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and egg yolks until well-combined. If you want, you can add a little lime zest too. Pour into pie shell and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool on counter or wire rack and then chill for 6 hours or overnight.
3.If you want to, you can make some whipped cream to top the pie (or simply to serve with it). Since I was making this to take somewhere, I opted to decorate the top of the pie with the whipped cream which meant that I needed to stabilize it (otherwise it would have deflated and separated before it came time to serve—eww). To make whipped cream that won't separate (I hope), start by placing 1 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin in 1 TBL of water in a small bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds or so until gelatin has melted. Place 1 cup heavy cream in a cold bowl (I like to stick it in the freezer for awhile beforehand). Add in gelatin and whip until combined. Add 2 TBL powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon of vanilla and whip until you have stiff peaks. Top pie as you would like. Refrigerate until ready to serve.


PS On an unrelated note, I added a gadget (on the bottom right of the page) that displays my "followers" (sounds so cult-ish, doesn't it??). I'd love to know who you all are so please consider making it official :)