Key Lime Pie for Two

Everything's cuter in mini form right? Coopers, dogs, hobbits - all irresistible. Skirts are the only mini that come to mind that need a little more personal censorship... And we all know what happens when you shrink desserts down to a mini size. We go gaga over them. Mini muffins, doughnuts, tarts, and more call us to them with an un-natural amount of gravity for their pint sized portions. Mini ice cream container? Oh, yeah, I'll finish you. Tiny cookie, I'll take two.

So when I saw a min key lime pie... well, I'm guessing you figured it out.

This Key Lime Pie in the back of Cook's Illustrated Cooking for two was the perfect weeknight surprise for my man. However, since it uses only a bit of this, and a bit of that, it would be a great dessert for a small social gathering. You can quickly (I know, from the pages of Cook's Illustrated) make several of these and have them waiting and ready for guests.

Or, you could be like me, make one and devour it's tiny little self.

Key Lime Pie for Two

From ATK Cooking for Two 2011 Best Of Supplement

Ingredients:

For the Filling:

2 large egg yolks
2 teas grated lime zest
¼ cup fresh lime juice
⅔ cup sweetened condensed milk

For the Crust:

4 whole graham crackers, broken into 1-inch pieces
2 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 teas granulated sugar

For the Topping:

¼ cup heavy cream, chilled
2 teas confectiners' sugar
⅛ teas vanilla extract

Preparation:

For the filling: Whisk egg yolks and lime zest together in a medium bowl until the mixture has a light green tint, about 1 minute. Whisk in the condensed milk until smooth, about 1 minute more. Then whisk in lime juice until combined. Cover mixture and set aside at room temperature until thickened, about 30 minutes.

For the crust: Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Process graham cracker pieces in food processor to fine, even crumbs, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle butter and granulated sugar over crumbs and pulse to incorporate. Sprinkle crumb mixture into 6-inch pie plate. Press the crumb mixture into an even layer on bottom and sides of plate.

Bake until crust is fragrant and slightly golden brown, 13-18 minutes. Transfer pie plate to wire rack; do not turn oven off. (Crust must still be warm when filling is added).

Pour thickened filling into warm pie crust. Bake pie until center is firm, but jiggles slightly when shaken, 15 to 20 minutes. Let pie cool slightly on wire rack, about 1 hour, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until filling has set, about 3 hours.