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Dan's Superior Key Lime Pie:

Key Lime Pie is one of those recipes, like chili, that tender fanatic loyalties. I'm sure that those loyalists will be frothing at the mouth if they chance on this recipe, which I invented, and which is superior to any of the ones they might have tasted. But if they already know how to make a superior key lime pie; why are they looking at other people's recipes anyway?

Real cooks with an open mind will consider the reasons why this method might be considered superior; the main one being that the flavor of the key limes is not masked with eggs, hooves, or canned milk.

Start by making and baking a piecrust. I figured as long as I was committing heresies I might as well do several, so I dispensed with graham cracker crushing and made a plain piecrust, aka "pate brisee."

Let it cool completely. And speaking of cooling; put a medium sized stainless steel mixing bowl in the freezer while you're about it.

Zest 8 key limes and put the zest in a small mixing bowl. Juice the limes. You should have 6 tablespoons of juice. If the limes are small, keep squeezing till you have the 6 tabs. Measure 2 tablespoons of juice into the bowl with the zest. To that add 4 oz. of cream cheese, an optional teaspoon of rosewater, and a half-cup of sugar.

Ready a small saucepan on the stove, and put the reserved 4 tabs of lime juice in it.

The remaining steps are done quickly, so it’s a good idea to read the recipe through carefully and have all your ingredients and utensils at hand. That's always a good idea, no?

Retrieve the chilled bowl and whip one and 1/2 cups of heavy cream until JUST BEFORE it forms soft peaks. Sprinkle on 2 tablespoons of sugar and give it one more whack with your mixer.

Move to the bowl with the cream cheese, zest, etc. and whip it until It is smooth. (NOTE: I add a tiny smidge of yellow gel cake color, with the tip of a knife, and an even tinier smidge of blue cake color, because I've decided that it does look good, and I don't have any green.)

Now that everything is somewhat whipped, heat the lime juice on the stove, not quite to a boil, and sprinkle on 1/2 teaspoon of agar agar powder.

Remove from the heat immediately and whisk it rapidly until the powder is dissolved.

Pour the lime and agar mixture into the cream cheese mix, and fold it in quickly with a spatula. Pour that combination into the whipping cream and hit it with your mixer on high. The total mixture will congeal instantly into stiff peaks before the cream knows what hit it. Spatulate this out into your crust and refrigerate it for an hour or so.

Agar agar, a gelatin-like substance derived from a red algae, sets at room temperature and has a more delicate texture than gelatin. It is virtually tasteless in this pie, but contributes to a lovely silky texture. The pie keeps and improves in the fridge for several days.

Now, if you happened to google your way into this recipe file; write only if you try this pie and discover its superiority to egg-bound ones. Ranting emails will get you nowhere, and I'm sure you're hooked up to the condensed milkers anyway.

This recipe also works very well with lemon, the result being, I suppose, a lemon chiffon pie. You might like to add 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom to the lemon version.

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