Dreaming of Key Lime Pie

One of my favourite puddings ever has to be Key Lime Pie. The best I've ever had was in a small diner that seemed to be nothing special on the side of the road in Florida. My friend Helena and I were on a road trip round The Keys, Miami and Florida coast. I say a road trip, but actually we ended up spending most of our holiday in the bars of Miami dancing the nights away, then crashing on the beach the following day. 

However, I'll always remember the first bite of that slice of pie, an explosion of sweet, crisp tart flavours helped by the fact it was ever so slightly frozen. Each time I have some now it instantly transports me back to that over indulgent, outrageously fun holiday we had.

My friend Helena hosts a New Year's Day lunch and this year she made the above Key Lime Pie, which i like to believe she secretly made we had in honour of our greatest party holiday. Where we came back more shattered than we went, after partying extremely hard in the clubs of Miami. If you're wondering where to have a girls holiday then Miami should be at the top of your destination list. Though beware you will need an extremely forgiving credit card limit. 

Here is a remarkably simple Key Lime Pie recipe if you're feeling the need to indulge in this piece of heaven. I'm going through the kitchen cupboards as we speak!

Ingredients375g Digestive biscuits, crushed150g unsalted butterGrated zest and juice of 8 large limes1 pint double cream1 397g can sweetened condensed milkLime Zest to decorate

Melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the crushed biscuits. Lightly press into the base of 23cm deep loose bottomed fluted flan ting. Chill. To prepare the filling: place the lime juice into a large bowl, add the cream and condensed milk. Whisk for 1-2 minutes. Add the zest and stir lightly. pour into the prepared biscuit base and chill for at least 2 hours. Then decorate as you desire with grated lime zest.