The Bake with Paris

By Paris Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor

The Bake with Paris is a new series for BlackPressUSA presented by 13-year-old Paris Brown. Paris loves to bake, and in these columns, she will write about some of her best experiences and include her recipes. Please enjoy.

This week I’m very excited. I’m creating a recipe that I’ve wanted to do – since forever.

I’ll give you a hint: fluffy and citrus.

Yup, that’s right, I’m making a mile-high key lime pie. I wanted to make a meringue, and I wanted to make a key lime pie, so that’s exactly what I did.

The tangy filling and the fluffy meringue go together like PB&J. It’s a surprisingly easy recipe.

But I believe anyone trying this recipe should consider using a hand mixer. That meringue is going to take some serious arm strength if you decide to do it by hand!

In this recipe, I used my signature graham cracker crust that you can find in my cheesecake cookie recipe. It’s an excellent base for so many other desserts, so I decided to go that route.

The good thing about this recipe is that you can switch up the flavors in the filling. You could do lemon, mango, or even coconut. The possibilities are endless with this mile-high pie!

Ingredients 

Graham Cracker Crust

• 2 cups crushed graham crackers
• 1/2 cups unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar

Lime Filling

• 21 oz sweetened condensed milk(1 1/2 fourteen oz cans)
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1 tbsp lime zest
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Meringue 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 8 room temperature egg whites
• 1 tsp cream of tartar or juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Candy thermometer

Instructions 

1. Mix graham crackers, unsalted butter, and sugar together. Then press in springform pan evenly.
2. Bake for 8-10 minutes then cool completely.
3. In a large bowl, mix condensed milk, lime juice, lime zest, eggs, and egg yolks.
4. Pour filling into cooled gram cracker crust and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Once filling is set, start on meringue. Pour sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan DO NOT MIX. Wipe down sides with water and a pastry brush to prevent crystallization. Take off when it reaches 240 degrees F.
6. Put egg whites in an extra-large bowl and beat until foamy. Then add cream of tartar or lemon juice and beat until soft peaks form.
7. Slowly add sugar mixture in a slow, steady stream while beating the egg whites. Add vanilla extract.
8. Evenly cover the entire pie and use an offset spatula to create little peaks on top. Broil for a couple minutes until it’s browned.
9. Chill before serving. Enjoy!!