Spring Key

Moonstruck. That’s the restaurant in New Jersey where I first had this. My mother went out of her way to support the owners when they first opened, telling everyone to go there, but Howard and Luke always seemed unhappy to see her. We would end up there because it was better than anything else in Ocean Grove. I wasn’t sure if I liked this at first because it was so, so tart, but cool and creamy. I didn’t know it was a southern specialty or anything about the key lime destruction story. I didn’t know anything about key limes until I bought something called Key West Lime Juice and yuck. Now I spend $24 bucks a year for a bottle of real key lime juice—Florribean. I’ve seen key limes a few times now, they’re the size of golf balls. I can’t see myself squeezing them.

Oven 375º with rack in middle
Butter and parchment line bottom and sides of 10” springform
1 1/2 packets graham crackers crushed
Stir in 4 tablespoons of melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar
Press mixture gently into bottom of pan
Bake 8 minutes
Let cool
Reduce oven to 350º
Beat 6 egg yolks and add one can of sweetened condensed milk
Save whites for pavlova
Mix in thoroughly 3/4 cup Florribean Key Lime Juice
Pour mixture through sieve over crust and tap to release bubbles
Bake 15 minutes
Let cool, cover pan with foil and refrigerate