key west and the infamous key lime pie

To make the filling, in a medium nonreactive bowl, whisk the zest and yolks until tinted light green, about 2 minutes. Beat in the milk, then juice; set aside at room temperature to thicken, about 30 minutes.

To make the crust, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the graham crackers until evenly fine, about 30 seconds (you should have about 1 cup crumbs). Add the sugar and pulse to combine. Continue to pulse while adding the warm melted butter in a steady stream; pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer the crumbs to a 9-inch glass pie plate, evenly press the crumbs into the pie plate and square off the top of the crust. Bake the crust until it is fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes; transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Pour the lime filling into the crust; bake until the center is set, yet wiggly when jiggled, 15 to 17 minutes. Return the pie to a wire rack; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. (The pie can be covered directly with lightly oiled or oil-sprayed plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 1 day.)

To make the whipped cream: Up to 2 hours before serving, whip the cream in the chilled bowl of an electric mixer to very soft peaks. Adding the confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, continue whipping to just stiff peaks. Spread the whipped cream evenly with a rubber spatula. Garnish with sugared lime slices and serve.