Strawberry Key Lime Pie with Rose Scented Cream

I love this time of year because fresh strawberries are just coming in to market here in Texas. I found a full flat of them for 14.00 and snagged them.  They were red, ripe, and fragrant, and on sale.  It seemed like alot to me…I can remember  buying flats for 3.99 to make jam…but then I remembered that that was…umm…years ago.

I had planned to make jam with these but they just smelled so good…sigh….

The combination of lime and strawberries is classic.  The tiny key limes are unlike any other lime flavor you have ever tasted and worth the extra money to buy real key lime juice if you can’t get the special limes.  The strawberries add sweetness to the tangy lime..and the rose flavored whipped cream was …umm…icing on the cake?  I would have liked to have sprinkled the pie and cream with rose petals, but there was no way the family was going to wait for that.

I did not have time to make a crust…This was very spur of the moment, so I used whole nilla wafers to line the pie pan.  They worked nicely, and the addition of the vanilla in both the key lime filling and the crust was perfect.

 Strawberry Key Lime Pie

1/2 c key lime juice

3 egg yolks

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

‘Nilla Wafers to line a 9″ pie plate.  No need to make crumbs, just leave them whole.

1 pint ripe strawberries, hulled, sliced in half and macerated in 1/4 c sugar while the pie is baking

1 c heavy cream, whipped with 1 tsp rose water and 1/4 c sugar, or to taste.

Mix the egg yolks, Eagle Brand, vanilla, and lime with a whisk until smooth.  Pour in the cookie lined pie plate.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.

Arrange strawberries over lime filling.  Chill to set.  Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves 8.