Syndicated column week of September 8, 2013.

As summer winds down, we start planning chili cook-offs and tail gate parties. But I felt the need to give summer one last hurrah this week! My husband loves Key-Lime pie. I have been known to eat my share as well.

The trick to Key lime pie, however, is the tiny, tart, flavor laden limes from the Florida Keys. Unfortunately, they are in limited supply here in Ohio. Sometimes, we make a lime dessert that in essence puts us in a Key-Lime state of mind.

This recipe for a lime cream pie provides plenty of tart flavor and has a wonderful custard filling. It is a fairly simple recipe also, so you can whip it up any afternoon you have a craving.

So when I wanted to recapture the sense of spending an afternoon sitting on the boat, listening to the sounds of the marina, I put one of these pies together and pretended the sparrows in my backyard were gulls.

Lime Creme Pie

1 graham cracker crust
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
½ cup lime juice
1 half pint heavy cream
2 TB sugar

In a bowl, mix the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and lime juice until blended. Pour into pie crust and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until set about 14 minutes. Cool on a wire rack on counter top for 1 hour or until completely cool. Just before serving, use electric mixer to beat the whipping cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Spread over pie and serve.

Make it a meal:  This makes a great dessert, best eaten on the boat deck while watching the sunset over the water.

Approximate Nutritional Value per serving: Servings per Recipe: 6, Calories: 630, Fat: 33g, Cholesterol: 225mg, Sodium: 190mg, Total Carbs: 76g, Protein: 12g.

Variations: If you are a fan of lemon pies, replace the lime juice with lemon juice. In fact, any citrus juice will work in place of the lime.

This pie has a wonderful tart-sweet flavor! It is mildly addictive. Be prepared to run out of pie before you run out of desire to eat it.

Remember that sweetened condensed milk is not the same as evaporated milk. You can’t exchange one for the other in this recipe. You can however, use store bought whipped cream topping instead of the heavy cream mixture if you are in a hurry.

If you want to make your graham cracker crust from scratch, I applaud that. I have gotten used to the awfully handy premade graham cracker crusts available at the grocery store. Mostly because they are so convenient, but also because every time I attempt to make graham cracker crust from scratch, it ends up more crumbly than crusty.

I have learned that I make a really good graham cracker crumble that is better used as a topping than as a crust. So when a crust is the goal, a prepared graham cracker crust from the store is my solution.

Hats off to all of you who are successful at graham cracker crust making! Meanwhile, I will be tasting a last bit of summer while I eat my slice of pie.

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