Mojito Key Lime Pie

Aside from limeade, one of my favorite lime drinks is a mojito, a rum-based drink that mixes fresh lime juice with sugar and fresh mint. I like the way that the mint brightens up the flavor of the drink to make it even more refreshing than it would be with lime alone. The combination of mint and lime works well in other recipes, as well; lime is strong enough to balance out a bold flavor like mint so that both can come through in the end. I added a little bit of rum and peppermint to a key lime pie to turn the cocktail into a dessert.

This is a classic key lime pie made with egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Key lime is the best choice for limes, but persian limes (the more common variety of lime) will work just fine. This is a no-bake key lime pie, so you can either opt for pasturised eggs or introduce the peppermint and rum elements to my baked key lime pie recipe for a similar effect.

I used just a splash of rum – enough to give it a hint of rum flavor – and a much smaller splash of peppermint extract. I decided to use peppermint extract instead of fresh mint because, in a mojito, the mint should be crushed to release its flavor but not ground to a pulp because you don’t really want to drink the mint leaves. I didn’t want to have chunks of mint leaves floating around in this ultra-creamy pie, either. Save the fresh mint for a garnish and stick with a bit of extract for this filling.

Mojito Key Lime Pie
1 pre-baked graham cracker crust (8 or 9-in.)
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (key lime, if possible)
2 tsp lime zest
2 tbsp light rum
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
fresh mint, for garnish

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stream in lime juice and stir whisk until well combined. Whisk in lime zest, rum and peppermint extract.
Pour into pre-baked pie shell.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until set.
Pie will be very soft at room temperature so store it in the fridge right up until you’re ready to serve it.
Garnish each slice with a sprig of fresh mint before serving.
Serves 8.