One of my dad's favorite desserts - and the only one I ever knew him to bake - was key lime pie. He did it very well and was justifiably proud of his efforts every time. The Mexican market near my house often sells key limes, which are tiny and do not contain much juice. You have to squeeze an awful lot of them to eke out a meaningful amount of liquid. They also sell bottled key lime juice at the grocery store, and it is a very manageable shortcut if you can't find key limes or don't have quite that kind of time.
I made these key lime pie bars - same flavor as the pie, but in a rectangle shape - for a party at my friend Jennifer's. They are delicious, light and refreshing. I will say, they lose something after being out for several hours; they are definitely best refrigerated.
There are many recipes out there, but I came across this one from @lovevivvv and it was delicious. You start by making and baking a graham cracker crust, then whir together the lime filling ingredients, pour it on top of the crust, and bake that briefly. The bars need to cool and then hang out in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight, after which you top them with sweetened whipped cream and some more lime zest. If you go the bottled key lime juice recipe, you'll need a few limes on hand to zest for the filling and decoration. I'm not usually a huge whipped cream person, but it's perfect in this recipe, nice and creamy and sweet against the tangy lime filling. I love that the lime filling stands on its own and isn't oozy. And the graham cracker crust is exactly the buttery and salty counterpoint note you're expecting.
Here's the recipe - give it a try!
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