Key Lime Pie - cold lard

Method

• Cut butter or lard into bits.
• In a bowl with a pastry blender or your fingertips blend all pastry shell ingredients except ice water until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Stir in enough ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a dough.
• Form dough into a disk.
• Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 15-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and fit into a 9-inch (1-quart) glass pie plate.
• Trim dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, and crimp edge.
• Prick shell all over with a fork.
• Chill shell 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice.
• Bake shell in lower third of oven 20 minutes.
• Carefully remove foil and weights or rice and bake shell until golden, about 10 to 15 minutes more.
• Cool shell completely on a rack.
• In a food processor blend cream cheese, lime juice, and condensed milk until smooth.
• Add zest and pulse just until combined.
• Pour filling into shell.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat creme fraiche with confectioners' sugar until it forms soft peaks and spread evenly over filling.
• Arrange lime slices on top of pie.
• Chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.