Key Lime Pie
By Lee Ann Flemming
There are 2 desserts I can’t resist – Crème Brule and Key Lime Pie. If they are on the menu, I will be ordering dessert. Key Lime Pie is often on restaurant’s summer menus.
Key Limes and regular limes are very different in the way they look. Key limes are very small and round. Their skin is also very thin compared to a regular lime. The flavor of the key lime is more tart and aromatic with floral hints as compared to a typical lime.
Key Lime Pie is the official dessert of the state of Florida. Here’s a shocker – Key Lime Pie may have had its beginning in New York City! There is an ongoing controversy surrounding the origin of this delectable dessert.
It all started when Stella Parks published a cookbook that included diving into the pie’s history. While she was researching her book, Parks consulted with Key West historian Tom Hambright, and discovered that a local recipe for the pie couldn’t be found earlier than 1949. Parks found a nearly identical recipe that dates back to 1931, but used lemons instead of limes. It had the same idea of a sweetened condensed milk pie. However, this dessert wasn’t created in the Sunshine state, but by the Borden condensed milk company in New York City.
There is an old story floating around Key West that the pie was invented in 1890, before the Borden recipe, by a woman known as “Aunt Sally”. She reportedly created the pie in the kitchens of Key West’s Curry Mansion, where she had access to sweetened condensed milk. Even though this could never be verified, there are historical documents proving that there was really an “Aunt Sally”, and she did have access to sweetened condensed milk before 1930. It is also believed she gave the Borden company the original recipe.
Whether the pie originated in Key West or New York really doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. All I know is that it is delicious. Today I have several versions of different recipes based on this delicious dessert. I hope you will give them a try. Thanks for reading.
QUICK & EASY KEY LIME PIE
8 egg yolks
2 (14 oz.) cans Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
7 oz. Key lime juice
1 (9-inch deep-dish graham cracker pie crust)
Whipped topping
Beat egg yolks until pale. Add condensed milk and lime juice to yolks; beat well and let stand for 5 minutes. Pour into pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until outside edges are set. Let cool on a wire rack and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Top with whipped topping.
*If using fresh limes, add some zest to the mixture and also on top of the whipped cream when serving.
PRALINE KEY LIME PIE
½ stick butter
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup brown sugar
2 cans Eagle Brand condensed milk
8 egg yolks
1 (7 oz.) bottle key lime juice (You may use fresh)
Zest of 1 Lime
1 deep-dish graham cracker crust
Cool Whip
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in skillet and add pecans; cook for 2 minutes. Add brown sugar and melt; bring to a boil and remove from heat. Pour over bottom of crust. Beat egg yolks until pale; add condensed milk, lime juice, and zest of lime – stir and let stand for 5 minutes. Pour over the praline layer and bake for 20 minutes until edges are set. Cool on wire rack and refrigerate before serving. Top with Cool Whip.
*I like to purchase the individual graham cracker crusts to prepare and serve.
KEY LIME CHEESECAKE
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
24 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. grated lime zest
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 large eggs
2/3 cup key lime juice
Combine cracker crumbs with butter and press into the bottom and partially up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan; refrigerate while preparing the filling. Beat cream cheese, sugar, lime zest, and cornstarch in a large bowl with a mixer until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, blending just until smooth. Add key lime juice with mixer on Low and finish mixing by hand. Do not overbeat or the cake will crack during baking. Pour mixture into prepared crust and place in a shallow pan of hot water. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for an hour or until set. Turn oven off and let cheesecake stand with the door open for 30 minutes. Refrigerate before serving.
