As many of you already know, I have a particular fondness for Key lime pie, as it became the murder weapon in the first food critic mystery, AN APPETITE FOR MURDER. Naturally Hayley Snow is suspected when the victim turns out to be her ex-boyfriend's new squeeze.
“Are the cops looking at any other suspects?” I asked.
“Not that they’ve mentioned. You are in the unfortunate position of having a decent motive and no alibi. And you’re a cook with more than a passing knowledge of key lime pie.”
So what do we do now?” I asked. “I swear I never touched the girl. Or fed her any poison. I’ve never even made a key lime pie. To be honest, I’m totally freaked out by the idea of meringue.”
So you can understand that when the Key West Citizen publicized a booksigning last week for THE ULTIMATE KEY LIME PIE COOKBOOK, we had to go meet David Sloan and buy a couple of signed books. I told him about our JRW blog and how we love food and recipes and he was happy to share a pie from the cookbook. He offers hundreds of options for combinations of crusts, fillings, sauces, and toppings, but I've chosen a traditional crust with a classic filling.
TRADITIONAL GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Combine the crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in the butter until crumbs are coated. Press evenly into a nine-inch pie pan. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before filling.
CLASSIC KEY LIME FILLING
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup Key lime juice
Preheat the oven to 350. combine eggs and milk and mix well. Slowly mix in the Key lime juice. Pour mixture into the prepared crust. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool, then chill until firm.
I’m not much of a pie person, but this sounds really good with its graham cracker crumb crust . . . . Thanks for sharing the recipe.
ReplyDeleteYUM!!! Thanks, Dee
ReplyDeleteFor special occasions and sometimes just because I was such a wonderful son, Mom used to make me a lemon pie with condensed milk and egg yolks...my favorite dessert. Moving to New Jersey, I learned to love Key lime as a close substitute. Now I'm thinking -- thanks to your wonderful and fortunate post, Ms. Lucy -- I could replace Key lime juice with lemon juice in David's recipe and reproduce Mom's not-yellow creamy pie (which she topped with hand-beaten whipped cream.) Would appreciate any tips or warnings on such an attempt.
ReplyDeleteMissed saying how exciting this spring looks from a Reds fan perspective. Truly something for every reader. Congrats on the continuing success in a frightening market, ladies, and may most or all of you reach The New York Times Bestseller list. Why not? Jungle Red Rules.
Jack - I want your mom's lemon pie recipe -- sounds delicious
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge key lime pie fan and a homemade filling deserves a homemade crust like this one
Morning everyone! Thanks Jack for the good wishes...
ReplyDeleteI think you could replace the lime with the lemon...I'll see if I can get David to come over and give us a tip.
One thing he definitely says is try to avoid the store-bought crust.
This looks so sinfully delicious! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteBombard us with Key West? Oh, no, Lucy/Roberta, feel free to talk about it every chance you get! Their Chamber of Commerce must LOVE you!
ReplyDeleteOn my one and only (so far) trip to FL in 1980 -far from Key West- I tasted Key Lime Pie and loved it. I bought some Key Lime juice to take home so I could make my own. I followed the recipe on the juice bottle. It was nothing like what I had in FL and I was disappointed. I have never tasted Key Lime Pie as good as the one I had in FL. I may try David's recipe.
By the way, do you have a guest room?!
Thanks for including me and Key lime pie! The lemon pie Jack's Mom used to make sound delicious. When substituting lemon juice, keep in mind it is not as tart, acidic or flavorful as Key lime juice, so you will want to use fresh lemons and increase the amount of juice - maybe try 3/4 cup. You can also amp up the lemon flavor with zest. To compensate for the extra liquid, add another egg yolk or even a whole egg to the recipe. Mix the eggs and condensed milk well and when you add the lemon juice, do it gradually, but don't overmix. After baking, allow at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. You can freeze it too, just let it thaw for 20 minuted before serving. For the fresh whipped cream, use confectioner's sugar and a dash of vanilla extract.
ReplyDeleteLuck and Limes (and Lemons)
David Sloan
keylimecookbook.com
I have loved all the posts about Key West this week. They've helped me forget how cold and snowy it is right outside my window. And being a lover of most anything in the food group lovingly referred to as "dessert," this is perfect! yum.
ReplyDeleteI love reading about Key West, and the dessert sounds absolutely yummy!
ReplyDeleteI love this recipe!! Simple and classic + perfect!!!
ReplyDeleteLet us know how it turns out!
ReplyDeleteThe Ultimate Key Lime Pies Are Always Baked By The Gorgeously, Sexy, Tantalizing, Enchanting, Captivatingly Irresistible and Beautiful "Mrs. Anita Pelaez" @ Her Key Lime Pie Factory down in Asheville near the Biltmore House. If you ever try Anita's Pie You Will Never Ever Want Any Others. They're That Damn Good. Anita Serves The South With The Finest.
ReplyDelete