The Cook’s Kitchen

Jack Kerouac felt that pie was the perfect road food and I for one would tend to agree with him. Here is a favorite quote from “On the Road”

“I went to sit in the bus station and think this over. I ate another apple pie and ice cream; that’s practically all I ate all the way across the country, I knew it was nutritious and it was delicious, of course.”

It’s a real shame that I’m not a better baker because I really have a sweet tooth for pie. Knowing my limitations I have to resort to making pies that are for the most part … easy. If you happened to read my article titled I’ve Got My Mojo Workin’ I mentioned my cookin’ buddy and recipe guru Richard who happens to live in Florida. Since key lime pie is one of my favorites, I asked Richard to share his favorite recipe with us for this classic pie.

If you are not familiar with key lime pie here is a little history. Sometime in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s in Florida, key lime pie was created. It is now the official dessert of Key West. In 1926 a big hurricane wiped out most of the bigger plantations that grew key limes and the original strain of limes was replaced with Persian limes. Of course the limes are the key ingredient in the pie, but Gail Borden’s invention of canned sweetened condensed milk is what makes the filling so smooth and delicious. Canned milk was used because of the Keys isolation and the fact that fresh milk was hard to come by. Using canned milk allowed you to make a custard pie without the necessity of cooking it. The key lime juice by itself was enough to curdle the condensed milk and egg yolks. Now days most bake the pies to 160 degrees because of the worry of salmonella in eggs.

Here is the recipe that Richard sent me. The crust is unique due to the coconut flakes and the chopped nuts. The filling is nice and tart because of the reduction of the lime juice. I really enjoy this pie, so in keeping with Great American Pie Month, I hope you will give it a try.

Pie Crust

• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 cup graham crackers, crushed
• 1/2 cup pecans, macadamia, almonds, walnuts or a combination, chopped course
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes, chopped course
• 4 Tbs butter, melted
• Option: Add 1/2 oz of Gran Marnier or Amaretto.

Mix the ingredients and spread around the bottom and edges of an oven proof pie pan. Bake at 350° until lightly brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Filling

• 1 cup Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice
• 2 – 14 ozs. cans condensed milk, sweetened
• 3 large egg yolks
• Pinch of salt

Place the lime juice in a small pan and heat over medium heat to reduce the volume by half. Strain and cool. Empty cans of condensed milk into mixing bowl and chill. When key lime juice is cool add to condensed milk, mixing thoroughly. Lightly beat egg yolks and add to milk mixture, add salt and blend well. Pour into the pre-baked crust. Bake pie at 350° for 10 minutes. Chill 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream. For an extra touch, try a final garnish with mint or spearmint leaves.