Tag Archives: Key Lime Pie

Morsels from the Tropics

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Key Lime Tartlets, a tasty creation of mine.

Key Lime Pie is one of my favorites and specialties. If you’re lucky enough to find the key limes, don’t pass up the opportunity to use them. Regular limes don’t fill the bill.

A twist on the traditional Key Lime Pie is my Key Lime Tartlets. Take all the tropical goodness and put it in to little bites. Here I used clear plastic square cups and filled them for a buffet. These are nice to serve anytime and anywhere and they’re fun to eat.

Follow the no-bake recipe below. (I’ll share another awesome baked version later). Instead of the pie method, do this:

Mix graham cracker crumbs. Instead of pressing them into a pie pan, press a Tablespoon into a little cup (no need to bake). Refrigerate until chilled.

Fill with Key Lime filling. Refrigerate.

When ready to serve, top with whipped cream and a garnish of key lime.

So easy and exotic!

My Key Lime Tartlets on a dessert buffet. Photo of Margot.

Recipe: Best Key Lime Pie By Mom (Lois Garneau)

Because the Florida Keys had no refrigeration until the Overseas Highway opened in 1938, bakers had to use canned milk, so sweetened condensed milk became an essential element of Florida’s state pie.

Make a graham cracker crust in a 9-inch pie pan. Use crushed graham crackers and follow the recipe on the box. If your pie plate is large, increase the recipe by half. Cool crust before filling it.

For the filling, mix:

  • 1 can (14 oz.) Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1/3 cup Key Lime juice (use a citrus reamer to extract the juice) Or, use Nellie and Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice, found in some grocery or specialty stores.
  • 2 egg whites beaten until thick, fold into the above

Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream or meringue topping.

Use the Key Lime rinds for decoration.

 

Wrapping it Up: Do-Ahead Thanksgiving 2011

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Thanksgiving Day brought family together in our home—Kelley’s, Garneau’s and McKinney’s—for feast and fun. The best part for me was the relaxing time to visit with everyone and enjoy the day.

Why? Because I prepared everything ahead of the actual day.

Here’s the menu and the plan.  Bookmark this page for next year or adapt it for Christmas. You, too, can serve up your best and enjoy both your holidays and your guests. You might say, “How can a person who works full time accomplish all this?” I say, this method is really great for the working gal or guy or busy stay-at-home mom—you shop and cook when you can—in the evenings, weekends, or early mornings. You chip away at your assignments and it becomes fun not a chore.

 Create Your Table

Photo by Cindy Dyer

Three days or so ahead, whenever you can, prepare your table. This gives you time for creative editing.

Afternoon Snacks

Simple and light munchies were served outdoors by the smoker, the fire pit, and football on the outdoor screen. Luckily, the weather was about 70 degrees and folks worked up an appetite by throwing the football in the yard.

  • Popped corn with seasonings popped over the fire pit
  • Cheeses and crackers—Stilton with cranberries and Gouda

Dinner Menu

Smoked Turkey—The perfect brine included a recipe of pungent spices called Bonedust. The turkey is washed and brined a day ahead. Even if you roast it in the oven, wash and brine the turkey a day ahead so all you have to do is season it (and stuff it if you wish) right before you put it in the oven.

Traditional Bread Stuffing—Dry the breadcrumbs one week ahead and save them in the refrigerator. Cook the onions, celery, apples, spices and herbs in butter two days before Thanksgiving and refrigerate. Reheat the butter mixture in the microwave the day before Thanksgiving and mix with bread crumbs. Put the stuffing in a buttered casserole dish. Note: Safety never takes a holiday! If you plan to stuff the turkey, please don’t stuff the turkey ahead of time. It must be stuffed just before roasting erstwhile you get food poisoning. I didn’t stuff the turkey because it was smoked.

Gravy by Bobby G.—Root vegetables, herbs, turkey neck and giblets made this gravy tasty. Guest Chef Bobby G. made the gravy while the turkey smoked outdoors. He stirred it a lot! (But I think he just likes to do that.). You could make your stock ahead of time when you clean the turkey. Refrigerate and continue cooking when the turkey is roasting.

Mashed Potato Casserole—Make a week or two ahead and freeze. Thaw well ahead of baking. Recipe below.

Sweet Potatoes—Make a week or two ahead and freeze. Same as above. Recipe below.

Baked Cranberry-Orange Sauce—Make up to four days ahead. Put in serving bowl, cover with wrap. Can be served hot or cold.

Photo by Cindy Dyer.

Sauté of Haricots Verts and Pearl Tomatoes—Wash green beans and tomatoes the day before and cook about 20 minutes before the meal is served. Sauté some shallots in olive oil. Add the green beans and steam until tenderly crunchy. Add tomatoes. When warm, season to taste with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.

Rolls and Butter—I purchased some yeast rolls from the bakery the day before and heated them. Or make your own a week ahead and freeze them.

Desserts

Photo by Cindy Dyer.

Bill’s Pecan-Bourbon Pie with a Touch of White Chocolate Bill made this scrumptious pie a week ahead and froze it. Take out of freezer on Thanksgiving morning.

Lucille’s Pumpkin Roll —Make it several days ahead and freeze. Put in the refrigerator to thaw.

Key Lime Pie—Make the graham cracker crust a week or two ahead and freeze it. Make the Key Lime filling the morning of Thanksgiving and top with fresh whipped cream. This takes no time at all! The filling is a “piece of cake”…well, I mean pie.

The Wine

Thanks to our friends in Spain, Javier and Cristina, we had some of the finest wine of Rioja region, delivered from Spain to our door via a vintner in McLean, Virginia. We enjoyed Vino Cabillo (2005) from Bodegas Lopez de Heredia winery, better known as Tondonia or simply Heredia.

“The reason that Tondonia deserves a position of prominence on the Rioja podium is the sheer quality and seductiveness of its wines, across virtually the entire portfolio….Maria Jose Lopez and her sister, Mercedes, protect the proud reputation of the family firm. “ (From The Finest Wines of Rioja and Northwest Spain.)

I don’t know if this varietal was the best choice for turkey. However, we loved it and its boldness stood up to all the various foods. Plus, we toasted our friends with their wonderful gift. Thank you to our Spanish friends!

Potato Recipes Mentioned Above

For the other recipes, click on the live links.

Mashed Potato Casserole

A Kentucky gal, Nova Jean Monroe, gave me this recipe years ago and it is a mainstay at holiday meals. Go University of Kentucky Wildcats!

  • 8 cups (2-1/2 lbs., peeled, quartered potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes or comparable
  • ½ cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 T minced fresh onion (or1 teaspoon onion powder)
  • 3/8 teaspoon salt season to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper or season to taste
  • paprika

Cook potatoes in water, 25-30 minutes, until tender. Drain well. Mash potatoes gradually adding salad dressing, cream cheese, onion, salt and pepper.

Spoon into 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

This freezes well. Do not bake and cover tightly and freeze. To serve, thaw casserole. Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until thoroughly heated.

Serves 10-12, can easily be doubled for a crowd

 Sweet Potatoes

I first enjoyed this at Thanksgiving 1997 at Bobby G’s house in Raleigh.

  • 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup sugar (you can cut this back a little)
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Combine the above ingredients and top with topping

Topping

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Bake in a casserole dish at 350 degrees for one hour.  Freezes beautifully. Thaw completely before baking.

Hint: Mark all your do-ahead items in foil and write with a permanent marker on the foil its name and cooking instructions, including how long to thaw, and/or what time to thaw or bake. This avoids having to backtrack and find recipes at the last-minute.

Last, since all your cooking is done well ahead of time, you can tidy up the kitchen, clean up your prep mess, start with a clean sink and an empty dishwasher, and you’re good to go!

(Photos by Barbara Kelley unless specified otherwise.)

Will the Real Key Lime Pie Please Stand Up?

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Key Limes. Photo by Cassandra Birocco.

Cue Margaritaville for some Florida Keys’ mood music.

A recent trip to the Florida Keys jolted me in summer mode and in the mood for some coastal, comfort food. Key Islamorada was the tropical, oceanside site of the wedding of CJ and Casey McLaughlin. Food, fun, family and, of course, the traditional Key Lime Pie, made only from Florida Key Limes. In fact, along with the rum wedding cake, came a slice of Key Lime Pie. Sometimes I just have to act like a guest and not photograph every piece of food I eat. Besides, there was no tearing me away from that pie.

Mom never minced words and only spoke when she knew she was right:

“Real Key Lime Pie is yellow, not green.”

With that in mind, come along on the journey.

The FLA-KEY Croissant — Look for Betsey, the Giant Lobster Outside the Place

Yvonne at the FLA-KEY Croissant in Islamorada.

Located at the Rain Barrell, Mile Marker 86.7, this artsy spot served up an authentic version of Key Lime Pie. Just as you would expect, it’s a little funky place with Yvonne at the counter. The filling was yellow and with two approved variations—a flaky flour dough crust and a meringue topping (instead of a graham cracker crust and a whipped cream topping). It was good— tangy and authentic. Stop by to meet Yvonne. She will even put on the glasses for you. She used to be a real estate agent and threw away her computer and is enjoying a more mellow lifestyle serving up coffee and Key Lime Pie.

Back Home on the Search

Our plane landed back home from south Florida at 4:30 p.m. By 5:30 p.m., I was on the hunt for Key Limes in Northern Virginia markets. Trader Joe’s usually carries them, but not today. Whole Foods, not today. But, of all places, the local Safeway! The produce manager pointed me to two lone packages of Key Limes. The exchange went like this:

“They look a little decrepit,” he said.

I said: “I’ll take them! I’m so excited!”

To which he replied, “You could sing that song if you want to.” (I moved on fast.)

They did look decrepit but their insides were as juicy as ever. In the meantime, I had my childhood friend and food photographer, Cassandra Birocco, looking for Key Limes in Rhode Island so she could take a photo for this article.

She said, “We can just use limes, no one will know the difference!” (She is originally from Western Pennsylvania so how would she know?) After a swift scolding from me, she got the message and found Key Limes in Rhode Island! Thus, the stunning photo at the top of this page.

Blasphemy on Google
Next, I Googled to see what images came up for Key Limes and Key Lime Pie just in case Cass couldn’t find any and my decrepit-looking ones didn’t photograph well. I also looked into recipes to taste test to see if any could compare (or be more authentic) than mom’s pie.

Shock and awe is all I can say to describe what I found next:

  • Regular limes being passed off as Key Limes!
  • A supposed Key Lime Pie decorated on top with kiwi fruit! Kiwi fruit? Okay, really? Pity the poor folks who buy into this myth. I’m still in shock. (I always tell the kids not to believe what they see on the Internet.)
  • Even a well-known Food Network chef (Emeril) said to use Key Limes or limes.

And, from Parade Magazine: “Key Limes may no longer be the, uh, key to this treat, but condensed milk remains so.”

How can they say Key Limes may not be the “key” to this treat? I was getting madder by the minute. Lazy cooks.

Go to the Extra Mile Marker

"Real Key Lime Pie is yellow not green." (Mom)

If you are making a Key Lime Pie, then make it authentic. Go to the trouble of finding the Key Limes, and make a real Key Lime Pie. Imagine this scene:

Your guests: “Is this pie made from real Key Limes?

You: “Uh, no, but it is made from limes….”

How anticlimactic!

Why not say “Yes! Of course, it’s made from Florida Key Limes.”

I say go to the trouble, find the Key Limes, and make a traditional Florida Key Lime Pie. If you do anything less, it becomes fraud.

On the Thanksgiving Dessert Menu

Shipwrecked with a Key Lime Pie --- This is my pie, made from mom's recipe.

This Thanksgiving, I’m adding Key Lime Pie to the dessert offerings along with Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Cheese Roll. If I can’t find the Key Limes by next week, I’ll scratch the Key Lime Pie.

Recipe testing and searching brought me back to my mom’s recipe—authentic, best taste and easy to make. She used to make her pies from the Key Limes from the tree we gave her for Christmas one year (Circa 1977).

Recipe: Best Key Lime Pie
By Mom (Lois Garneau)

Because the Florida Keys had no refrigeration until the Overseas Highway opened in 1938, bakers had to use canned milk, so sweetened condensed milk became an essential element of Florida’s state pie.

Make a graham cracker crust in a 9-inch pie pan. Use crushed graham crackers and follow the recipe on the box. If your pie plate is large, increase the recipe by half. Cool crust before filling it.

For the filling, mix:

  • 1 can (14 oz.) Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1/3 cup Key Lime juice (use a citrus reamer to extract the juice) Or, use Nellie and Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice, found in some grocery or specialty stores.
  • 2 egg whites beaten until thick, fold into the above

Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream or meringue topping.

Use the Key Lime rinds for decoration.

I made these key lime tartlets in clear cups for a buffet. Photo by Cindy Dyer.

For fun, I made Key Lime Tarts. I used pre-made graham tart crusts and used decorative cupcake papers. You can make these for any occasion by changing the papers.