Florida Food

Today's guest blogger is Region V Representative, Chris Sykes.

Once you arrive in Florida for the SAGA Convention be sure to bring an appetite. If you are a seafood lover try the Stone Crabs or Spiny Lobster. There is also plenty of fresh produce such as oranges, avocados, mangos, kumquats, star fruit, papaya, and coconuts, but by far the star to look for is key limes, as in key lime pie.

 

Key lime pie can be made with either a pasty or graham cracker crust, but the filling is always the same: sweetened condensed milk, acidic Key lime juice and egg yolks. Pie lore says that early Florida settlers often had little access to fresh dairy products so they relied on canned milk. To sell more of its sweetened, condensed milk, the Borden Company marketed it for use in pie making. Pie bakers discovered when combining the condensed milk with the Key lime juice, the filling thickened, creating the base of the now famous pie!

 

Key Lime Pie

Graham Cracker Crust

Butter for the pie pan

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup (5 ½ tablespoons butter, melted)

 

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.    2. Butter an 8-inch pie pan

3.    In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter to form crumbles. Press them into the pan

4.    Bake the crust for 8 minutes until golden: set aside to cool

Filling

1 can (about 14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

3 egg yolks

½ cup Key lime juice (from about 1 pound of Key limes)

Grated rind of 2 Key limes

 

1.    In a bowl, combine the milk and yolks. Whisk for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the lime juice and grated rind; stir well

2.    Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

Whipped Cream

1-cup heavy or shipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1.    Using an electric mixer, beat the cream and sugar until they form stiff peaks

2.    Spoon onto the top of the pie before serving.

 

*Recipe by Molly Kravitz