Key Lime Pie

Even as a Florida native (Fourth generation, actually), I can’t tell you exactly where the genius of Key lime pie originated. There are tales of late 20th century sponge fishermen out at sea off the coast of the Florida Keys whipping it up from what they had on their boat (presumably cans of sweetened condensed milk, Key limes, and eggs—weird, right?). Or perhaps it was the brilliant Bahamian cook known only as Aunt Sally who invented it for her boss, the first Florida millionaire, William Curry. I even found mention of a botanist being the first to make Key lime pie.

Whoever it was, we are forever in debt to them for creating Florida’s favorite and best dessert. A few things about it are for certain: It must be made with sweetened condensed milk (No substitutes! Trust me, I tried.). The only acceptable topping is meringue, forget about whipped cream, sorry. And, finally, the crust is debatable and a great topic to fight about at the dinner table. For this version, I took the traditional “conch” Key lime pie I grew up with and created a few twists to make Grandma’s recipe the ultimate creamy, sweet, and tart pie with a buttery crust and fluffy topping.