Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie is on almost every menu in Florida.  The original version with meringue is more difficult to find.  The more available version uses whipped cream, which is easier to serve.   My husband and I found the meringue key lime pie at the Key Lime Pie Factory on Tavernier Island just west of Key Largo. It was delicious! You can buy slices and whole pies, as well as a wide range of key lime flavored treats, including frozen key lime pie dipped in chocolate on a stick

Key Lime Pie is thought to have been invented in Key West by “Aunt Sally,” the talented cook of William Curry, a prominent Key West resident and Bahamian-born immigrant who became Florida’s first millionaire. In the late 1800s, Aunt Sally used ingredients available on the island, which is at the end of the Florida Keys archipelago — easy to store sweetened condensed milk in a can (no cows anywhere near the island), local eggs (there are chickens everywhere on Key West) and the locally grown key limes.  Key limes are yellowish when ripe and are smaller and have more seeds than the bright green limes you commonly find in the grocery store throughout the United States.  In the original recipe, egg yolks go into the filling, and the egg whites are whipped into a meringue topping. More commonly now, restaurants and bakeries skip the meringue and use whipped cream, but the Key Lime Pie Factory in Tavernier Island in the Florida Keys still creates its pies with meringue.

History of Key Lime Pie.

Authentic Key Lime Pie Recipe.

What Makes a Key Lime So Special.

The Most Dangerous Recipe in the World

It may not be the prettiest cake, but it can be ready in five minutes. That's what makes it so dangerous.

Chris B. emailed this recipe to all of her friends, and we’re so grateful.  She tells us we’re now only five minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night.  This makes it one of the most dangerous cake recipes in the world.

FIVE-MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

• 1 coffee mug
• 4 tablespoons flour (plain, not self-rising)
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking cocoa
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
• some chopped nuts (optional)
• small dash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.  Add the egg and mix thoroughly.  Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.  Add the chocolate chips and nuts (if using) and vanilla. Mix again.  Cook in the microwave for three minutes on high.  The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little.  Tip out onto a plate, if desired, or spoon it right out of the mug.  This can serve two people, if you’re willing to share. It’s very rich and dense.  It reminds me of a fallen chocolate souffle — nothing wrong with that! Let it cool a little, but it’s best warm.

I used a soup mug for the cake in the photo. The cake didn’t rise above the rim, but it still baked well.  I’ve made a vegan version using egg substitute and replaced the milk with water, and it was still tasty.  Just don’t skimp on the cocoa!