Key Lime Pie Addict – David Sloan
David Sloan is one colorful dude who’s hard to define. Author, baker, ghost hunter, and co-founder of Key West’s Key Lime Festival, David always seems to have the Midas Touch, especially when it comes to Key lime pie.
His book, the “Key West Key Lime Pie Cookbook,” features recipes for twenty crusts, fillings, sauces, and toppings — all of which can be mixed and matched to create more than 150,000 varieties of Key lime pie.
But David’s connection with Key lime pie didn’t start or end with his cookbook. He began as a young boy back in Texas where he honed his skills, making thousands of Key lime pies for a local hamburger joint and then escalated decades later when he heard about a Key Lime Festival in Key Largo that happened in the 1950s.
That’s all it took. In July 2013, and with great fanfare, David and his cohorts launched their own Key West Key Lime Festival with all kinds of crazy events, including a “Miss Key Lime” pageant, a Key lime pie-eating contest and the creation of the world’s most massive Key lime pie.
The festival takes place annually over the 4th of July Weekend is always a“Sloan-Worthy” event. Find out more at keylimefestival.com.
Authentic Key Lime Pie – Pepe’s Cafe, Key West
Pepe’s Cafe makes the favorite Key lime pie of David Sloan, author of the Ultimate Key Lime Pie Cookbook. According to Sloan, rather than just using egg yolks like a classic Key lime pie, “They use some egg white with the condensed milk. It makes it a little fluffier, very nice.”
Ingredients For Crust
1 1/4 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs from 12 (2 1/4-inch by 4 3/4-inch) crackers
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
5 Tbl. Unsalted Butter, melted
For Filling
1 14-oz Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Large Egg Whites
4 Large Egg Yolks
1/2 Cup Fresh or Bottled Key Lime Juice
For Topping
1 Cup Chilled Heavy Cream
3 Tbl Confectioner’s Sugar
Preparation for the Crust
Arrange rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle with the melted butter and stir well. Press mixture evenly onto bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch (4-cup) glass pie plate. Bake crust about 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove pie from oven and transfer plate to a wire rack to cool. Leave oven on.
Preparation for the Filling:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a whisk or hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk. Add the lime juice and whisk until combined. Gently fold in about 1/3 of the egg whites to lighten the mixture then add the remaining egg whites and fold until just evenly combined. Gently spread the mixture in the pre-baked crust and bake until just set in the center, about 20 minutes.
To Serve
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Beat heavy cream and sugar together in a mixer until stiff peaks form. Spread or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cooled pie. The pie can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator, up to 3 days.
Pepe’s Cafe is located at 806 Caroline St, Key West, 305-294-7192. You can also find signature variations of this iconic dessert throughout the Keys.