Florida and a Famous Pie Recipe

January 25th is also known as Florida Day. Florida officially became the 27th state on January 25th but first lets take a look back at the history of Florida. Known as the sunshine state Florida was founded by Spanish explorers in 1565.In fact if you visit the city of St. Augustine you can see colonial architecture that dates back to the mid 1500s. St. Augustine is also the oldest city in the United States.  The city was very busy in the beginning with popes and pirates in search of gold. The early settlers came from Europe. 

The 14th and 15th British colonies were east and west Florida. The American Revolutionary War would see in the Treaty of Paris Florida being returned to Spain. It would be the Louisianna Purchase in 1803 and another agreement to bring the state of Florida back to the union. 

With average temp in Florida being 79.5 it is no surprise to me that John Gorrie from Florida would be the name behind the systems that help keep us cool. In 1851 Gorrie would invent both air conditioning and refrigeration. The famous Florida keys could truly use the Air Conditioner. Speaking of the Key's there is one famous pie that started out there as well. The Key Lime Pie:

Graham Cracker Crust:

7 tablespoons Butter, melted

11 full Graham Crackers (to make just about 2 cups graham cracker crumbs)

¼ cup Sugar

¼ teaspoon Sea Salt

Pie Filling:

1½ tablespoons Zest from key limes (reserve a pinch of this zest as an optional sprinkling on top of the pie)

3 Egg Yolks

1 can (14 ounces) Sweetened and Condensed Milk

¾ cup Key Lime Juice (from approximately 1 pound of key limes)

For Whipped Cream:

1 cup (8 ounces) Heavy Cream

1½ tablespoons Sugar

Preheat oven to 350ºF (176ºC). 

For Graham Cracker Crust:

Make graham cracker crumbs in food processor or place graham crackers in plastic bag and crush until they turn into crumbs. Put butter in a med-large mixing bowl and mix in graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt until combined. Put mixture into a 9-inch pie dish and pat it down with your fingers to make the crust. Bring the crust up the edges as well. Bake for 10 minutes or until very lightly browned. Allow to cool while preparing pie filling.

For Pie Filling:

Whip most of the zest (reserving a pinch for sprinkling the top of the pie to garnish) and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add sweetened and condensed milk and mix for 3 minutes or until thickened. Add lime juice and mix until combined. Pour mixture into pie crust.

Place in oven for 15 minutes. Pie will rise slightly but the filling won't change color. Allow to cool for ½ hour at room temperature before cooling completely in the fridge for at least 2 hours. You can also place it in the freezer instead of the fridge to cool it quicker. Just remember to remove it before it turns into ice cream!

For Whipped Cream:

Use an electric mixer to whip together cream and sugar for a few minutes until stiff peaks form. Top the pie with whipped cream and optional zest before serving.

Enjoy!!

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