Not All Key Lime Pies Are Created Equal
Upon arriving in Key West, I learned that the population is divided into two camps: there are those who believe the original recipe calls for meringue, while the other half insists it should be whipped cream.
Im a big fan of dessert so I thought I would sample a few slices and see if I could weigh in on this foodie dilemma. My eating adventures lead me to plain slices of pie and others covered with chocolate drizzle, slices of pie served chilled and slices of pie served frozen, not to mention slices topped with with merengue, whipped cream and cool-whipbut then things got weird. As my quest for Key Lime Pie continued, I heard of restaurants serving deep-fried pie and pie smoothies, as well as shops selling chocolate-covered pies on a stick?
My curiosity piqued and my appetite followed
How Long Can Key Lime Pie Stay Out At Room Temperature
One of the essential steps to making Key lime pie is letting it get to room temperature before putting it in the fridge. But, every recipe weve researched feels it should reach that point in no more than thirty minutes. Since the FDA says letting food sit out longer than 2 hours is at risk of bacterial infestation, we say the same.
A key lime pie that has been pulled out of the oven should not sit on your counter for longer than 2 hours. This is the best place for bacteria to grow, and foodborne illnesses should be taken seriously. Food safety regulations are set for a reason, and we suggest always staying on the side of safely.
The 13 Best Places For Key Lime Pie In Toronto
Joel Solish: Key lime pie, nothing beats it. In the fall I highly suggest trying the pumpkin pie also. Good stuff here and made fresh daily.
Jackie Beauchamp: Wild berry and Key Lime Pie, an excellent combo!
Brian Guest: If your wife is upset with you, this could very well help resolve everything.
Tricia K: If you’re considering the key lime pie, do it!!!
Shari Kaisar: Best key lime pie EVER!
Alek Grguric: My favorite fish & chips in the GTA … bar none! Try the deep fried clams for something different.
– R: Try the New York strip with peppercorn sauce, amazing. Caesar salad is made right at your table and is definitely worth getting. Key lime pie for dessert
Chrissy Benoit: Took my bf here for dinner. Perfect date night! So romantic and the steaks are great 🙂 beautiful building. The decor is lovely. Put on a nice dress and have some red wine )
Ryan Caligiuri: Great dark ambiance if you’re looking for a place to talk business or have a quiet night out.
Lindsay: Key lime pie frozen yogurt is amazing! Real bits of Graham cracker crust too!
F: Chocolate is taste good! They have low-fat and low-sugar options!
Jordan Saxe: Best ice cream in the city. Roasted Hazelnut FTW
Ahmet Sabanc: lamb shank is amazing…so is key lime pie
Kevin Wong: Get the family style set menu. Crazy value!
Vito: Check out the iPad menus
Charles Law: You gotta try the key lime pie Popsicle.
Katricia Barleta: Key lime pie paleta is heaven.
Serban Teron: Diverse menu
for you
Also Check: Old Fashioned Grape Pie Recipe
Little Palm Islands Cashew Crusted Key Lime Pie
Crust:1 c. graham cracker crumbs½ c. sugar
Filling:3 c. sweetened condensed milk9 egg yolks1½ c. key lime juice
Topping:
Stay
Lazy Days Restaurant Mm 799
Considered one of the best restaurants in the Keys, Lazy Days is known especially for fresh fish. This Islamorada oceanfront restaurant specializes in cooking your catch of the day if you have been out fishing or diving for lobster. The key lime pies are all made on the property, serving a huge slice with graham cracker crust topped with creamy, sweet, filling, and medium tartness. It makes an ideal dessert after fresh seafood.
Don’t Miss: Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie
The Green Turtle Inn Mm 812
The Green Turtle, a long time Islamorada landmark, is a restaurant where turtle soup and steaks were legendary before the endangered species was banned from commercial fishing. Still a well-known island hangout, the Green Turtle has a key lime pie that we consider a chefs special on the fancier side. The macadamia nut crust is covered with a denser style filling topped with coconut whipped cream, berry syrup, and sprinkled with fruit.
Where To Stay In Key West
There are so many fun places to stay in Key West. But our favorites by far are the quaint and cottage-y Key West airbnbs, conch-style guesthouses and boutique hotels with lots of tropical charm. The town is famously LGBTQ friendly so there are lots of gay hotel options as well.
Heron House boutique hotel in Key West, Florida
These boutique hotels below epitomize the local vibe in Key West. The first three here Simonton Court, The Marquesa, and Heron House are steps from Duval. The last three are also great places to stay if youre looking for a resort with a bit more action.
Also Check: Easy Bean Pie Recipe
Kermits Key West Key Lime Shoppe
200 Elizabeth Street, Key West
Kermits is in a nifty location and featurs an adorable shaded café out back so you can really enjoy your pie in comfort. Kermits took my Key West foodie experience to a whole other level. Inside I discovered a wide variety of sweet treats and Key lime inspired goodies cookies, chocolates, candy, chilli sauce, you name it and the free taste tests made the kids happy as they samplde key lime jelly beans, fudge and more.
Finally after trying everything we decided on three sepcialities the Key lime pie , but we also branched out to try the strawberry Key lime pie and Key lime pie on a stick. You heard me right, theyve put Key lime pie on a stick, smothered it in chocolate and froze it. Drool!
While it wasnt my favorite Key Lime Pie, its definitely something you must experience while in Key West, because everything tastes good on a stick, right?
Not Just For Dessert Anymore
The first time I ever had key lime pie for breakfast was actually somewhat socially acceptable. Azur Restaurant in Key West serves a key lime pie-stuffed French toast that shoots the apple out of first place for original sin. But at least Chef Michael Mosi has the decency to camouflage the pie as a breakfast food group.
At Blue Heaven, following my course of bacon, lobster, and tomato benedict with key lime hollandaise sauce, I unabashedly dug into its famous sweet-on-sweet key lime meringue pie. Heres where I met up with David L. Sloan.
I took traditional recipes made by people in the Keys over the years about 10 or 12 of those. Then I came up with 20 crust recipes, 20 fillings, 20 sauces, and 20 toppings, he said about his combination history and cook book. You mix and match, and you can make 150,000 varieties of key lime pie.
Then he signed my copy using a pen filled with what else? key lime-colored ink.
Key limes, for those who dont know, are a lighter shade of green than your typical Persian lime, and hold twice the amount of juice, and a puckier juice at that.
The invention of the key lime pie, according to Sloan, dates back to Key Wests sponging days, when hookers, as the sponge harvesters were known, would open a can of sweetened condensed milk from the ships stores, stir in some dry bread crumbs, maybe a birds egg, and a hardy squeeze of scurvy-preventive key lime juice.
Then on to visit the king of key lime, Kermit Carpenter.
Don’t Miss: Entenmann’s Coconut Custard Pie
More Amazing Pie Recipes To Try
Graham cracker crust
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press the crumb mixture into an 8″ – 9.5″ pie pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes.
Key Lime Filling
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest in a medium bowl. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust and bake for 10 minutes.
- Let pie cool slightly before chilling. Chill for at least 3 hours.
Whipped Cream Topping
- Beat heavy cream and sugar together in a mixer until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Spread or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cooled pie. Top with additional lime zest if desired.
The Blonde Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory
Coming in at #3, The Blonde Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory is conveniently located in Key Largo right off the Overseas Highway. The shop itself is bright and cheerful and their gift shop sells all things lime flavored. Yes, they are a bit touristy but the staff is friendly and their outdoor seating is fantastic! Colorful Adirondack chairs are interspersed on a back patio between beautiful shade trees and a tropical garden. However, its the friendly pie-begging resident chickens that made for one enjoyable and unique experience! Although the chickens really enjoyed the sweeter pie, it was too sweet for my liking. That being said, if you love a very dense, rich, creamy and sweeter pie youll love this one. Overall Pie Rating 3 out of 5
Also Check: Entenmann’s Coconut Custard Pie
Key Lime Pie: The Best Dessert In The Florida Keys
Confession time: during my recent visit to the Florida Keys I ate Key Lime Pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day. Id like to tell you that this was strictly for research purposes as I embarked on a quest to find the best Key Lime Pie in the Keys, but lets be honest, I just like to eat pie and when its listed on every single menu, it only makes it that much easier for me to indulge in a little sweet somethin somethin.
I may not have been able to narrow the search down to the best pie , however, I did end up discovering a whole lot of unique variations of the dessert.
How To Make Key Lime Pie
There are few things more satisfying than creating pie. Of course, this section speaks to the cooks. If you dont want to make youre own, there are several store-bought options that are delicious.
We discuss those later. Homemade Key lime pie isnt difficult and you can even purchase the crust to save some time.
You May Like: Campbells Recipe Chicken Pot Pie
Delicious Key Lime Pie In Miami
So first things first, if you go to Miami, then you should try Cuban food. Let me just put that out there first off. If youve never eaten Cuban food, Versailles Restaurant in Little Havana is a great place to start.
If you happen to be in the area, but dont want to eat a meal, they also have a bakery adjoining their restaurant where you can purchase all sorts of yummy baked goods made fresh each day. Their key lime pie happens to be really good! It might have tied Kermits for my first place position had I been able to do a side by side comparison, although, I still think the flavor of Kermits filling is better.
I love palm trees!
My Pie Impressions: It had a fantastic graham cracker crust, it was probably the thickest graham cracker crust Id ever seen, and the filling had good lime flavor. However, the downside is that the crust may have stolen the show a little from the filling. So thats where I have to get picky, the crust was so good, that it overpowered the filling just a little.
The food here was also amazing! If you come, I highly recommendin addition to the key lime pie, that you try their imperial rice dish, youll be glad you did!
Versailles Restaurant Address: 3555 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33135
Best Killer Key Lime Pie To Love In Key West And The Florida Keys
One of our goals with visiting the Florida Keys was to find the best key lime pie in Key West and beyond. After seven days of multiple key lime pies and other products each day, we were able to narrow down to our favorites and exactly what made each key lime pie slice or drink so special. Florida key lime pie is a tourist attraction in itself, so enjoy our guide to the best key lime pie in the Florida Keys!
We have this organized by island, so as you explore South Florida looking for the best key lime products , you can see how far youll need to drive for our favorites. Hint: the best key lime pie we had wasnt even that far from Miami
What you’ll find…
Recommended Reading: Bean Pie My Brother
Review Of Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory
Price range:Description:Restaurant detailsDescription:Well worth the stop!
We saw this place on our way to Key West and wrote it down so we would stop on our way back. We were not disappointed! You could choose a slice or whole pie, plain, with meringue or whip cream. They also had cookies, meringues and other items. We purchased 2 slices with whip cream and some meringues. We could not eat our pie in the garden since we had our pup so we ate in the truck! It was so good! The best key lime pie I have ever had. Worth the money!
Key Lime Pie Variations
Weve seen it all Frozen. Dipped in chocolate. We have tasted vegan key lime pies using sour cream, vegan cream cheese, and additions such as mango, peanut butter, Nutella, avocados, and ice cream. Some crusts are made of all kinds of nuts, oreo cookies, cheerios, ginger snaps, pretzels, and animal crackers. We have seen elaborate toppings using fruit blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and everything in between. Weve seen sauces made of honey, caramel, blueberry, fudge, or just cream Anglaise sauce. Whatever your fancy, you can usually do it with key lime pie.
Read Also: Chocolate Covered Key Lime Pie On A Stick Key West
Key Lime Pie With Whipped Cream
Next up, I had to sample a slice of pie with whipped cream, which proved to be quite easy seeing as most restaurants serve their pies with whipped cream rather than meringue. I got my first taste of this at The Stoned Crab at Ibis Bay Resort, where they wowed me with both their seafood and their pie.
I really liked having the whipped cream on the pie because it was a nice way to balance the tartness of the lime. This pie also came with a chocolate and lime glaze, which I really liked. I noticed a lot of places liked to serve their pies plain so that the flavour could come through, but I thought the chocolate and lime were a nice compliment.