The beauties of Florida, USA.

Key Lime Pie with Berries in a Caramel-Graham crust

Oh, how we could speak of the beauties of Florida. For those of us who don't live there, especially, Florida seems a heavenly paradise of the United States.  So tropical and lovely, so vacation-worthy.  I feel almost silly writing this, as if Florida is somehow played out because so many people visit it--on family trips or wild spring breaks (I've done both)--and so many people retire there--set up camp in condos with their SPF 0 and saggy strapless one-piece bathing suits.  Although Florida is so popular, so heavily trafficked and familiar, every time I visit, it feels new and exciting, taking on another persona different from its last. 

The Florida I visited the last two times (Cape Coral/Fort Myers) with my boyfriend and now-fiance, Zach, is a different Florida from my best friend Brittany's house on Siesta Key is a different Florida from my Dad's Grandma Dorothy's house with the purple bathroom in DeLeon Springs.  All are beautiful and comforting, and hold fantastic memories.

Here is a shot from my trip to Florida a few weeks ago, taken while on a day-long boat trip in the Gulf.

Here's one of my cutie-pie lovah and I, on the screened in porch in March at sunset.  I'm trying to dig out some old shots from middle and high school Spring Break trips in Sarasota to post on here.  They're bound to be entertaining.

But, one of the most awesome parts of Florida--especially for a food-obsessed motha like me--is the abundance of fresh fruit! Oh, how I love me a Florida farmer's market.

My favorite Florida dessert, perhaps the only strictly-Florida dessert worth mentioning (correct me if I'm wrong), is KEY LIME motha-truckin PIE.

This recipe is adapted from the good ol' Joy of Cooking, but I add lots of my own fantasmic twists.  The crust?  That's all me, baby!

Let's get started!

Note: I made this/shot these photos in Dustin and Candice's kitchen in Cape Coral, Florida.  Dustin is Zach's very hospitable brother.

Step one: Melt a stick of butter over medium heat.

Smash up a package of graham crackers.  Do this how you see fit...I'm not one to judge.

Get creative. Get your pent-up aggression out! Then eat your feelings!

Stir, eh, about a half cup of brown sugar into the melted butter and let it stew for a minute until it becomes goopy and almost sticky.

Mmm, now stir in them graham cracka crumbs.

Smear a pie-pan or similarly-shaped dish with butter.  Don't skimp.

Dump the graham mixture into the pan and let it cool for a few minutes while you move on to the next step.

Now, break out four to six limes and cut them from top to bottom.

Slice them like this.

Then mix yourself a cranberry-vodka (or gin and tonic, or grab a bottle of Corona) and squeeze one of the lime slices into it.  Resume activity.

Cut enough limes and squeeze enough juice to equal 1/2 cup.

Note: Because of time constraints, I used normal-sized limes as opposed to their tiny Key-lime counterparts.  Adjust accordingly.

Oh, now, babies, crack four egg yolks into a bowl (save the whites in a Tupperware for an omlette).  Stir in the lime juice and then one 14 oz. can of condensed milk. Yummmm.

Now...grate a Tablespoon of lime zest.  This may take a while and your fingers will probably get sore.  No one said Key Lime Pie is easy.

Stir it all together!

Whoops! I smushed the crust down without taking a picture.  You can figure it out, right?

Pour the filling into the perfectly smushed crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. You'd better check it after 15, though, darlin', just to be sure.

I like to hide some berries in between the filling and the whipped cream. Just to mix it up, you know?

Alright, so I had a few too many vodka-cranberries, because I completely neglected to take any more pictures until, well, the pie looked like this. 

Here's what you missed:

Pour one pint of heavy whipping cream into a blender.  If you don't have a blender, use a hand mixer.  If you don't have a hand mixer, then dude, you best be buyin' some whipped cream unless you want to hand whip that shit.  What a chore.

Anyway, blend up the cream until it's thick.  I added a couple of strawberries to the mix to give it a bit of sweetness.  Some people add a few Tablespoons of powdered sugar, but that's just not my style.  Whip it up, slop it on, and eat it up!

I really hope you enjoy this recipe.  It's one of my favorites.

I say...wear white after Labor Day, and bake Key Lime Pies in the Midwest!

Until we meet again,

Sophia

PS-Be ready for me to probably get raunchy again in my next post. 

I'm feeling tame tonight for some reason.