Readers concentrate on lemon, Key lime pies

Wanda Farley of Hanahan summed it up best: "So easy you feel like you're cheating," she said of frozen lemonade pie.

The timing couldn't be better for the recipe request from a Hollywood reader for frozen lemonade and Key lime pies. With summer's heat officially settling in — so long 80s — and the July Fourth holiday ahead, cool desserts are the order of the day.

As with most recipes, there are numerous variations on both pies.

Toni Skidmore of North Charleston writes, "When I saw the request for lemonade pie, I was reminded of the one my mother, Polly Duke, used to make on the occasional very hot evenings that we had in Buffalo, N.Y., during July and August. No one in the North had air conditioning back then and we would always welcome a really good COLD dessert on a hot evening!

"I found her recipe in a cookbook that she had helped make for the Kenilworth Volunteer Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary. Brought back lots of memories, going through that little book! Especially the notes for garnish — Mom always made even the simplest foods look special by dressing them up with some color!"

Polly's Scrumptious Lemonade Pie

1 quart vanilla ice cream

1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate

8 ounces Cool Whip

1 (9-inch) Graham cracker or baked pastry pie crust

For garnish: Twisted lemon slice, mint leaf, maraschino cherry

Beat vanilla ice cream into frozen lemonade, which has been beaten to a froth with an egg beater. Fold in Cool Whip; do not beat. Pour into crust and freeze. Serve frozen, garnished with twisted lemon slice, mint leaf and a maraschino cherry. Pie should be removed from freezer 10-15 minutes before serving.

Probably more common are similar recipes sent by Chris Christopher of Charleston, Wanda (previously named), and Sue Coomer of Seabrook Island. This recipe uses condensed milk instead of ice cream.

Frozen Lemonade Pie

1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate

1 (12-ounce) container of frozen nondairy topping, such as Cool Whip (see cook's note)

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (9-inch) graham cracker pie crust

For garnish (optional): lemon slices, strawberries and fresh mint

Cook's note: Chris suggests using Extra Creamy Cool Whip if you can find it.

Let the frozen lemonade and dairy topping soften.

Mix (gently fold with a spatula) the milk and nondairy topping together. Add the lemonade (gently folding in) and stir thoroughly. Mixture will thicken. Pour into pie crust and place in freezer until firm.

Garnish with lemon slices, strawberries and fresh mint, if desired.

Also thanks to June Sageser of Charleston.

Key lime pie is very popular in the South — take note of restaurant menus for proof. It's also a bit controversial because there are so many deviations from the original recipe. Points of contention include graham cracker or pastry crust; meringue, whipped cream or nothing on top; cooked or uncooked filling; and the limes themselves, which should be Key limes if at all possible. Oh, and green food coloring is a no-no for purists.

The pie originated in the Florida Keys between the mid-1800s and the turn of the 20th century. Exactly who should get credit will never be known, but some think it was the creation of Aunt Sally, a cook for William Curry (1821-96), a ship salvager and Florida's first self-made millionaire.

Two "key" ingredients define the pie: Key limes, which likely were introduced to the Florida Keys by the Spanish in the 1500s; and sweetened condensed milk, which was invented by Gail Borden in 1859.

Key limes are quite sour and don't look very much like the limes we see in the grocery store. They're smaller, with a splotchy yellow-green skin and pale juice. Commercial production is very limited, but bottled Key lime juice is available.

Sweetened condensed milk came into play because local cooks had to rely on canned milk before the railroad and Overseas Highway were built to the Keys in the 1900s. The lack of refrigeration had made fresh milk a rarity.

The two combined — Key limes and condensed milk — made a custard pie without baking. The lime juice was acidic enough to curdle the milk and egg yolks. Most recipes now call for some baking because of the risk of salmonella in raw eggs.

This recipe, which appeared in Gourmet magazine in May 2003, is as "real" as you will find. The editors did add a little more lime juice to boost the tartness.

Key Lime Pie

Makes 8 servings

For crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs from 9 (2 1/4-inch by 4 3/4-inch) crackers

2 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For filling:

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh or bottled Key lime juice (if using bottled, preferably Manhattan brand)

For topping:

3/4 cup chilled heavy cream

Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a bowl with a fork until combined well, then press mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of a 9-inch (4-cup) glass pie plate.

Bake crust in middle of oven 10 minutes and cool in pie plate on a rack. Leave oven on.

Make filling and bake pie: Whisk together condensed milk and yolks in a bowl until combined well. Add juice and whisk until combined well (mixture will thicken slightly).

Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack (filling will set as it cools), then chill, covered, at least 8 hours.

Make topping: Just before serving, beat cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve pie topped with cream.

Changes and adaptations were bound to happen. Sue Coomer of Seabrook Island found this recipe in a woman's magazine many years back.

Key Lime Pie

Makes 8 servings

1 lime

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (6-ounce) can frozen limeade undiluted

2 cups heavy cream

1 (6-ounce) graham cracker crust

For garnish: (optional) lime zest

Grate enough zest from lime to equal 1 1/2 teaspoons. Squeeze 3 tablespoons juice.

In large bowl, mix condensed milk, limeade concentrate, zest and lime juice.

In medium bowl on high speed, beat 1 1/2 cups of the cream until soft, billowy peaks form. Whisk whipped cream into condensed milk mixture. Pour into crust, mounding slightly in the center. Freeze 1 hour until top is set. Cover with plastic wrap: freeze overnight until firm.

To serve: Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes to soften slightly.

Meanwhile beat remaining cream until stiff peaks form. Spread over pie. Garnish with zest, if desired.

Ann Strawser of Arlington, Texas, passed along several Key lime pie recipes, many from the Tampa Tribune newspaper.

"This recipe came from Parker's Lighthouse in Palm Beach Gardens, and has been a favorite of readers for many years, a simple cheesecake twist on the classic pie."

Parker's Lighthouse Key Lime Pie

Makes 8 servings

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ( 9-inch) deep-dish graham cracker pie shell

Lime slices for garnish

Whipped cream

Place condensed milk, cream cheese, lime juice and vanilla in a large-capacity blender or in an electric mixer (fitted with wire whip if available).

Whip on medium speed for 15 minutes. Pour mixture into prepared crust and refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving, or until filling is firm.

Garnish with fresh lime slices and whipped cream.

Thanks to ...

More letters with recipes for Red's Hummingbird Cake and blackberry cobbler came in after deadline.

Thanks to Rosie Dursse of Charleston and Jane Naser of Santee.

Who's got the recipe?

--Jim Owens says he enjoys reading this column but, as a diabetic, can't use many of the recipes. So he asks for diabetic desserts. "It's hard to find a cake or pie or any kind of dessert that diabetics can eat," he says.

--Charlotte Arnold of Goose Creek has lost a recipe for moussaka that once appeared in this column. It included potatoes, zucchini and eggplant. Having all three made it unusual, she says.

--Still looking: A caller left a message wanting to know how to make cookies like those store-bought lemon coolers.

If you have a request or a recipe to share, reach Food Editor Teresa Taylor at food@postandcourier.com or 937-4886.