The Key Lime Pie Debate (Slideshow)
Key West Key Lime Pie Company is one of the big players in the Key lime pie world, selling pies, Key lime juice, jams, jellies, marinades, and every other Key lime pie product you can think of. They are also the recipients of multiple awards from the American Pie Council and have made appearances on The CBS Early Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and 500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late. Here's their riff on a Key lime pie that was featured on Throwdown.
Blue Heaven Sky High Key Lime Pie
Blue Heaven is located in historic Bahama Village, and is the one-time location of Ernest Hemingway's boxing ring. When Mrs. Hemingway decided to surprise her husband with a swimming pool at their residence on Whitehead Street, his boxing ring was moved around the corner to Blue Heaven. The factor that sets Blue Heaven's pie apart is the sky-high mountain of meringue on top. If you want to watch a live demo of the baking process, check that out here.
Kermit’s Key Lime Pie
Another heavy hitter in the Florida Keys Key lime pie ring is Kermit of Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe. Kermit serves a traditional Key lime pie with whipped cream, using his own brand of Key lime juice. He also has a recipe for coconut topping that we're dying to try with his base recipe, which you can find here
The 'True Original' Key Lime Pie
Bill and Robin, owners of the Key Lime Pie Factory & The Coconut Factory, collectively know everything about Key lime, Key lime pie, Key West, Fla., and basically the universe. If you don't believe us, you should ask for a history of the Key lime pie next time you stop in for a treat! Bill uses only Borden's sweetened condensed milk in his pies, sticking to the original recipe, which he says gives the pie it's incredibly creamy texture.
Sundowners
Another meringue believer, Paul explained to us that Sundowners makes not only their own pies but also the pies for all of its sister restaurants in the keys. This recipe and many, many others can also be found in their cookbook.
Compromise Key Lime Pie
The Fish House Restaurant & Seafood Market serves slabs of Key lime pie with meringue with a great filling-to-meringue ratio. They've been making their own pies in house since 1982, so we feel like they've got it down to a science by now. Plus, straddling the meringue or whipped cream debate, they serve the pie with a side of whipped cream so you can make the choice for yourself!
David Sloane’s Favorite Key Lime Pie
Pepe's Cafe Key West has the distinction of making the favorite Key lime pie of David Sloan, self-proclaimed Key lime pie expert and author of the Ultimate Key Lime Pie Cookbook. He points out in an interview with Epicurious that 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."
Strawberry Key Lime Pie
Showing that the traditional Key lime pie can in fact be mixed up in many different delicious ways, Kermit adds strawberry purée into the filling of this amazingly beautiful Strawberry Key Lime Pie. Sounds to us like a strawberry margarita in a pie shell... SOLD.