A HARTE APPETITE: KEY LIME VITAL INGREDIENT TO FAMOUS CULINARY TREAT

Many dishes rely on a vital ingredient. In risotto it's arborio rice. In aioli it's garlic. And in anything called Florentine (except for those little chocolate coated cookies), it's spinach. But of all the dishes that depend on a critical or "key" ingredient, surely Key Lime Pie heads the list.

Key Lime Pie, of course, is the most famous of the culinary creations made with the Key lime. Variously called the Mexican, West Indian, or Bartender lime, the Key lime is significantly different than its cousin, the Persian lime, the kind most commonly found at produce counters around here.

The Key lime is smaller and rounder than the Persian variety and its color is closer to yellow than to green. Aficionados claim it has more flavor than a regular lime and, therefore, insist that substitutions for it not only compromise authenticity but taste as well. Key limes are especially high in vitamin C, which is why they were eaten by British sailors in the 18th century to fend off scurvy (thus, the nickname "limey").

The Key lime, according to Norman Van Aken in "The Great Exotic Fruit Book," is one of the two comestibles that define Key West, Florida (the other being conch). It was brought to that region, which was perhaps once a burial ground for Indian bones (Key West's original name "Cayo Hueso" means Island of Bones), by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. (Ponce de Leon claimed the island for Spain in 1513.) So it is technically an exotic fruit, according to Van Aken, since the primary meaning of that term is "coming from another country" (from the Latin root, "exo," meaning "out of").

As recent visitors to Key West know, limes aren't the only exotic thing about the city. A favorite of Hemingway, Harry Truman and Tennessee Williams, Key West, at one time the wealthiest city in America, has survived bankruptcy and a seedy period to become a thriving tourist destination known for its sunsets, artistic community, nightlife and, of course, that famous namesake pie.

Recipes for Key Lime Pie abound, and I've seen more than one claiming to be the original. Typically, but not always, they contain sweetened condensed milk, such as Eagle Brand. They are variously topped with meringue or whipped cream. And there are baked and unbaked versions. In today's column I'm featuring one of the best, and certainly one of the easiest to make, which was given to me by David Kaempfer of Cape Girardeau.

Dave, a former adman and television and radio performer who is officially retired now (though he still puts in many hours as the shop carpenter for the University Theatre), is an adventurous cook who often invents his own recipes through trial and error. He got this recipe from a friend, former university professor Russell Johnson, who is now retired and living in Florida where, unlike us, he has ready access to a supply of Key limes.

Dave advises that if you can't find Key limes, you might try using bottled lime juice instead. Normally, I'd brand such a suggestion as heresy (bottled juice is never the equivalent of fresh), but in this case it works. I recommend the Floribbean brand of genuine Key lime juice, which, if you can't find it locally, is available through mail order. I suspect it is used in restaurants more often than we'd care to think, even in Key West. In a pinch, of course, you can use ordinary fresh squeezed lime juice. The pie won't be the same but it will still taste great.

And while you're at it, don't stop with pie. Key limes can be used in cakes, cookies and even in main dishes too. You might try using them in place of lemons in some of your favorite recipes. To get you started, I've included a few recipes for concoctions other than pie in which Key limes are the "key" ingredient.

Dave Kaempfer's Key Lime Pie

This pie can be put together in no time, yet the results are excellent. If you're watching your fat intake, you can successfully use low fat condensed milk and low fat cool whip. A graham cracker or vanilla wafer crust is fine, but I think a chocolate cookie crust is more elegant and provides a nice contrast. Dave says the pie is really better if you make it a day ahead of time.

Ingredients:

4 ounces Key lime juice

4 ounces thawed cool whip

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

lime zest, optional

prepared cookie pie crust

Directions:

Mix thoroughly the lime juice and the condensed milk. Fold in cool whip. If you wish to add color to the pie, mix in some lime zest. Spread filling in pie crust and chill for at least three hours before serving.

Homemade Key Lime Mustard

This recipe, from "The Great Exotic Fruit Book" by Norman Van Aken, originator of the "New World Cuisine" cooking movement, makes a great sauce for chicken or steak when mixed with a few tablespoons of heavy cream and heated through.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light mustard seeds

2 tablespoons dry mustard powder

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup champagne vinegar

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons toasted, ground coriander seed

1 teaspoon finely chopped Key lime zest

1 tablespoon Key lime juice

Directions:

Toast the mustard seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant, then grind to the consistency of fine meal. Add mustard powder and water and mix to a coarse paste. Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Transfer mixture to food processor and add remaining ingredients except for lime juice. Process to a smooth paste and then mix in juice. Place in clean jar and store in refrigerator.

Key Lime Bars

This recipe, a speciality of the Night Swan Intracoastal B&B in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, is actually a twist on classic lemon bars. Though the recipe calls for either fresh or bottled Key lime juice, I really think fresh juice makes a big difference here.

Ingredients:

2 cups sifted flour

1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar

2 sticks butter

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup fresh or bottled Key lime juice

1/4 cup additional all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

Sift together the 2 cups flour and the confectioner's sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture clings together. Press into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Beat eggs, sugar, and lime juice together. Sift 1/4 cup flour and baking powder together and stir into egg mixture. Pour over baked crust and return to oven for additional 20-25 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars.

Got a recipe you'd like to share with our readers? Are you looking for a recipe for something in particular? Send your recipes and requests to A Harte Appetite, c/o The Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO., 63702-0699 or by e-mail to tharte@semovm.semo.edu.

~Tom Harte is a professor at Southeast Missouri State University and writes a food column every other week for the Southeast Missourian.