Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Key Lime Pie


Here are some facts about the Key Lime using my favorite online resource Wikipedia:
The Key lime (Citrus aurantifolia or Christmas Swingle) is a citrus species with a globose fruit, 2.5-5 cm in diameter (1-2 in), that is yellow when ripe but usually picked green commercially. It is smaller, seedier, has a higher acidity, a stronger aroma, and a thinner rind than that of the Persian lime (Citrus x latifolia). It is valued for its unique flavor compared to other limes, with the key lime usually having a more tart and bitter flavor. The name comes from its association with the Florida Keys, where it is best known as the flavoring ingredient in Key lime pie. It is also known as West Indian lime, Bartender's lime or Mexican lime, the latter classified as a distinct race with a thicker skin and darker green color.
C. aurantifolia is a shrubby tree , to 5 m (16 ft), with many thorns. Dwarf varieties are popular with home growers and can be grown indoors in winter in colder climates. The trunk rarely grows straight, with many branches that often originate quite far down on the trunk. The leaves are ovate 2.5–9 cm (1–3.5 in) long, resembling orange leaves (the scientific name aurantifolia refers to this resemblance to the leaves of the orange, C. aurantium). The flowers are 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter, are yellowish white with a light purple tinge on the margins. Flowers and fruit appear throughout the year but are most abundant from May to September [1] [2].
My key lime tree seems to produce fruit between September to January. and I haven't noticed any thorns either, but they are DEFINITELY key limes.You can tell because they are small, really acidic, have that thin rind, and turn yellow when they are ripe.However, what I really find interesting about the key lime that is not listed on the site is the fact that it is a lime that is green on the inside and yellow on the outside.

One of my dad's favorite desserts is the key lime pie. He was born in Miami so maybe that had something to do with it, but maybe not. He is actually coming for a visit and will be helping me repair a few things around the house. This little blog addition is his payment for all that help. It's really a simple recipe and doesn't take much time to bake at all. Plus, it tastes sooooo good. Just click on the image to get a better view of the recipe. Too bad they don't make scratch and sniff blogs.

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