Key lime pie, a dessert synonymous with south Florida and the Florida Keys, is as rich in history as it is in calories. It is also deceptively light and delicious — and very easy to make.

Sometime in the late 1800s, after the Civil War, the pirates who inhabited Key West grew tired of chasing down ships and stealing their cargo. The presence of the American Navy was making it more difficult. Wreckers, only slightly more legitimate than pirates, were having similar problems.

These founding fathers of the Florida Keys salvaged cargo from ships run up on the surrounding reefs, sometimes carelessly, and sometimes guided by false signals set out by the wreckers themselves. The infamous pirating banquet was over. It was time for dessert. This is when Key lime pie was invented.

There are nearly as many theories about how Key lime pie was first invented as there are styles of pie but, necessity being the mother of invention, a few basic fundamentals prevailed.

There was no refrigeration in the Florida Keys at the turn of the 19th century, therefore little fresh milk. The only milk readily available was canned. The Florida Keys are hot and not the most pleasant place to fire up an oven to bake, so a “no bake” dessert was desirable. Chickens roamed the island then, as they do now, hence plenty of fresh eggs.

And finally, limes, first imported from Persia, grew both wild and cultivated all over the Keys until they were eventually wiped out by hurricanes and replaced, after the Keys Highway was built, by winter dwellers called snowbirds, marinas and gift shops.

The most authentic recipe for Key lime pie I have found is on the back of the bottle containing Nellie and Joe’s famous Key West lime Juice. If Nellie and Joe’s is not available at your local grocery, it can be purchased on line at www.keylimejuice.com.

To make one small pie, you will need a 9-inch graham cracker pie shell, one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, 3 egg yolks and Key lime juice. You cannot use a sweetened lime juice like those commonly used for cocktails. They are simply not acidic enough to “cook” the egg yolks.

The juice from fresh limes commonly available is chancy. Use Key lime juice. Originally Key lime pie was not baked. The pie would set from the reaction of the eggs and lime. Today the pie is slightly cooked to avoid salmonella contamination.

Combine the egg yolks and condensed milk in a stainless or glass mixing bowl (the lime juice is too acidic to put in aluminum) and blend it with a wire whisk until it is smooth and uniform in color. Then add the lime juice and mix thoroughly again. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake it slightly for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Let the pie stand for ten minutes and serve it topped with whipped cream dolloped on when serving.

Dollop is a culinary term used to describe a serving bigger than a dab and neater than a glob. It is applied with an artistic flip of the wrist. You can chill a Key lime pie for several days but the crust absorbs moisture over time. Use paper thin slices of fresh lime to make a feathery garnish.

A 9-inch shell will feed six people — perhaps eight, but not any eight people I know. I like to use a 10-inch deep shell so everyone can have seconds. Ten-inch deep pie shells are readily available in grocery stores. To fill a 10-inch shell, simply double the recipe. Doubled, it fits perfectly in the larger crust. Don’t ask me to do the geometry, it just does.

Native Key Westers, affectionately called “Conchs” after the delicious mollusk that populates the sandy bottoms of the water surrounding the Keys, argue that a standard pastry crust was the original base for Key lime pie. If you prefer this type of crust to graham crackers then by all means use it. It must be pre-baked of course, and it’s a lot more work.

Some traditionalists argue that the original pie was topped with meringue. I like it prepared that way and it’s a great way to use the left over egg whites, but keep in mind meringue gets sticky in humid summer weather so use meringue only if you are serving the pie immediately.

I make meringue without a recipe. I sweeten it proportionately to compliment whatever I am adding it to. Make it just semi sweet for this dessert. Whip the egg whites in a chilled stainless bowl until they begin to form soft peaks and then add confectioner’s sugar and a little vanilla to taste. Continue whipping until the peaks are firm and stand alone. Spread the meringue on the pie with a rubber spatula or decorate the top with a star tube in a pastry bag.

Key lime pie and strong espresso or a cup of French roasted coffee finish a summer meal with a light tropical touch. The combination is a refreshing alternative to heavier chocolate desserts. A glass of chilled dessert wine along side would be as rich as pirate’s treasure.

Muscat comes to mind for its sweet tropical fruit flavors and because, if I really wanted to wreck and plunder a pun, pirates kept one in their belt — right next to their sword.

Enjoy.

Jack Felber is a regular Times columnist. He and his wife, Marcia Felber, are proprietors of the The Olympia Tea Room, a Wine-Spectator-recognized harborside restaurant in Watch Hill, R.I. Jack can be reached at jack@olympiateroom.com

Looking for the best Sauvignon Blanc Wines?

You couldn’t go wrong with these two fine choices. The Mollet Florian Sancerre Roc De L’abbaye 2007 from France’s Loire Valley, and Mahi 2007 from Marlborough, New Zealand

Each is made from the sauvignon blanc grape and, very likely, vinified in similar ways (stainless steel tanks, no oak barrels–though there are minor exceptions from winemaker to winemaker).

Because of New Zealand’s cool, maritime climate and stony soils, you can expect the Marlborough sauvignon blanc to be the far more pungent of the two wines.

It should smell like fresh grass clippings from your lawn with a lot of passion fruit, grapefruit and other tropical fruit thrown in.

Expect the Sancerre to taste and smell a bit more like that salty, stony character you get in European sparkling mineral waters.  Full article

Does our brain trick us when we have the choice between two wines – one more expensive than the other?  It seems that we tend to like the taste of the more expensive wine.

A study from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the California Institute of Technology discovered that when people were given two different bottles of wine and told that one cost $5 and the other $45 (in reality, both bottles were identical), the pleasure-center part of the brain became more active when the participants were drinking what they believed to be the more expensive bottle.

They also reported that the wine they believed to be more expensive tasted better.

Baba Shiv, one of the study’s authors and associate professor of marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, previously found that people who paid full price for Red Bull energy drinks were able to solve more brain teasers than those who paid less for the same product.In other words, how much you pay for something can affect how you perceive it.

La Madeline au Truffe, created by Fritz Knipschildt (whose shop, Knipschildt Chocolatier, is in Norwalk, Connecticut), has a ganache (rich chocolate center) made of Valrhona dark chocolate.

High-quality stuff yes, but is that a legitimate reason for a single chocolate truffle to launch into the triple digits? $250 to be exact.

This ganache also contains heavy cream. Well, so do many handmade homemade truffles but we’re not selling those to our friends and families for $250 a pop.

Click Here to View a video of how the truffle is made.

Booming wine consumption in China is leading to a growth in locally produced wines but as Chinese tastes become more sophisticated, local wineries are finding that they need to play catch up in terms of quality and vintage.

According to China Organic Agriculture, Demand in China for foreign wines, including those produced in California, is growing rapidly. In 2007, the import of wine into China totaled approximately 54 million bottles, representing a 125% growth from 2006, according to the latest report of the International Wine and Spirit Competition.

The market share of imported wines in China increased from 6.6% in 2006 to 10% in 2007, while industry analysts project that share will reach 18% in 2008. Total wine consumption in China is expected to increase 65% from 2001 to 2010, a growth rate 6.5 times faster than the global average.

Dozens of wine enterprises have set up operations in the region, which has the latitude roughly similar to the Bordeaux region in France.

The coastal city of Yantai, home to over 10,000 hectares of vineyards in Shandong Province is regarded as China’s Bordeaux by the locals.

Many of China’s leading winemakers are expanding rapidly to cater to change in China’s taste buds, and the surge in demand for wine.

Once drinkers of beer and local spirits, many professional Chinese are choosing instead to toast to what they perceive as the more refined and healthy image of grape wine.

By 2011, Chinese drinkers are expected to down more than 1.1 billion bottles of wine or 828 million litres of wine a year, double the figure in 2007, according to a study by the International Wine and Spirit Record in London.

More than 100 wineries have opened since 1996 and there is an estimated 500 vineyards across China, which supply 95 per cent of the wines consumed domestically.

Great Wall Winery, one of the leading local brands in China produces over 50,000 tons of wine each year from its 3 main production areas in North China.

The biggest consumers of wine in China in 2003 were people aged between 35 and 44. The age group that drank the least wine was the over-55 age group.

Price is a major consideration to most Chinese, and imported wine is out of reach to most consumers. A domestic bottle of wine may retail for as little as $3 while imported wine is generally $10 to $20 a bottle or more.

According to a Datamonitor report Wine in China: a market analysis, the influence of western eating and drinking habits, along with rising incomes, have been the keys to market growth.   Source: AP

Movie stars, celebrities and super models always look fabulous. It doesn’t matter if they appear in television extravaganzas or movie films or strut their stuff along the red carpet for opening movie premiers and  Academy awards, they always amaze us with larger than life presence.

In fact it takes an extraordinary degree of effort in order for them to appear so glamorous. The larger than life public show pieces that they present, they cannot slack off taking care of their physical presentation.

Accordingly, it is not surprising that the stars possess their own secrets in all matters relating to remaining fit and gorgeous. Health agenda regimes can range from daily extreme physical workouts to well-planned and designed menus and meals. Wouldn’t we all give a lot to be privy to the secrets of the stars in remaining beautiful and  sexy? Here’s a glimmer of the diet secrets of seven women stars and celebrities.

Celebrities livelihood’s depend enormously on their public persona. In addition to their clothes, gorgeous hair styles plus their makeup, celebrities must lavishly take good care of their number one asset….their bodies.

Check out the diet secrets of the following famous celebrities: Jennifer Aniston, Christie Brinkley, Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Claudia Schiffer, Oprah Winfrey  Full article

Robert Mondavi, the vintner who built his career and helped an iconic Northern California industry blossom by insisting that Napa Valley wines can compete with the best in the world, died in the Napa valley Friday. He was 94.

Mondavi died peacefully at his home in Yountville, Robert Mondavi Winery spokeswoman Mia Malm said.

“It is hard to imagine anyone having more of a lasting impact on California’s $20 billion-a-year wine industry than Robert Mondavi,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement. Mondavi, said the governor, was “a tireless entrepreneur who transformed how the world felt about California wine, and an unforgettable personality to everyone who knew him.”

Mondavi was 52 and a winemaking veteran in 1966, when he opened the winery that would help turn the Napa Valley into a world center of the industry. Clashes with a brother that included a fistfight led him to break from the family business to carry out his ambitious plans with borrowed money.

When Mondavi opened his winery, California was still primarily known for cheap jug wines. But he set out to change that, championing use of cold fermentation, stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels, all commonplace in the industry today. He introduced blind tastings in Napa Valley, putting his wines up against French vintages, a bold move.

His confidence was rewarded in 1976 when California wines beat some well-known French vintages in the famous tasting known as the Judgment of Paris.

“He had the single greatest influence in this country with respect to high quality wine and its place at the table,” wine critic Robert Parker wrote in a chat room posting on his Web site Friday. He called Mondavi “an exceptional man….a true pioneer…a legendary pathfinder…..and I feel so priviledged to have known him…a sad day…but also one to pay homage to his enormous contributions.”
The success of the Mondavi winery allowed him to donate tens of millions of dollars to charity, but a wine glut and intense competition gradually cost his family control of the business. In 2004, the company accepted a buyout worth $1.3 billion from Fairport, N.Y.-based Constellation Brands.

Mondavi was an enthusiastic ambassador for wine – especially California wine – and traveled the world into his 90s promoting the health, cultural and social benefits of its moderate consumption.

“He had an amazing life,” said Robert C. Koch, president and CEO of the San Francisco-based Wine Institute. “He was a major driving force and an incredible promoter for California wine and the Napa Valley.”   Article by: Michelle Locke – Associated Press Writer

Anybody who says they can’t find a good cup of coffee, has got to be crazy or not even trying. Coffee shops are everywhere. Whether it’s a Starbucks practically on every street corner these days, a McDonald’s or a Dunkin’ Donuts, coffee is literally flowing everywhere.

What’s more difficult to find is the unique cup: the single-origin espresso or freshly roasted French press.

Most coffee fanatics will argue until they’re blue in the face, that the best java is found at small cafes where each cup is painstakingly crafted. These coffee shops are often tucked away in neighborhoods outside of a city’s financial district.

These specialty coffee shops can be difficult to get to for a business traveler, but aficionados say it’s a very worthwhile trip.  Full article

Photo by Bloomberg

Ever wanted to rub elbows and chit-chat with your favorite chef?  You could have had your chance a few weeks ago, in scenic Pebble Beach, California.

More than 3,000 people attended the four day event, paying as much as $4,750 per person to eat and meet one of 133 world’s famous chefs and sommeliers.

You could have watched Thomas Keller glaze vegetables, maybe see Jacques Pepin slather caviar on a blini, and get up close and personal with the Mondavi family.

This was the first-ever Pebble Beach Food & Wine event, triple the size of its long-running predecessor, the Masters of Food and Wine at the nearby Highlands Inn.

“People are more educated about food and wine than ever before,” says organizer David Bernahl.

Epicurean obsession may have started with the Food Network, which he calls “a gateway drug,” but now “people have surpassed Rachael Ray and Paula Dean. They’ve moved on to the hard stuff – they’re making foam at home or at least know how to order it in a restaurant. I have more friends who discuss their culinary experiences than what happened at the basketball game.”   Full article

Amazingly, the price of beer went up sharply over the weekend in Oregon, hitting $707 a bottle. All for medical research.

Portland, Oregon brewer Alan Sprints, donated five 12-ounce bottles of his 1994 Hair of the Dog Dave to a charity auction to benefit Parkinson’s disease research and support patients of Parkinson’s disease.

Do the math, and it’s $4,242 a six-pack or around $58 an ounce. The bottles ended up selling for prices ranging from $478 to $707, during the rare beer auction, which corresponded with a beer festival and silent auction.

Combined, the events raised $15,000 in honor of British writer and journalist Michael Jackson, who died last year of a heart attack after suffering from Parkinson’s.  Full article

The Plaza Hotel is one of most famous hotels in the world. It’s a landmark hotel and occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan.

The Plaza has completed a $400-million, three-year renovation to restore the hotel’s grandeur. Now tea at the Plaza is all about the food.

The harpist is back, playing lovely music and alternating with a classical guitarist. The lush, palm trees still decorate the Palm Court — the name of the lobby dining room where tea has been served since the hotel opened in 1907.

At $60 a person, it’s one of the city’s more expensive afternoon teas. There’s an alternate tea menu at the Plaza that includes lobster, black truffle, caviar and a chocolate pot de creme is even more, at $100.  Full article