Burdette Mystery Series Celebrates Food and Key West—The Perfect Combo

 

Is it possible to fall in love with a place in just a few hours?

 

Absolutely!

 

That’s exactly what happened when I visited Key West while on a Carnival cruise in 2016. After shopping on Duval Street, exploring Hemmingway’s home, photographing the chickens that roam the streets, and devouring a slice of key lime pie, as well as numerous pieces of key lime fudge, I was in love with this town on the southernmost point of the continental United States.

 

When I returned home, I immediately started to read Lucy Burdette’s Key West Food Critic cozy mystery series. I was hooked, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering the main character, Hayley Snow, is a food writer. She also lives on a houseboat, which she shares with a feisty-but-loving elderly woman. I zoomed through all of the editions already in print and then waited for each new edition with great anticipation and little patience.

 

Announcement! The newest book, The Key Lime Crime, will be released on Tuesday, August 11, 2020!

 

This is the 10^th book in the series, and lucky me got an advance copy.

 

I enjoyed every page!

Set during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, when Key West, Florida explodes with tourists, Hayley is covering a key lime pie baking contest. Plus, her new mother-in-law comes for a visit—the same woman who didn’t come to the wedding a few weeks earlier. When Hayley, her elderly (and sassy) roommate, and mother-in-law discover the body of controversial new pastry chef from the contest, the trio sets out to find the murderer, which doesn’t make new husband and detective, Nathan, very happy.

One of the aspects of Burdette’s series I adore is her ability to describe Key West so clearly. It’s easy to feel like you’re right in the midst of the quirky town. She also includes real locations, restaurants, and people in her stories. With most of us feeling cooped up because of the coronavirus pandemic, reading this series is like taking a mini-vacation. In fact, I have a list of places from her books I plan to explore when I return for a longer visit.

Besides being an enjoyable read, the book also has recipes for many of the dishes mentioned in the story—thank goodness! So far, I’ve tested out the Chai Snickerdoodles, and they were tasty. The only change I would make would be to add a little vanilla to the cookie dough, which I’ll try out the next time. And yes, there will be a next time!

 

Since key lime is in the title, there are numerous references to the various pie styles found on the island, including this one from Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe I posted about after my visit. The book includes key lime martini and key lime parfait recipes, both of which are on my gotta-try list.

 

If you’re a fan of mysteries, food, unique characters, or tropical settings, then you need to read the Key West Food Critic series.

 

STAY TUNED! On Thursday, August 13, I’ll post a Q&A interview I did with Lucy Burdette about this series and the new book! Plus, over the next few weeks, I will post recipes not only from her books but from a couple of cookbooks I bought on my visit.

Key West Key Lime Pie

Have you ever been to Key West, Florida? I hadn’t either until my recent cruise on the Carnival Dream, but I always imagined it to be a laid-back, easy-going place full of free spirits.

Reality didn’t disappoint!

I was only there one day, but it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, it was warm but not too warm, and I was ready to soak in as much atmosphere as I could. This is what I found:

Palm trees. I took a lot of photos of palm trees. It must be a secret obsession.

Sleeping porches. I love the idea of snoozing in one of these spaces as the night ocean breezes blow through.

Hemmingway’s House, which was a beautiful place full of interesting stuff (i.e. typewriters) to see, especially for a writer. Yes, there were plenty of the famous six-toed cats around, and I covet Hemmingway’s writing office though I think I’d skip the mounted animal heads.

Bicycles…everywhere!

The Key West lighthouse was beautiful.

Best of all, I enjoyed a slice of key lime pie at Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe and chatted with owner Kermit Carpenter. His chocolate-dipped pie slices have been featured on both the Food Network and the Travel Channel.

I love key lime pie, and this one was perfect! Not too tart, rich and creamy.

Kermit shared his recipe with me. When I made it at home, it tasted just like his.

This is an easy pie to make. I like my slice topped with a little sweetened whipped cream.

You can learn more about Kermit’s shop at www.keylimeshop.com. (His key lime fudge is amazing, too!)

Kermit’s Key Lime Pie

Serves 8

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

6 egg yolks

2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk

1 cup key lime juice (1/2 cup of Kermit’s key lime juice, which is double strength)

Grated lime zest, for garnish

Sweetened whipped cream, for garnish

           

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, and melted butter until the mixture is crumbly like sand. Pour into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is set and browns. Remove and place on a rack to cool.

           

Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth and then whisk in the sweetened condensed milk and key lime juice. Pour the mixture into the cooled pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow the pie to cool for 15 minutes before refrigerating. Before serving, sprinkle some grated lime zest over the top of the pie. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.