Photo by Douglas Imbrogno

By Brooke A. Brown

Settle down, spellcheckers of the world. You’re collective eyes are not betraying you in the headline above. But if you’ve been lucky enough to experience Keeley Steele’s delectable Key Lime Pie at her Bluegrass Kitchen, 1600 Washington St. East, you understand the need to tag this classic dessert with a new John Henry. So what exactly makes for a nice slice of Key Lime Pie? To my buds, there are 3 necessary components:

1. Creamy texture
2. Appropriate sweet-to-sour ratio
3. Graham cracker crust

Now this sounds like an easy enough of a thing to accomplish, but with Keeley’s heavenly version, God is definitely in the details. First of all, the texture is light and creamy, landing softly on the smoothness-scale somewhere between creme brulée and cheesecake. It’s like buttah! At first bite, the subtle sweetness is enhanced by the creamy texture. But as your eyes slowly swim to the back of your head, a certain twang suddenly appears and sends them immediately forward. It’s not a bitter awakening, mind you, rather a gentle, good day sunshine sort of an arrangement. It’s the perfect sour yin to sweet yang. (more…)