Pepe’s Cafe Key Lime Pie
Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: June 8, 2023
Until Chris met me, he had never eaten a cherry tomato. Astounded upon learning this fact, I felt the need to remedy it immediately–he didn’t know what he was missing out on!—so I took him to the nearest Safeway where we bought a little prepackaged bagful. When we got back, I insisted he eat one straight away, right out of the package. I didn’t think one unwashed tomato would kill him, and I was sure he would fall in love straight away. Instead, he got food poisoning.
He has since let this incident go, which I think is very gracious of him considering the fact that I continue to guilt him into eating foods he has no interest in trying. I guess I have this underlying belief that I know better than him, at least in matters of the palate. That my refined tastebuds trump his any old day, that his will become elevated through my influence. Bombastic, sure, but we’re talking about a guy who didn’t eat his first cherry tomato until he was in college. Enough said, right?
I think I’ve mentioned that I dislike citrus-flavored baked goods, right? Besides this (like I said, Meyer lemons are in a league of their own), I’ve never met a citrus-y dessert that didn’t taste like a cough drop.
But last week, a bag of key limes fell in my lap, and I took it as a sign that it was finally time to tackle a classic that I’d never before tried: key lime pie. If you’d seen the limes, you, too, might have wanted to do something with them right away. They are so cute! Like toy dog versions of regular limes, except I know a lot of you don’t like toy dogs, and I normally can’t stand them either except I watched Seven Psychopaths recently and Bonny the shih tzu stole my heart.
I knew I was taking a major risk, but sometimes denial gets the better of me. After all, isn’t key lime pie a thing? Aren’t people fanatical about it? Maybe there was something more amazing than amazing about it that would sway my food prejudices.
Chris, on the other hand, took the realistic approach. “Don’t make it. You won’t like it, and I don’t want you to force it on me.”
I plowed ahead anyway. An afternoon later, the pie was ready.
I took it out of the fridge. It looked lemon-y. I smelled it. It smelled lemon-y. I started feeling uneasy.
In the end, with great hesitation, I ate a slice. It was… disappointingly citrus-y, tasting like every other citrus dessert I’ve ever eaten. But then, the flavor sort of, I don’t know, mellowed out, and distinguished itself. The lime emerged, cool, invigorating. It went fantastically with the graham cracker crust, a pairing that legitimized its taste. With whipped cream for the finishing touch, the whole experience was luscious but understated. The sugary-tart foretaste never diminished, unfortunately, but for a lot of you, that’s a good thing.
Chris’s turn. I showed him a bite to try, and his face twisted into simultaneous disgust, fear, and suspicion. It’s so hard to get one past him these days, I tell you! But he relented, and took a tentative bite.
“Do you like it?” I asked. “It’s not bad, right?”
“I don’t like it,” he said. And that was that.
In the end, even in the face of Chris’s rejection, I ate way more slices than I care to admit. I’m pretty sure you’d call that a breakthrough!
PEPE’S CAFE KEY LIME PIE
Adapted from Epicurious
Makes one 9-inch pie
Another reason I wanted to make this pie was because of this article. It’s fascinating! I love food history! Also, in case you’re wondering, Pepe’s Cafe is a cafe in the Florida Keys, quite an establishment I take it, that serves a very classic version of this pie. It’s always good to start with the classics.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large egg whites
4 large egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Key lime juice (I must’ve squeezed 20 of these suckers)
Whipped cream to serve
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the graham cracker crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter until well-combined. Press the mixture evenly in a 9-inch pie tin. Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool and set aside.
Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yolks and condensed milk. Add the lime juice and whisk until combined. Gently fold in about half of the whipped egg whites, then fold in the other half, stirring until just evenly combined.
Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cool, then let cool further in the fridge for about 2 hours.
Serve with whipped cream if desired (whip together about 1 cup heavy cream, a few Tbsp powdered sugar, and a dribble of vanilla extract).
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Are Pistachios Healthy? Nutrition & Health Benefits
Are you looking for a healthy snack that is full of nutrients and comes with many health benefits? Well, among the array of choices, pistachios stand out. Now, you might wonder, are pistachios truly a healthy option?
Pistachios are full of nutrients such as Calcium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium, potassium, etc. And as for the health benefits, it is high in antioxidants, helps you lose weight, promotes various blood health conditions, and reduces many heart-related problems.
That’s not all. The above information is just an overview. If you are willing to learn more about pistachios, stay with us.
Are Pistachios Healthy?
Yes, pistachios are a healthy food. They are a good source of protein, fiber, healthy fats, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals.
Pistachios are flooded with nutrition which is good for your body. It does not just contain protein and carbohydrates. It’s also a great source of calories, fiber, fat, thiamine, manganese, vitamin b6, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and copper.
| Nutrient | Amount per 100 grams | Percent Daily Value (%DV) |
| Calories | 557 | 28 |
| Fat | 47.4 grams | 73% |
| Saturated fat | 6.4 grams | 32% |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 11.9 grams | – |
| Monounsaturated fat | 28.2 grams | – |
| Sodium | 95 milligrams | 4% |
| Carbohydrates | 27.3 grams | 9% |
| Fiber | 10.6 grams | 42% |
| Sugar | 8.2 grams | |
| Protein | 20.7 grams | 41% |
| Vitamin A | 0% | – |
| Vitamin C | 0% | – |
| Calcium | 136 milligrams | 14% |
| Iron | 4.2 milligrams | 23% |
| Potassium | 1072 milligrams | 31% |
| Magnesium | 292 milligrams | 73% |
| Phosphorus | 456 milligrams | 45% |
| Manganese | 2.2 milligrams | 96% |
| Copper | 1.6 milligrams | 89% |
| Thiamin | 0.8 milligrams | 53% |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.1 milligrams | 55% |
In hundred grams of pistachio, you will get this much nutritious value; the main thing is the calories and protein you are getting, which are respectively 557 and 20.7 g.
These percentages are based on “Reference Daily Intake.” These help you to maintain the proper blood and hemoglobin regulation.
There must be many benefits for all those nutrients, right? Let’s take a look at that!
Pistachio Health Benefits
The benefits list of pistachios is long, and this will take some time. Pistachios have many benefits that help keep your body healthy, lose weight, and keep you in shape.
Besides, preventing diseases, maintaining regular blood circulation, and building muscle is also on the benefits list.
Did I mention the other benefits? Well, let’s get into it.
Rich in Nutrients
As discussed in the previous section, pistachios contain various nutrients, such as thiamine, manganese, vitamin b6, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and copper.
Thiamine is a vitamin b-1, which helps your body consume energy from all other nutrients. Also, it maintains the development of your blood cells.
On the other hand, manganese, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and copper help your body to,
- Increase and development of tissue, bones, proper and hormones.
- Proper brain function and nerve system.
- Build strong muscles and repair damaged cells.
- Prevent high blood pressure and diabetes.
- Regulate proper heartbeat.
- Maintain and increase the immune system and blood function.
Besides these, there is more!
High In Antioxidants
Do you know antioxidants can reduce the risk of cancer or heart diseases? Or any diseases?
As we know, you will find lutein, γ-Tocopherol, and zeaxanthin in the pistachios. Gamma tocopherol helps reduce the risks of diseases and also minimizes the possibility of brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s.
On the other hand, lutein and zeaxanthin are great for the health of your eyes. Those improve your visual sensitivity to the eyes, enhance vision sharpness, protect your eye tissues from sunlight damage, and so on.
Low In Calories
Usually, nuts are filled with high calories. But pistachios have low calories compared to other nuts in this category.
28 grams of pistachios contain;
- One hundred fifty-nine calories. Which is very low, 20%, compared to other nuts.
- Contain 20% of the weight.
- A high amount of amino acid helps your body dilate blood vessels.
Aid Weight Management
Pistachios can help you in the journey of weight management. Those can help you gain weight and even lose weight.
Let’s see first how it can help you lose weight. As we know, pistachios have fiber and protein. What these do is give you a feeling of fullness. And you don’t have the urge to eat more.
A study shows that people who eat pistachios regularly have lower body mass index. One of the reasons for this could be that the fat item doesn’t release from the pistachios wall. It results in not digesting the fat.
On the other hand, pistachios can also be a reason for gaining weight. As they are a go-to snack item, you can eat them in large amounts.
Even though they contain fewer calories, eating more than what you should cause you to consume too many calories. If you cannot lose those calories, you might gain weight.
Promote Blood Health
Pistachios help your blood health on many levels, such as blood sugar control, improved blood pressures level, lower cholesterol level, and blood vessel health.
A study shows that pistachios help the good cholesterol to increase and bad cholesterol to decrease. It also helps improve the blood pressure level.
Besides, pistachios have endothelium in them. And guess what! Endothelium reduces vasodilation which results in decreasing blood flow, which results in promoting blood vessel health.
That’s not all! Antioxidants in the pistachios help lower the blood sugar level and overall blood sugar health.
High In Protein For Vegans And Vegetarians
In 28 grams of pistachios, there are 6 grams of protein. Besides, it contains a good amount of amino acids, making it perfect for vegans and vegetarians.
Pistachios provide enough calories and protein to make you feel full. And give them the energy to go through. As a bonus, it helps manage their weight.
Important For Heart Health
As we know, it contains amino acids, which lowers cholesterol level. And that results in reducing the possibility of heart diseases such as heart attack.
Pistachios are also filled with fiber, which makes them the perfect snack for a heart-healthy option.
Reduce Colon Cancer Risk
Do you know pistachios can reduce colon cancer risk as well? It’s true. As it contains high fiber, it can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of colorectal and colon cancer.
Besides, it can help you lose and maintain a healthier weight over time.
Beneficial For Gut Health
Improving gut health is one of the most significant benefits of pistachios. First, it contains a high amount of fiber and moves your gut undigested.
Therefore, there are gut bacteria that turn them into fatty acids. That helps to reduce and improve the digestive system and other heart diseases.
Besides, it also increases the number of good bacteria, which pushes out harmful bacteria. This maintains the balance and makes your gut healthier.
What’s The Healthiest Way To Eat Pistachios?
Pistachios are great as a snack containing vitamin E, B vitamins, copper, and iron. And it also helps with mindfulness and maintaining weight. But there are some ways to consume this:
- You can make pesto with it. Then eat this with fish bread or salad or trail mix.
- Use it as a nut-based crust with cream pie, especially coconut lime cream pie.
- Crushed pistachios in muffins or banana bread and also cookies.
- Pesto mixed with olive oil and fresh basil.
- Use as salad toppers.
You can follow these to consume pistachios more healthily.
Pistachio Side Effects
We have already discussed all the nutrition facts and how pistachios can be beneficial for your body. But there are some side effects also that we should consider.
One of the significant side effects is high blood pressure. Besides, taking large amounts of pistachios can cause high blood sodium levels, hypertension, and fainting.
As we know, pistachios contain a high level of fiber. It can directly affect your digestive system, causing allergies, nausea, and itchiness.
Another significant side effect is inducing the risk of kidney stones, weight gain, increased risk of heart disease, and bowel problems. Also, high manganese levels in pistachios can be problematic for pregnant women.
So, be careful while consuming pistachios and don’t take too much all at once.
FAQs
Are pistachios good for weight loss?
Yes, pistachios are good for weight loss. Pistachios are full of protein and calories. So, consuming these can give you the feeling of fullness and lead you to consume less food.
Are pistachios fattening?
Yes, pistachios can be fattening if you take too many pistachios. Pistachios contain a high amount of calories and fat. So if you cannot lose those calories, this might cause fattening.
Do pistachios cause constipation?
No, pistachios don’t cause constipation. As we know, pistachios are rich in fiber, easing the process of constipation.
How many pistachios a day to lower cholesterol?
There is no exact amount of how many pistachios you should take. But you can take three to four ounces or two to three pistachios daily, lowering cholesterol levels.
Conclusion
We hope the answer to the question, are pistachios healthy or not. Pistachios are rich in nutrients such as thiamine, manganese, vitamin b6, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and copper.
Pistachios also come with many health benefits. It can help you improve your weight management, promote blood health and reduce the risk of many diseases. Though, don’t take too many pistachios, which can lead to many side effects.
Good luck!
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