Rainier cherry is a cross between a Bing cherry and a Van cherry. It was developed at Washington State University over fifty years ago, and the mother tree is still there.”
“I’ve heard of Rainier cherries,” Hannah said. “They’re sweeter than Bing cherries, aren’t they?”
“A lot sweeter. Washington State won’t let you sell cherries that aren’t at least seventeen brix. The orchard we worked for didn’t pick them until they were at least twenty brix.”
“Bricks?” Pam asked, looking totally puzzled.
“Brix with an X,” Hannah explained. “It’s a measure of sweetness. Peaches are around thirteen brix.”
Pam still looked puzzled. “What were you doing in Washington State?”
“Working. I took some time off and traveled with…a friend. And whenever we got low on money, we worked. Can we have that sample now, Pam? I want to see how sweet it is.”
“Okay,” Pam said, carrying the samples to the table and setting them down. “Let’s see if those key limes really make a difference.”
Willa looked down at hers and frowned. “Are you sure this is the right pie?”
“It said key lime on the entry form. Why?”
“I saw a lot of key lime pie when I was in Florida. I think it’s the state pie, or something like that. But those pies were green.”
Pam looked surprised. “You were in Florida, too?”
“Yes. We went down south during the winter and we stayed a while in Florida. Almost every restaurant has it on the menu down there.”
“It’s supposed to be only as green as key lime juice,” Hannah said, examining her slice. The key lime filling under the meringue was yellow with just a hint of green. It was exactly the way key lime pie was supposed to look.
“If you see a slice that’s green, the baker used food coloring,” Pam told Willa. “Some restaurants do that.”
Willa looked thoughtful. “That makes sense. It’s probably so the waitresses can tell at a glance that it’s not lemon meringue. The restaurant where I worked had both. I might have mixed them up if the key lime pie hadn’t been green.”
“This one’s a little more yellow than the others I’ve seen,” Hannah said, glancing down at her piece again. “I wonder how many egg yolks she used for the filling?”
Pam flipped the card over to read the recipe. “Two whole eggs plus three yolks. No wonder it looks so yellow.”
“I’ll bet it’s good,” Hannah said. “Let’s taste.”
For a long moment all was silent and then Hannah gave a blissful sigh. “Wonderful!”
“It’s real key lime pie,” Willa said, licking her lips. “It’s not quite as sweet as the one we served, and I like that.”
Pam agreed. “I’d say this is almost perfect. And the contestant’s made a little note here. She says that if you can’t find key limes, you can also make this pie with regular limes. The lime flavor won’t be quite as intense, but it’ll still be delicious.”
“Too bad she didn’t bake one with regular limes,” Willa said. “I’d like to taste the difference.”
Pam went back to the table and picked up three more plates. “She did. This one has regular lime juice.”
Again, there was silence as all three of them tasted. Hannah was the first to speak. “She’s right. The flavor from the regular limes isn’t as tangy, but it’s really delicious.”
“Agreed.” Willa gave a little nod. “I like her crust, too. It tastes like shortbread cookies.”
Pam looked up with a smile. “And the meringue is perfect. I’m giving it perfect scores right across the board.”
“Me, too,” Hannah said, handing over her scorecard.
“I’m with you two.” Willa handed in her scorecard. “It’s the best pie I’ve tasted tonight. How many more do we have to go?”
Pam got up to check. “The key lime was the last of the meringue pies. We’ve already done the one-crust pies with crumb toppings and the one-crust with whipped cream toppings like the pumpkin and the sweet
“I’ve heard of Rainier cherries,” Hannah said. “They’re sweeter than Bing cherries, aren’t they?”
“A lot sweeter. Washington State won’t let you sell cherries that aren’t at least seventeen brix. The orchard we worked for didn’t pick them until they were at least twenty brix.”
“Bricks?” Pam asked, looking totally puzzled.
“Brix with an X,” Hannah explained. “It’s a measure of sweetness. Peaches are around thirteen brix.”
Pam still looked puzzled. “What were you doing in Washington State?”
“Working. I took some time off and traveled with…a friend. And whenever we got low on money, we worked. Can we have that sample now, Pam? I want to see how sweet it is.”
“Okay,” Pam said, carrying the samples to the table and setting them down. “Let’s see if those key limes really make a difference.”
Willa looked down at hers and frowned. “Are you sure this is the right pie?”
“It said key lime on the entry form. Why?”
“I saw a lot of key lime pie when I was in Florida. I think it’s the state pie, or something like that. But those pies were green.”
Pam looked surprised. “You were in Florida, too?”
“Yes. We went down south during the winter and we stayed a while in Florida. Almost every restaurant has it on the menu down there.”
“It’s supposed to be only as green as key lime juice,” Hannah said, examining her slice. The key lime filling under the meringue was yellow with just a hint of green. It was exactly the way key lime pie was supposed to look.
“If you see a slice that’s green, the baker used food coloring,” Pam told Willa. “Some restaurants do that.”
Willa looked thoughtful. “That makes sense. It’s probably so the waitresses can tell at a glance that it’s not lemon meringue. The restaurant where I worked had both. I might have mixed them up if the key lime pie hadn’t been green.”
“This one’s a little more yellow than the others I’ve seen,” Hannah said, glancing down at her piece again. “I wonder how many egg yolks she used for the filling?”
Pam flipped the card over to read the recipe. “Two whole eggs plus three yolks. No wonder it looks so yellow.”
“I’ll bet it’s good,” Hannah said. “Let’s taste.”
For a long moment all was silent and then Hannah gave a blissful sigh. “Wonderful!”
“It’s real key lime pie,” Willa said, licking her lips. “It’s not quite as sweet as the one we served, and I like that.”
Pam agreed. “I’d say this is almost perfect. And the contestant’s made a little note here. She says that if you can’t find key limes, you can also make this pie with regular limes. The lime flavor won’t be quite as intense, but it’ll still be delicious.”
“Too bad she didn’t bake one with regular limes,” Willa said. “I’d like to taste the difference.”
Pam went back to the table and picked up three more plates. “She did. This one has regular lime juice.”
Again, there was silence as all three of them tasted. Hannah was the first to speak. “She’s right. The flavor from the regular limes isn’t as tangy, but it’s really delicious.”
“Agreed.” Willa gave a little nod. “I like her crust, too. It tastes like shortbread cookies.”
Pam looked up with a smile. “And the meringue is perfect. I’m giving it perfect scores right across the board.”
“Me, too,” Hannah said, handing over her scorecard.
“I’m with you two.” Willa handed in her scorecard. “It’s the best pie I’ve tasted tonight. How many more do we have to go?”
Pam got up to check. “The key lime was the last of the meringue pies. We’ve already done the one-crust pies with crumb toppings and the one-crust with whipped cream toppings like the pumpkin and the sweet
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