On a recent road trip with Dad, we came across one of the South's not so hidden treasures in Fairhope, Alabama. Little did we know this dining experience would spark a new love of panini sandwiches along with a deeper appreciation of the beignet.Panini and beignets in Fairhope, Alabama, you say? Oh, yes. And if you doubt us, well, that just means you haven't met Panini Pete. Pete Blohme is one of our favorite faces in the South. He's about the nicest guy you'll ever meet. A CIA grad that really knows his stuff, he treats his customers like family. You'd never know this guy was famous. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Guy Fieri and being featured on shows like Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, for example.
Now his panini are pretty spectacular. Not your regular old grilled cheese made in a fancy pan, no sir. Think house-roasted medium rare roast beef, gorgonzola spread, onion confit, tomato, baby greens, Dijon... on ciabatta. How about seared tuna with cucumbers, tomato, baby greens, and key lime aioli? We think anything with key limes is worth writing home about, but this was "update Facebook status-worthy". We loved Pete and his panini so much that when he invited us back for beignets at breakfast, we couldn't pass it up.
These beignets could rival anything inside or outside of New Orleans. And if you've had beignets in the Big Easy, you know that's really saying something. Pete's beignets are dense and custardy pillows of goodness only enhanced with powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice. Unbelieveable.
Now don't get all excited and think we're gonna share Pete's recipes with you. We don't have them and besides, we want you to go meet Pete and try them in person anyway. Be sure and tell him those nice folks from Arkansas sent ya.
We will, however, share with you about the best key lime pie recipe we've ever tasted. It's Dad's recipe and seeing as Pete uses key limes in his aioli, we think it'll sustain ya 'til you can get on down to Fairhope.
Dad's Key Lime Pie
Don't even think about taking a short cut and buying a pre-made graham cracker crust:
1 cup graham crackers (crush 'em yourself please, no canned crackers here)
1/2 cup toasted pecans
2-3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
5-6 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
So crush up the crackers and the pecans in the food processor. (And those graham cracker crust purists that think pecans don't go in the crust, well, we don't care what you think. Our Grandma has a pecan tree out back and we're using them. So there). Add the powdered sugar and salt and drizzle the butter in until it looks like wet sand. Press into a 9 inch deep dish pie pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool.
For the pie:
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup key lime juice (fresh squeezed if you can get them)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend until smooth. Pour into cooled pie crust and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 or until sorta set. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours or until ready to serve. Now, you'll think the crust is a little too tall for the amount of pie in there. Not to worry, this gives you room for your whipped cream. And for Pete's sake, don't insult this pie or us and use Cool Whip. Whip up some home made whipped cream. Bon Appetit, y'all!
