Lime is key to Corroon's heart for specialty pie contest at county fair Friday

SALT LAKE CITY – Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon loves his wife's Key lime pie so much, he designated Key lime as this year's flavor for the pie contest in the 74th Annual County Fair.

Amy Corroon isn't entering the pie contest officially, but she may display her special "Two-Layer Key Lime Pie" at the event. She may even sneak her pie into the contest just for fun to see if her husband can identify her recipe.

"I think I'll blindfold him," Amy Corroon laughs. "I'd like to think he could tell the difference between my pie and others."

Amy's recipe isn't a big secret, though, so she decided to share it with Deseret News readers. She baked her Key lime pie with the help of her children Sophie, 9; Peter Jr., 8; and James, 7, in her mother's kitchen. She chose the site since her stove broke after 25 years. She plans on asking her husband for a new stove for her upcoming birthday.

Amy got the pie recipe from her friend, Amy Sullivan of Salt Lake City, who served it as dessert for an Easter dinner one year.

"It was the best thing I had ever tasted," Amy Corroon said.

She begged her friend for the recipe. Sullivan gave her the leftover half a pie the next day, along with the recipe, which came from Bon Appetit magazine. Amy Corroon recalls, "I ate it all that day. I'm so embarrassed — I ate the whole thing."

Amy Corroon says she likes this particular Key lime pie recipe since it has a cheesecake layer instead of the traditional meringue topping. She also likes the granola in the graham cracker crust.

The mayor's wife loves to bake, saying that while growing up, many of her family's traditions involved food and special family recipes. "Our family reunions become competitions for who can cook the best," she said.

Cooking can be incredibly therapeutic and relaxing, Amy Corroon said.

"I love flipping through recipe books and trying new recipes," she said.

The deadline for the fifth annual specialty pie contest is Friday, Aug. 13. The Key lime pies must be delivered between 1 and 2 p.m. Peter Corroon will test the pies at 2 p.m. The public is invited to watch the judging.

The fair runs through Saturday, Aug. 14, at the Salt Lake County Equestrian Park and Fair Grounds, 2100 W. 11400 South, South Jordan. Go to www.countyfair.slco.org/index.html for information about the Salt Lake County Fair, or call 801-254-0106.