David believes Aunt Sally was not a servant but the wife of William Curry’s son, Charles. (Her name was Sarah, but Sloan claims “Sally” could have been a nickname.) He also thinks her pie could have been inspired by a snack local sponge fishermen enjoyed. They’d go out on the water for days at a time and took sweetened condensed milk, since it required no refrigeration, to put in their coffee. They’d also take limes for vitamin C and, usually, a loaf of Cuban bread. “I’ve heard stories saying once the bread began to dry out, they’d crumble it into their coffee cups, pour the condensed milk over it, and squeeze some lime on top before stirring it together,” he says. “That would have been more of a Key lime pudding, but maybe it evolved into the pie.”
Photography by Jim Bathie / Recipe Development by Amanda Stabile / Food Styling by Aaron Conrad / Styling by Courtni Bodiford