RUDOLPH – Around Thanksgiving, don’t look for Nathan Brockway at the mall shopping for early Christmas
specials or sitting on the couch watching football.
He’ll likely be in the kitchen, painstakingly putting together one of his famous pumpkin pies.
Brockway’s pie specialties – pumpkin and turtle – take about an hour apiece to concoct, not including
sitting and cooling times.
"It’s got a graham cracker crust, whipped pumpkin filling, homemade maple whipped topping and
sugar-coated pecans," he said of the pumpkin pie.
But Brockway said if you asked his wife, Rebecca, and four children, they would say he’s not known for
his patience in the kitchen.
"I demand perfection out of myself. I really enjoy the process of making a pie, of taking something
and making it look good and taste good. It’s really the fun of cooking it," he said.
"I’ll cook just about anything. I like food, but pie is what I specialize in."
Thankfully, for cooks who want to try one Brockway’s pie recipes, but are already in the swing of a busy
summer schedule, he’s decided to share his key lime pie.
"Some of my pies get kind of complicated, but the key lime is very easy and actually has few
ingredients."
For this recipe, he changed the amount of butter and graham crackers from the original. He urged cooks to
take their own liberties, too, with the actual filling itself – the recipe calls for half a cup, but add
more if you like.
Then there’s the matter of doing a dollop of whipped cream, or not.
"Most key lime pies, you don’t cover with whipped topping, but I do. I like it," Brockway said.
"I make homemade whipped too."
Brockway said he bakes every chance he gets.
"I don’t get to make pies as much as I want, and my friends will tell you that," he said, with
a laugh.
The key lime that he made for the Sentinel was his second pie in as many days. He had baked a lemon one
for company over the weekend.
Soon he’ll be making peach pies and using other ingredients of the season.
"I never use frozen, or any of the canned. I suppose you can but I never do."
He also makes his own crust, but isn’t as picky about that step.
"In a pinch, if you want the ones Pillsbury makes, the rolled-up refrigerated ones, it’s
passable."
Brockway grew up in the kitchen.
"My grandmother (Donna Asden) was a professional cake decorator. She made cakes, in fact my wife and
(my wedding) cake was the last she ever made," he said.
"My mom (Marcia) always made pies and we really only had cake once a year, at birthday
parties."
Brockway is from Fremont. He and Rebecca lived for several years in Bowling Green, where she has had a
job as a hair stylist for 17 years.
They’ve been in Rudolph for 10 years.
As a truck driver for Werner, he’s on the road during the week. Brockway tries to pack food so he doesn’t
spend the week in restaurants.
"I’ve taken baked potatoes, chicken, soups, stuff like that," he said, adding that he packs a
portable, 12-volt heater to warm meals."
He will stop at a couple favorite places if he’s in the area. One is Taco Burrito King in Chicago, which
boasts a "burrito as big as my forearm." The other is Chester’s Chicken, where Brockway orders
deep-fried corn, which he admitted is "probably not healthy."
Nothing beats a pie, though – especially his mother’s apple, which is Brockway’s favorite.
"If you look around the world, in every culture, every country has some version of pie," he
said. "Maybe it’s the only universal food."

Key lime pie
Crust
91?4 full sheets of graham cracker
3 tablespoons of sugar
51?2 tablespoons of butter (melted)
Run graham crackers through food processor. Combine all three ingredients into medium sized bowl. Press
into 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 325 for 10-15 minutes.
Filling
4 egg yolks
4 teaspoons lime zest
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1?2 cup lime juice
Whisk together egg yolks and lime zest. Add sweetened condensed milk to yolk mixture and whisk together.
Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in lime juice, then let sit for 2-3 minutes. Pour mixture into prepared
pie crust. Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes. The filling should wiggle a little in center of pie.
Optional whip topping and garnishing
11?2 heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of lime
Place glass or metal bowl in freezer with whisk or whisk attachment. Let sit in freezer for 10-15 minutes
minimum. Combine cream, sugar, and vanilla in glass or metal bowl. Whisk until fairly stiff peaks form.
If using electric mixer start on low speed until very bubbly then increase speed. Continue to increase
speed until fairly stiff peaks form. Spread over pie. Zest one lime over the whip topping.