This is a very yummy dessert that everyone will love. It only looks complicated. Simply read it through, get the ingredients together and go for it. You know what to say both loudly and to yourself when done….Damn I did this. It comes in a few steps.
Step 1
- 2 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
- 2/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 lime, zest only
- 2 tsp. salt
- 7 tbsp. butter at room temperature
- canola oil for your deep fryer
Put the paddle attachment on your electric mixer. Mix together the yeast and milk together and let stand for a minute to dissolve the yeast. Now add the flour, sugar, eggs, lime zest and salt. Mix only on low speed until all are blended together.
Remove the paddle and attach the dough hook. Mix until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Blend in the butter 1 tbsp. at a time until fully mixed and the dough is soft. Place the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap, sealing tightly and refrigerating for overnight.
There, that was easy. Next:
Step 2
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 tbsp. plain cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, again at room temperature
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 pinch of salt
In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and pulse until no lumps remain and is very smooth.
Pour into a heavy bottom saucepan and, over low heat, stir continuously until thickened. Remove from the stove and lightly press plastic wrap on the surface of the custard and when cool, refrigerate until very cold.
Step 3
- In the morning line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking oil.
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface until 1/2 inch thick and cut with 1 1/2 inch cutter. Gather up all the scraps and repeat the steps until all the dough has been used up.
- Spray a large piece of plastic wrap with cooking oil and place the oiled side gently over the top of the dough. Place in a warm place until they become slightly puffed. This should be about one hour.
Step 4
- 1 cup sugar
- 1-2 limes, zest only (depends on size of limes)
Stir together in a small bowl and set aside.
To Finish
- Fill your deep fryer with oil and bring to a 350 degree temperature. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
- Add the Fritas, 2-3 at a time and fry until puffed and golden on all sides (about 4 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to turn them over and then remove to the baking sheet. When cool enough to handle, toss in the sugar/lime mix and set aside to completely cool down.
- With a small whisk, loosen the custard. Put into a pastry bag with a small tip. Poke a hole in each of the Fritas, and pipe a generous 2 tsp. into each one.
For the best….serve the same day they have been made. OMG! Damn we did this.
Lime Squares
With company coming soon, it is time to think about making some desserts. I thought this would make a good one as my granddaughter has nut allergies and I certainly don’t want to leave her out of the mix. Here, I am going to do this one for sure.
- 1/2 stick butter, melted and cooled **
- 1 1/2 cups graham crumbs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Prepare your 8 inch baking dish by buttering it and then laying out parchment paper making sure to have a 2 inch overhang on the sides.
Mix these together and lightly press into your prepared baking dish, making sure to go up 1 inch on the sides. Bake in a 350 degree oven, baking for about 10-12 minutes just until it is a beautiful golden colour. Set aside to cool for about 30 minutes.
Filling
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 can condensed milk
- juice of 3 limes ( 1/2 cup )
Mix together the egg yolks and condensed milk until completely incorporated. Add the lime juice and pour this over the cooled crust. Bake for about 15-17 minutes. Cool down and then chill for about an hour. Remove from the pan and sprinkle with some grated lime zest. Cut and serve.
** For Canadian readers, when you buy a pound of butter at the store, bring it home, cut in half lengthwise, turn over and cut the two halves into half again. Wrap each quarter in wax paper and put in a plastic bag in the butter compartment of your fridge. Next time you wish to bake, take out a ‘stick’ of butter which is exactly the half cup of butter you want. Cool, isn’t it?
Taco Salad
Everyone is soooo busy at this time of year and I thought this would make a great way to sit down, take a few minutes and enjoy the moment before off and rushing again.
- 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp. Crisco oil
- 1 tbsp. FINELY chopped jalapenos, seeds removed
- 1 1/2 tsp. liquid honey
- 1 tsp. white wine vinegar
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce (or mixed greens)
- 1 large can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup fresh corn (1 large ear of corn should do the trick)
- 1 large avocado, peeled and sliced in thin wedges
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced (if you must)
- Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime over the top.
- Grated Havarti cheese for garnish
Mix the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
Wash and dry the lettuce, adding it to the bowl along with the rest of the ingredients. If you can purchase the taco bowls, use them or wrap up into soft tortilla wraps. Sprinkle cheese over the whole salad.
Have a cold beer handy or a shot of tequila. (I told you this would relax you). If you take this step, make sure you are done your shopping for the day and will stay inside.) In other words, no drinking and driving unless it is a great cup of coffee.
- you can also put in a cup or two of ground beef, fully cooked and then fold in with the rest of the ingredients.
Lime Curd Dessert With Special Crumble
This is unusual and refreshing after an evening meal. When served with guests at the table, they will be so happy they came for dinner. Your family? They will think someone took their Mom and replaced her. Who Knew?
The unusual part of this dessert is that is not made with lemon.
- 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 limes, finely zested
- 1 cup sugar*
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup, room temperature butter, cut in cubes
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups of a plain, Greek yogurt
- Honey to drizzle
- Your own special homemade crumble
* taste it in case you require a bit more sugar. Should be tart, not sour.
In a medium saucepan, bring the lime juice, all the zest and 1/2 cup sugar to the boil. Lower the temperature when it starts the full boil.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and remaining sugar until smooth and creamy.
With the mixer still beating, gradually add the lime mixture without stopping. If you stop, it will curdle.
Return to the saucepan and whisk continuously. When the mixture starts to boil, remove from the heat. Mix in the butter, whisking until smooth and blended. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the surface of the curd and cool before refrigeration.
Place 3-4 large spoonfuls of the lime curd into stemless wine glasses (or your prettiest glasses) and top with a large dollop of yogurt. Drizzle with honey and a sprinkle of your own homemade crumble.
Woo Hoo! You will love it. Serve with a couple of your homemade oatmeal or shortbread cookies.
Ricotta Lime Mini Cheesecakes
These delectable little darlings make a wonderful addition to any Festive table this season…be it Open Houses, Christmas Celebrations (or whatever you celebrate at this time of year). Everyone will want to try one and it isn’t as heavy as a slice of cheesecake. Give it a try!
- 12 shortbread cookies (if not homemade, use Peak Freen Shortbread cookies)
- 2 tbsp. room temperature butter
- 1 pkg. unflavoured gelatin
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese
- 8 oz. Neufchatel cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Using your processor, combine the cookies and butter, processing for about 2 minutes and then press into a 12 cup muffin tin with a paper baking cups. (make it seasonal)
In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup of lime juice and set aside for 5 minutes. Microwave this now for 30 seconds.
In your mixer, combine the cheeses, sugar and vanilla, 2 tsp. lime zest and the gelatin for 2 minutes. Pour over crusts and chill for at least one hour. Before pouring into the baking cups, taste it. You may have to use a 2nd lime (juice and zest). It all depends on the size.
p.s. You could add a dollop of whipping cream and a sprinkling of lime zest on top for that added WOW! Just sayin’.
With
Icewine Vinaigrette
It is mighty awesome and makes a ton. Great one to have on hand at any celebration and Christmas sounds like a great time or, to our American family and readers, American Thanksgiving coming up quite soon.
This really works well with any salad using kale or even a Waldorf salad.
- Zest of 1 lime
- juice from 3 freshly squeezed limes
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 3 tsp. honey
- 1 oz. apple cider vinegar
- 1 oz. icewine vinegar
- 1 tsp. flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- pinch of pepper
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups canola oil
Combine all except the oil, in a food processor for 15 seconds. Now in a slow stream, add the oil until emulsified.
Store in a sealable jar.
Yummy!
Lime Delight Cheesecake
These are two things I really love….limes and cheesecake. This is soooo smooth and delicious you won’t believe that it is light in the calorie department, but it is. You can actually have two slices at one time, if you want to.
- 16 graham wafers, broken
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 tsp. lime zest
- 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
- 1 pkg. regular cream cheese
- 2 pkg. light cream cheese
- 1/2 cup 2% Greek Yogurt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. lime zest
- 3 tbsp. lime juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp. icing sugar
- 1/4 cup 2% plain Greek Yogurt
- 4 limes
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Candied Lime Zest
Use a vegetable peeler and peel strips off the limes, without the pith, from end to end. Cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips. In a skillet, bring 2 cups of water to the boil and boil the strips for 1 minute. Drain and set the strips aside.
In the same skillet, bring 1 cup water and sugar to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Add the lime strips and reduce the heat. Cook until they become transluscent (10 minutes). Drain, discarding the syrup. Place the strips on a rack over waxed paper and let dry (12 hours).
Graham Crust
Grease the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan . Line the sides with parchment paper. Center the pan on a large square of tin foil and press the foil up the side of the pan.
Process the graham crackers with the sugar to make a cup of fine crumbs. Add the butter and lime zest and pulse until just moistened. Press over the base of the prepared pan and bake in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool down.
Filling
Drain the cottage cheese over a bowl for 30 minutes and shake to remove any excess liquid.
In a processor, whirl the cottage cheese until paste consistency. Add the cream cheeses and yogurt and process until smooth for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl often. Add the sugar, lime zest and juice, and vanilla processing until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, pulsing after each one. Spread this now over the crumb base and smooth the top with an off-set spatula.
Set the pan inside a larger pan. Set on the oven shelf and add anough hot waterto come up 1 inch on the side of the smaller pan.( Doing it this way avoids spilling of water or getting burned.)
Bake in a 300 degree oven until the shine has disappeared and the edge is set (the center still jiggle slightly). This should take 1 1/2 hours.
Turn off the oven and leave the door open. Let cake stand in a warm oven for about 1 hour. Remove from the water and transfer to a rack. Remove the tin foil and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours.
Topping
Whip the cream with the sugar and fold in the yogurt. Spread over the top of the cake and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove the side of the pan and arrange the candied lime zest around the outer edge of the cheesecake.
This, my friends, will take you over the top in the dessert department.
Wilted Spinach and Lime Risotto
Another summer dish to make and enjoy. I love spinach and truly love risotto…put them together and WOW!
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/3 cups Arboro rice
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
- 1 tsp. grated lime zest
- 1 tbsp. lime juice
- pinch of ground pepper
In a saucepan bring the broth and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.
In a skillet, melt the butter over a medium heat; add the garlic and shallots, stirring occasionally until softened. Add the rice and stir to coat and toast the grains for about 1 minute. Add the broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir this continually until the liquid is almost absorbed, then keep adding the broth in this manner until all is absorbed. This, by the way, takes exactly 22 minutes. (Don says “not one minute more – not one minute less”).
Remove from the heat. Stir in the spinach, cheese, lime zest and juice and pepper. Serve immediately.
It can be called a vegetable dish or loosely termed “salad”. Whatever works for you and your family/friends. More wine, anyone?
Lime And White Chocolate Mousse Parfaits With Blackberries
These are super-duper parfaits and the only thing you need is a candy thermometer. Serve is your prettiest dessert dishes and you, my friend, are again the Queen of the dinner service.
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 4 tsp. finely grated lime zest
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 2/3 cups whipping cream, well chilled
- 3 1/2 oz. of top quality white chocolate, finely chopped
- 5 cups of blackberries, washed
Whisk the eggs, sugar, lime juice and zest and salt in a medium metal bowl to blend well. Set bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk until the mixture becomes very thick and a candy thermometer registers 165-170 degrees. Cool mousse down to room temperature.
Combine 1/4 cup cream and white chocolate in another bowl over hot water and stir constantly until the chocolate has almost all melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until it has completely melted and is smooth. Set aside.
Beat remaining cream until firm peaks form. Divide the cream between the two mousses, folding in 1 cup at a time. It should be about 3
cups for each mousse.
Layer about 1/4 cup of lime mousse in 8 parfait dishes or wine glasses. Add 4-5 blackberries and layer about 1/4 cup of white chocolate mousse over the berries. Repeat with 1 more layer each and top with a few more berries.
Serve with a well chilled ice wine (burgundy ice wine is lovely) and enjoy the rest of the evening with friends.
Salmon With Rice and Asparagus
You just got home from work and you’re tired, cranky and you now have to figure out what to make for dinner that is fast, easy and, it goes without saying, tasty….go no further. Try this. It should take 30 minutes to make. What could be easier…oh., by the way, it takes one dish.
Am I good to you or what……damn I can do this!
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp. grated lime peel
- 2 tbsp. liquid honey
- 2 tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 4 tsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 large shallots, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
- 3 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 4 x 5-6 oz. salmon fillets
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk together the lime juice, zest, honey, 2 tbsp. of the parsley and soy sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet with a lid (oven proof) and saute the shallots until golden and starting to soften (5 minutes). Stir in the rice and add the broth. Cover with the lid and place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. The rice will be almost cooked and most of the broth should be absorbed. If dry, add more broth 1/4 cupful at a time.
Remove from the oven and lightly sprinkle salt over the rice. Season the salmon fillets and arrange over the rice, pressing lightly . With a spoon, try to tuck the asparagus into the rice to be anchored. Drizzle the dressing over the fillets. Cover and return to the oven. Bake for another 8-10 minutes until the salmon is just opague in the center and the asparagus is crisp-tender.
Drizzle the remaining dressing over the fish and sprinkle with some chopped parsley.
Serve with warm rolls and butter. Did I mention a glass of Pinot Gris would be a perfect addition? I thought so…
Valentine’s-To Pamper Or Not To Pamper?
In our home, we still go all out (if not actually going out to a restaurant) and pamper each other. If you have small children you have a choice: feed them first and put them to bed OR let them help you, and enjoy a later dinner.
Lay out a clean, crisp tablecloth, charger plate, dinner plate…having a homemade soup? Then a soup bowl….no soup but having a salad? then put out a pretty salad bowl or small salad plate….candles….fresh flowers (supermarket has them). Pretty card or funny one (depends on your significant other). No other gift is necessary. You care, you both care…let him barbecue, you make the salad or whatever works for you. But, just take the time to slow down and enjoy the day set aside for love.
You don’t have anyone? Set the table anyway…..for you. You matter, you love yourself- so….what’s stopping you? Go for it.
Here is a dinner that is yummy, costs about $3-4 per serving and only needs a salad or side dish of vegetables. Having wine? Use pretty wine glasses. Don’t drink? Pour a sparkling water or juice…in a pretty wine glass…why not? Who said you couldn’t?
Pecan Glazed Pork With Lime-Maple Glaze
- 1 pork tenderloin (silver skin removed) about 2 lbs.
- pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 3 limes, juiced and 1 cut into thin wedges)
- pinch of cumin
- pinch of cayenne pepper
Trim pork and cut in 1/2 inch slices. Flatten with the palm of your hand and season with salt and pepper.
Place 3 tbsp. of syrup in a dish, place pecans in second dish. Heat the oil in a skillet and dip the slices in the syrup and then into the pecans. Pat to make sure it adheres and carefully set into skillet. Pour the balance of the syrup and pecans over the top and cook for 3-4 minutes each side (just pink in the center). remove from the skillet.
Stir in the lime juice, remaining syrup, cumin and cayenne and cook for 1-2 minutes (until thickened). Pour over the pork and add a slice or two of lime on top. Add a salad or side dish and enjoy.
P.S…..you don’t have to wait for Valentine’s to enjoy this scrumptuous dish.
Fresh Tomato Salsa
This morning, while in a panic mode to find a certain cookbook, I found this recipe from Paul Cecconi’s cooking class last year. Everyone truly loved it.
- 8 vine ripened tomatoes
- 1 red onion, fine dice
- 2 jalapenos, fine mince
- 1 tbsp. garlic-minced
- 2 limes – zest and juice
- 1 tsp. cumin-toasted
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. cilantro-chopped
- salt/pepper to taste
Combine all the above and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve with warmed tortilla chips.