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Limes Are Key To Last-Minute Treat

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 21, 2007

Last month, my friend Arline gifted me with a bag of fresh Key limes she had picked from her backyard tree. I immediately squeezed them and tossed the juice into my freezer.

So as I gathered the ingredients for my Thanksgiving Day feast, I suddenly realized I hadn't chosen a dessert. Nearing a panic, I looked around for something quick and easy to make.

"Aha!" I thought, as the Key lime juice in the freezer called out to me. So did a new set of ramekins still in their box. A recipe for Key lime pot de crème fit the bill.

Pronounced "poh duh krehm," the phrase translates from French to English as "pot of cream," referring to the fact that it's a custard and usually served in small-lidded pots. This creamy dessert is a member of the baked custard family that includes the luxurious creme brulee.

This time of year you can find Key limes in supermarket produce sections. Also called West Indian, Mexican lime or bartender's lime, the fruit is usually the size of a Ping-Pong or golf ball. Its skin is thin, smooth and greenish-yellow when ripe.

There are many creative and tasty ways to use Key limes. To enhance flavor, squeeze them over most seafood - including shrimp, oysters and clams - or mangos, jicama, corn on the cob and cucumbers.

You can also use in Key lime mojitos, margaritas, whiskey sours, caipirinha or to make limeade.

Arline told me she sometimes combines Key lime juice with a can of sweetened condensed milk and simply eats it like pudding.

Expect to extract one to two teaspoons of juice per Key lime. Since limes have different juice sacks than lemons, they should not be cut the same way. Key limes should be cut from the stem lengthwise to give you much more juice. Of the dozen and a half I squeezed, I easily filled two ice cube trays, and then placed the frozen cubes in a freezer bag.

Assertive, with a tongue-tingling tartness, there's nothing wishy-washy about this simple dessert. Key lime pot de creme is rich and satisfying; not one of your guests will ever guess there are only four ingredients in this closely related cousin to Key lime pie.

KEY LIME POTS DE CREME

3 large egg yolks

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh key lime juice (6 to 8 limes)

1 teaspoon grated lime peel, green portion only

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until thick and light yellow. Shut off the mixer and add the sweetened condensed milk. At low speed, mix in half the lime juice. When thoroughly mixed, add the other half of the juice and continue to mix a few seconds more, until blended. Add the grated lime peel and stir in by hand. Pour the mixture from the bowl into a large measuring cup with a pouring lip.

Put six, half-cup ramekins or custard bowls in a deep baking dish.

Distribute the lime mixture evenly. Pour hot tap water into the baking dish so it comes within a half-inch of the top of the bowls. Cover the dish with a sheet of aluminum foil and put it in the oven. Bake about 15 minutes, until the custards are just set in the centers. Remove the dish from the oven and carefully remove the bowls from the water. Cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Set for at least three to four hours or overnight, if possible. Garnish as desired.

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 286, Ruskin FL 33575-0286. Readers are encouraged to send their recipes, comments and suggestions.

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