Lime Syrup

As I wrote in a previous post I was given some wonderful limes by a friend.  Picked by her, out of her garden, how cool is that?   At any rate I made some Lime Curd and piped that into some tartlets for Boat Club, but I didn't stop with the Lime Curd, I decided to have some fun.  I've had candied lemon slices in the past and thought it might be fun to try making some candied lime slices.

In the spirit of being adventuresome, I didn't even google how to do this.  I just dumped a cup of sugar and a half cup of water into a saucepan, let it come to a boil, then added two sliced limes.  Very thinly sliced.  Well, as thin as I could make them, I should have gotten them a little thinner but my knife needed sharpening and my sharpener wasn't working very well.  Sigh.

So there I am, the lime slices were bubbling along nicely, and became translucent so I took them out, and drained them on a baking sheet.   Then I went into my office and googled what to do next.   Nothing like looking stuff up after the fact.   At any rate, I found out I had to place the slices on some granulated sugar and then let them dry.    Along the way I taste tested a couple and found out I didn't like them at all.  They were too bitter for my taste, so I dumped them.   Yes, I know, wasteful, but not really, if it's something you know you won't use or consume or just plain don't like, why keep it?  But the syrup that the slices cooked in, well let me just say this.   It tasted soooooo good mixed in with some Sauza Tequila.   So the syrup stayed.  It's now residing in my fridge waiting to jump into a nice glass of Tequila.   There is still a little bitterness from the lime peel, but that actually complements the tequila.

So if you have a couple of limes hanging out in your house and you don't know what to do with them, try making some lime syrup.

1 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
2 sliced limes, sliced very thinly.  (use more if you like) 

Combine water and sugar and let it come to a boil and cook it for just a couple of minutes, then add the sliced limes and cook an additional 10 minutes or so, until the slices of lime become translucent.   Remove the lime slices, and let the sugar syrup cool for a couple of minutes, then strain it into a jar and keep in the refrigerator and use it in margarita's, or maybe in some whipped cream for flavoring, or anywhere you want a punch of lime flavor. I know I'm going to experiment a little. 

LIMES!!!! Lime Curd

When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade, right?  Well, what happens when a friend hands you a bag full of limes, and not just any limes, but Rangpur Limes?    Thoughts of Lime Curd Tartlets, Lime Cream Cake and other delights start dancing through your head.   And of course a lovely Gin and Tonic and maybe a Margarita or two.   And best of all,  these were grown and harvested by a friend out of her own garden.

I've also figured out I'm not in danger of developing either scurvy or malaria in the near future, since I've been drinking Tonic Water with Lime from these beauties.  Which reminds me, I'm out of Tonic Water and almost out of Gin.

Sorry, got side tracked there. 

I ended up making Lime Curd Tartlets for Boat Club, as well as keeping some Lime Curd for me, some Lime Syrup (for Margarita's) and some candied Lime Slices.   Plus of course I froze some lime zest, and have also juiced and frozen some of the lime juice.  I was thinking of marmalade, but the juice from these limes are industrial strength.  I don't think I've ever had such powerful limes.   Really good, but WOW!!!!!!

 Aren't they pretty just sitting there?
I was told that they were kind of a pink when you cut into them, but had no idea how pretty they would look.

Lemon and Lime in the back, Rangpur Lime in front.

The Rangpur Lime is the one in front, but since I had some regular limes and lemons in the house, I thought I would show you the contrast between them.  

Then I just had fun, arranging the different citrus fruits and taking pictures.   Life isn't just about cooking after all.

After the photo session, I got down to some serious stuff though.   I wanted to make some Lime Curd Tartlets, and needed pastry shells to put the Lime Curd into.   I did use commercial Pie Crust for these, mainly because the dough is a lot sturdier than my own homemade crust, and since I was making these as a finger food, I wanted a good base.

I lay out my tart shells on a round of dough, I find I can get ten tart shells out of one round of crust. 

 Press the molds lightly into the dough, and then remove the shells and cut the shapes out.

I them press them into the molds, and prick with a fork, very lightly, and bake them off for about 15 minutes in a 375 degree oven, or until the shells are a light golden brown.
Then it was time to make the curd.   I zested the limes first, then cut them in half and juiced them.  

I heated the juice, sugar and zest up to boiling before tempering the egg yolks with some of the hot juice.   I then added the egg yolks to the juice and continued to cook the mixture for another ten minutes.   It will thicken a little.  To a pudding consistency.
Remove from heat and whisk in 6 tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon at a time.  Make sure it's all incorporated before adding the next cube of butter.

After it had cooked, I poured it into a container and placed some plastic wrap on top of the custard to keep it from forming a skin (and forgot to take a picture, grrrrr....) placed the bowl in the fridge to cool down.  And later on, piped the curd mixture into the shells, topped them with some whipped cream and served them. 

In some of the tart shells I piped some raspberry jelly, and some curd, before topping them with the whipped cream.  Raspberry and Lime go very nicely together. 

And as I said before, I saved some of the curd for myself for my toast.   
Here's the recipe

 

 

Lime Curd

Yield: 20 + servings

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

This is a take on regular Lemon Curd.  The Sweetened condensed milk is a surprisingly delicious twist.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar 
• 1 cup Lime Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Zest
• 4 egg yolks lightly beaten
• 6 Tablespoons Butter, cut into cubes.
• 1 14 oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Instructions

1. Heat the sugar and lime juice to boiling. Lightly beat the egg yolks, and set aside.
2. When the juice mixture comes to a boil,take off the heat and remove a half cup of juice. Pour the half cup or so of the hot juice into the egg yolks, just dribbling it in and whisking the egg yolks the entire time. You want to temper the egg yolks so they don't cook when you add them to the hot juice. Then whisk the egg yolks into the juice and return to the heat. (You can do this part in a double boiler if you like)  Cook for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, whisking the entire time. Then take off the heat and whisk in the butter, one tablespoon or cube at a time. This adds some silky richness. The juice will thicken and become a pudding like consistency. Taste at this point. Add the can of Sweetened Condensed Milk and whisk in. It will thicken nicely at this point. Cover with some plastic wrap pressed down on the curd, this prevents a skin from forming as it cools. Place in fridge for at least two hours before using. Use as a filling for tarts, or a cake or just on toast.
3. Of course if you're me, you've got a piece of bread in the toaster at this point so you can taste test the curd on a piece of toast. I've taste tested a few pieces so far. You have to excuse me, it's time to test some more.

Calories

188.53

Fat (grams)

6.69

Sat. Fat (grams)

3.98

Carbs (grams)

30.74

Fiber (grams)

0.08

Net carbs

30.65

Sugar (grams)

29.75

Protein (grams)

2.75

Sodium (milligrams)

63.38

Cholesterol (grams)

55.14

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sidsseapalmcooking on instagram and hashtag it #Limecurd

Boat Club Potluck for October

Here's the monthly update for Boat Club.   I knew you were waiting to see what fun dishes were brought.   And as usual we had a good turnout, and the food was good.    We did have a few desserts this month, some months we don't have any.  But it all works out well.   My contribution this month were Lime Tarts, made with fresh limes that had been given me.   And I'll write about the fun I had with them in another post.
But for now, here's the line up.

 I made some Lime Tarts from some fresh Limes I received from Frances.

 Frances brought two Lime Pies made from some of her fresh limes.

 Here are the limes she brought to share with everyone last night.  

 Kathy brought some really yummy BBQ chicken, I got a wing, my favorite part and ended up licking my fingers.  It was very good.

 Then Quinn brought some fried chicken and guess what?  I managed to find a wing there as well.  I was a very happy person, two kinds of chicken and I got my favorite part from each of them. 

 BBQ riblets, very tasty, sorry for the poor picture, but for some reason, I could not get a good clear picture of them.

 Tortellini, yummy.  I think I could have gone for seconds or even thirds on them.  I forgot to ask the name of the dish though.   Take my word for it, they were good.

 Potato Salad.   I love Potato Salad, really, and it amazes me how many different ways there are to make it.  

 So who doesn't like Brownies?  I managed to grab a piece before they all disappeared.  And it happened to be a corner piece, I love them the best.

 I was told this was Uncle Tostito's special recipe dip.   And it was good.  Chips and dip are always good. 

 Potato Salad, again, very good.   Harriet has introduced me to a couple of different variations on potato salad. 

 Crab Dip.   Creamy, rich, good.   I just don't think you can go wrong with crab.  Or at least not too wrong. 

Trifle.   Didn't it look pretty?  And it tasted so good as well.  Notice the lime leaves that were tossed so artistically at the base of the bowl?
I loved the blueberries on top as well, reminds me of picking blueberries on our farm when I was a teenager.  (don't tell my mother but I ate my share before they got in the basket).

So, there you have it, another Boat Club Monday and the food we got to eat.      And I will be sharing my adventures with the Limes I got from Frances as well as what I made with them, probably tomorrow.

Potluck Birthday Dinner, Hawaiian Chile

I had fun making a new recipe, well, new to me a couple of weeks ago, and I took it to a friends birthday party.   And it was well received, very well received, I only had a couple spoonfuls left to take home.  Which is a good thing.

There were lots of other good things at the potluck though.  The star of the show was the Turkey, but there were other dishes to try as well.

Hawaiian Chile, Baklava, Shrimp, Potato Salad, Guacamole, Killer Hot Wings, Tomato and Squash Casserole and Angel Food cake for dessert.  Well, I made do with the Baklava, didn't taste the cake, cause, gee it was Baklava and not only Baklava, but homemade Baklava.  Need I go on?

I wanted to share the recipe for the Hawaiian Chile, partly cause it was so good, but also because it's one of those dishes that can be served warm or room temperature.   A different twist on a chile recipe, which is always a good thing.     If you're a pineapple lover, this really is good.  And also Debbie was nice enough to send me the recipe.  Don'tcha love it when people share recipes?   I know I do.  You can find the recipe at the end here.

But first the pictures, I'm such a visual person, I like to look at pictures of food anyway, but you probably figured this out already.

The turkey.   I mean who says you can only eat it once or so a year.

Hot Wings, I called them Killer Hot Wings earlier, cause they were sooooo good.   They were prepared with a dry rub first, baked in the oven and then finished off with a wet mop.   The spices in here weren't your Buffalo Style ones either, there were cloves, cinnamon, allspice and the layers of flavor were really incredible.    I am so going to get this recipe, and when I do, I'm making it.    Tender, spicy, layers and layers of spice and flavor.  sigh,  now I'm making myself hungry for them again. I'm going to ask Mark for this recipe. 

This was a unique dish as well.   Tomatoes, squash and potatoes.   And can't forget the cheese.   I love to try new stuff.  I'm going to be asking Ginny for this recipe as well.

 Guacamole and Shrimp.   Always good to have at any kind of potluck

As you can see, there was a spread.

 Baklava, and if you noticed a piece missing, that wasn't me, really, it wasn't.   I restrained myself and only took a piece after I took pictures. 

 Potato Salad, and there was a unique idea here.   Rather than cube the potatoes, they'd been sliced and then dressed.   Something I'm going to try next time I make my MIL's Potato Salad.  And a recipe I will share here, cause I think it's the potato salad recipe.   Maybe next week.

I also brought some Boozy Cranberry Sauce and it was well received.   With Thanksgiving coming up you may want to give this recipe a try.  It freezes very well by the way.   Which is why I brought some, I thought people might like some alongside the turkey.

And last but most definitely not least, the Hawaiian Chile.  Sorry for the blurry picture, sometimes I just get so excited at the sight of food I can't restrain myself and I jiggle the camera. 

Hawaiian Chili
1 lb. ground round
1 lg. onion (diced)
2 lg. cloves garlic (diced) More or less garlic to taste.
1 pkg. chile seasoning
brown all together
Add
1 lg can Bush's baked beans
1 med. can Dole's crushed pineapple
serve hot or cold and enjoy   

As with anything like this it is always better the "next day" but can be ready to go to a party in 20 minutes time.

Best Ever Dipping Sauce for Pork, Chicken or Shrimp.

I've shamelessly stolen this dipping recipe and then made it my own.    That's one of the best parts of cooking, we become like musicians, who are jamming together and playing off of each others notes.  I'm tone deaf when it comes to music, but cooking, well, I can really get in there and jam away.

Get it?

Sorry, got carried away there.    Here's the back story, a couple of weeks ago, Kathy brought some Pork Tenderloin bites to Boat Club and the sauce she had served with it was really good.  And she's a generous sort of person, and shared the recipe, such as it was.   Basically it was a marmalade zapped in the microwave, mixed in equal parts with soy sauce and served.   She'd gotten the how-to's from a restaurant awhile back and made it.

Last week at Tapas night I made a Pork Loin and sliced it very thin, and decided I would try making a dipping sauce like Kathy's to go with it.   So I went into my pantry to retrieve the Orange Marmalade I 'knew' I'd bought awhile back, and it wasn't there, but a jar of Ginger Marmalade was. (I still haven't found the Orange Marmalade, I have no idea what goes on in that pantry when I'm not looking, and I'm not responsible for it either!).


I also spotted some salad dressing I'd purchased and never used, it was Ken's Asian Sesame Dressing with Soy and Ginger.   I had one of those  'AHA, GOT IT' minutes, and put the two of them together.   And tasted it, but it wasn't quite right.  It needed something.   So, I put my head back  in the fridge and pulled out some Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce.  Added a couple of tablespoons of it to the sauce, and tasted again.  Still not quite right. 

I headed back to the fridge again, but nothing caught my eye.  So, I looked in the pantry one more time.  This time the Sesame Seed oil caught my eye, well, it sat and waved at me and said "HEY", and I listened.  Added a teaspoon of it  and some sesame seeds for show and VOILA!!!!  It sang, and all the notes worked together and it was good. 

Here's the basic recipe and feel free to play along on any riffs that come up.

Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons Ginger Marmalade, zapped in microwave for 1 minute (or more to taste)
1/4 cup Asian Dressing with Soy and Ginger
4 Tablespoons Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce, approximately.
2 teaspoons Sesame Seed Oil,  or to taste
1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds

Mix all together and serve as a dipping sauce for Pork, Chicken, Shrimp or even Tofu.   I think this would also be awesome for egg rolls, or ...   Whatever makes you sing.

Go have fun, and in the meantime, I'll be riffing away.

And here's another shot of the dip and the pork, the original bowl was too big for the platter so I ended up putting it in a smaller bowl.

And this is totally unrelated, but had to take a picture of my breakfast this morning, the cheese was trying to escape oozing out in all its melty goodness and it started my day off right.