what can i make with my key limes?

[halloweencat]

we're throwing an oscar party this weekend. while i was at wegman's, i came across some key limes. i impulsively bought three bags and would love to work them into some sort of dessert for the party.

i'm looking for ideas/good recipies...key lime pie would be last on my list. i'd like to do something other than key lime pie, because that's the first thing that folks associate with them.

does anyone know of any good recipies?

thanks and cheers --

[Caroline923]

Try a key lime cheesecake - and add grated rind to the crust and maybe some coconut as well to kick it up - decorate the top with twists of the lime rind to indicate the flavor as key limes do not make a "green" dessert. Vanilla wafers make a nice change from the traditional graham cracker crust and hold up as well.

[halloweencat]

thanks for the suggestion...i'm afraid i'd need a recipie, to guide me on how much key lime juice would be needed.

thanks and cheers --

[halloweencat]

great idea re the rinds...i know key lime doesn't looke green.

cheers --

[Caroline923]

find a lemon cheese cake recipe and substitute the lime - there a re many out there - oddly enough the one by Debbie Fields Favorite American Desserts is pretty good.

[SweetSide]

I made some Coconut Crusted Key Lime Napoleons out of Great Cookies that were very good. Tasted like key lime pie with coconut, but were chewy bar cookies.

They also have a recipe for Pistachio Lime thins and Coconut Lemon-Lime tassies that look good. Haven't made those, but have liked all the recipes in the book so far...

Also have a recipe for a white chocolate margarita mousse (alcohol involved). Normally I make it with regular limes, but the key limes may work. May be too overpowering though due to their sharpness.

Another thought is a coconut cake with a lime curd filling... (I'm on a coconut kick at the moment and lime just lends itself so well! )

[Truffle Guy]

we're throwing an oscar party this weekend.  while i was at wegman's, i came across some key limes.  i impulsively bought three bags and would love to work them into some sort of dessert for the party.

i'm looking for ideas/good recipies...key lime pie would be last on my list.  i'd like to do something other than key lime pie, because that's the first thing that folks associate with them.

does anyone know of any good recipies?

thanks and cheers --

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Key Lime bon bon's or Truffles are by far the favorite flavor of anything I make. I know some chocolatiers don't like the citrus/chocolate blend but most people love them. I use white chocolate ganache with the zest of the lime and juice. Very simple to make. If you have molds, you can do bon bon's if not, you can make palets by spreading the chocolate ganache out and letting it harden then cutting and dipping in chocolate or roll into balls and make truffles. If you are interested, I can send you a recipe. You can also use coconut milk instead of cream for a bit more exotic flavor and roll the truffles in coconut.

[takomabaker]

I grew up in Florida and my mother sends me BOXES of key limes from the tree in her yard. I've frozen all of the juice that my freezer will hold. Your problem is an ongoing struggle for me, sometimes solved with a simple, impromtu margarita party. Here are a few links I've accumulated. I haven't actually made all of these things, but it's an ongoing quest to collect ideas. I hope they help.

Key Lime Stack

key lime creme brulee

key lime marscarpone cannoli with Mango Sauce

This one I can highly recommend.

key lime sparkler cookies

This last one came from my mother. She bought one of the supermarket checkout cookie cookbooks and we used key limes instead of the persian called for in the recipe. VERY good!!!!

http://www.landolakes.com/mealIdeas/ViewRe...?RecipeID=11328

Also, Marcel Desaulniers has a chocolate key lime bar recipe in one of his cookbooks (I think the cookie one) that is an old standbye of mine.

And, I just bought Chocolate Obsession last week, and I'm dying to try the Key Lime Pears! My mother just called me this morning and mentioned that she had a box ready to go out with both meyer lemons and key limes. I might try the pears this weekend.

[Truffle Guy]

we're throwing an oscar party this weekend.  while i was at wegman's, i came across some key limes.  i impulsively bought three bags and would love to work them into some sort of dessert for the party.

i'm looking for ideas/good recipies...key lime pie would be last on my list.  i'd like to do something other than key lime pie, because that's the first thing that folks associate with them.

does anyone know of any good recipies?

thanks and cheers --

←

There are a couple recipes you can use. The first is a coconut-lime variation.

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk

14 ounces white chocolate

3 teaspoons invert sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Key Limes to taste (some don't give much juice so I change the amount each time)

It's a very simple recipe. First you combine the cream, coconut milk and normally I add Key Lime juice and bring to a boil. Sorry, again I do this to taste so no amounts on the Key Lime. Most of the flavor will come when you add the zest and lime juice at the end though so don't worry about getting too much Key Lime flavor here. For my cream mixtures I normally do try to cover and let cool overnight if possible but you don't have to.

Next I put the white chocolate in a metal bowl and place over warm water until it melts, be careful not to let the water get too hot. Put the cream mixture back in a saucepan and add the invert sugar and bring to a boil then pour onto the white chocolate. I then use an immersion blender to combine before adding the softened butter and then combine thoroughly, again an immersion blender is really nice here.

After the ganache has cooled somewhat I start adding Key Lime juice to the tartness I want but remember....it will get more tart as it cools and you add the zest of the limes so don't overdo it. After the ganache is completely cool, I start zesting the limes into the ganache and blend. It does a couple things, it adds color and also really adds flavor. I actually normally use a regular lime for the zest, its just easier to work with and usually much greener. I then again will add more lime juice as needed. After it has cooled I pipe into molds filled with white chocolate. If you are doing palets you will need to pour into a pan or confectionary bar set. It will not be a very solid ganache so you will probably need to put in the fridge to harden and then take white chocolate that has been melted and put a thin layer over the ganache. This will give you a better substance when dipping the squares as they will melt quickly and you want a stable base. It also works best if you don't use tempered chocolate for this thin coating. You will need to cut the squares as the chocolate is almost cooled. Next, after the chocolate has hardened, you can dip in tempered white chocolate. You will need to work quickly as the ganache will melt easily. As a garnish you can add lime zest or if you have the time, candied lime peel or coconut.

For a recipe without the coconut, just use 1 cup of cream instead of the coconut milk. FYI...this is a simple base recipe and you may want to play with the ingredient amounts somewhat depending on your tastes and whether you want bon bon's, palets or scooped truffles. Hope this helps. Simple things can really taste good and white chocolate works well with the tartness of key limes as it doesn't compete and mellows the sensation.

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

Truffle Guy,

Have you ever tried the non coconut version with dark chocolate? If so, how would you compare the flavor profile between white and dark?

[Truffle Guy]

Truffle Guy,

Have you ever tried the non coconut version with dark chocolate?  If so, how would you compare the flavor profile between white and dark?

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I've had Key Lime in dark chocolate from other chocolatiers (Norman Love) and in milk chocolate (Chris Elbow) and they were great. It's probably personal preference. The dark chocolate will be firmer if you are doing palets. Also, coconut is excellent in dark chocolate so you might try it that way.

[suzilightning]

when we came back from florida two years ago i brought several boxes of key limes(johnnybird didn't understand till later) and when i got home juiced the bunch of them after zesting . we enjoyed margaritas - funny no complaints there!!- and i adapted both a lemon bar and lemon meringue pie recipe. they were really popular with all EXCEPT my mother-in-law who insisted that key lime pie was bright, artifically green

takomabaker - if your family has too many key limes i can give you my snail mail address

[angrykoala]

I've made a key lime creme brulee on many occasions that has been met with nothing but ecstatic feedback.

My suggestions would be to serve it with a ginger cookie of sorts, and brulee a turbinado sugar. A candied lime peel is the perfect/delicious garnish.

[Mary Ann]

we're throwing an oscar party this weekend.  while i was at wegman's, i came across some key limes.  i impulsively bought three bags and would love to work them into some sort of dessert for the party.

i'm looking for ideas/good recipies...key lime pie would be last on my list.  i'd like to do something other than key lime pie, because that's the first thing that folks associate with them.

does anyone know of any good recipies?

thanks and cheers --

←

If you have an ice cream maker at home a key lime ice cream or sorbet would be nice.