This week’s recipe was supposed to be Duck a l’Orange. But when the muse strikes, you have to go with it. Duck next week.
Memorial Day was almost here, so I reached out to a few friends and suggested we get together on the one day of the weekend that was supposed to be dry. A few people turned into quite a few, and a bunch of vaccinated, hug-starved friends spent the first hour melting into post-COVID-scare hugs with one another in the Baldinis beautiful garden. It was joyful and sweet.
Speaking of sweet, indulge me and order some finger limes from Amazon if you can’t find them anywhere locally. They make this dish. The insides or pulp of these little Australian fruits are like little bursting citrus caviar.
INGREDIENTS
Crust
20 Ginger Snap cookies, processed to fine crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons Finger Lime zest
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice
5 Finger Limes
1 thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled & grated
Topping
8 oz whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
4 Finger Limes
METHOD
For the filling: Whisk yolks and zest and condensed milk in medium bowl. Whisk in juice, ginger, and pulp from the 5 Finger Limes, set aside at room temperature.
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and sugar in medium bowl.
Stir in butter with a fork until combined; Press crumbs over bottom and up sides of into 9 inch tart pan.
Bake 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, pour lime filling in the crust and return to oven and bake 13 minutes until set.
Cool to room temperature then refrigerate until chilled. When you’re ready to serve, whip cream until soft peaks form, whip in sugar. Spoon over chilled pie and top with remaining lime pulp.
Learn from my mistake - I left it outside when it should have been chilled the whole day and it melted just like we did.
Pair with friends and plenty of hugs.