Recipe: First citrus of the season in a tart-sweet dessert
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Garnished and ready to serve: An individual
lime pudding cake. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)
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Everything seems to be ripening sooner this year. Pomegranates in mid-October, and now limes, heralding the beginning of citrus season.
My 6-foot Bearss seedless lime tree has been loaded with fruit this year. I realized this past week that the rind on several limes was lightening, turning more of a yellow-green. In other words, the fruit was ripening. (Yes, limes are typically picked before they are ripe.)
Quick, dig out recipes using limes! I have plenty of savory dishes, chicken and fish especially, but wanted to find a new baking recipe that would put the lime flavor center-stage.
The recipe here is my combination of several for individually baked pudding cakes.
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Limes and eggs rest in a glass bowl. The three limes
show varying degrees of ripeness, but were all
picked the same day.
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This might seem a little fussy, but no more so than baking and frosting a batch of cupcakes. And the pudding cakes can be eaten warm, room temperature or chilled, which means they can be made far ahead of serving, if desired.
The ramekins also have the advantage of containing the pudding to the dish it's served in; scoops from one large cake might spread a bit, especially any leftovers.
Top with some whipped cream and a lime slice for a beautiful presentation.
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Halves of a still-green Bearss lime is in
front; halves of a ripe one are in back. |
Serves 6
Ingredients:
Cooking oil spray
1/2 cup plus 2-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
3 large eggs, room temperature, separated
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup lowfat milk
Zest from one large lime, plus more for garnish if desired
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Whipped cream, for garnish, optional
Instructions:
Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Turn on oven to heat to 350 degrees. Have 1 quart or more of hot water available, either in a kettle or heated in the microwave. It doesn't have to be boiling, but should be hot rather than warm, and in a container that's easy to pour from.
Spray 6 ramekins (6-ounce) or 1-cup wide-mouth mason jars with oil spray. Use the 2-1/2 tablespoons sugar to coat the insides of the ramekins. Set them aside.
Place the egg whites in a clean, dry glass or metal bowl. Add the salt and beat the egg whites with an electric mixer, on low at first, then on medium-high, until the egg whites hold a peak when the beaters are lifted out. Set the bowl aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and the 1/2 cup sugar until light, then add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in the flour, then add about 1/3 of the milk, blend it in, add another 1/3, blend and then add the rest. Finally, stir in the lime zest and the lime juice. The batter will be very liquidy.
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I had only 4 ramekins of the same size, so used small wide
Mason jars for the other two puddings. These are ready for the
hot water to be poured into the outer pan. |
Divide the batter evenly between the six prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan or other high-sided baking dish. They should fit comfortably, with space in between.
Two ways to fill the pan with water:
-- If you're strong enough to lift a heavy pan, place the roasting pan on the stovetop or counter and gently pour the hot water into the outer pan so the water comes halfway up the side of the ramekins. Carefully move the filled pan to the rack in the oven and center it on the rack.
-- OR, if you don't want to risk dropping the pan, instead open the oven, pull out the oven rack halfway, and place the roasting pan on it so that it's well-balanced. Then pour the hot water into the outer pan so that the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. The tops of the puddings should be turning golden brown and puffy, and some may have cracks in them.
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The puddings cool after baking. |
Garnish with whipped cream and a lime slice or more lime zest if desired.
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Dig In: Garden Checklist
For week of Sept. 24:
This week our weather will be just right for fall gardening. What are you waiting for?
* Now is the time to plant for fall. The warm soil will get these veggies off to a fast start.
* Keep harvesting tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons and eggplant. Tomatoes may ripen faster off the vine and sitting on the kitchen counter.
* Compost annuals and vegetable crops that have finished producing.
* Cultivate and add compost to the soil to replenish its nutrients for fall and winter vegetables and flowers.
* Fertilize deciduous fruit trees.
* Plant onions, lettuce, peas, radishes, turnips, beets, carrots, bok choy, spinach and potatoes directly into the vegetable beds.
* Transplant cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower as well as lettuce seedlings.
* Sow seeds of California poppies, clarkia and African daisies.
* Transplant cool-weather annuals such as pansies, violas, fairy primroses, calendulas, stocks and snapdragons.
* Divide and replant bulbs, rhizomes and perennials. That includes bearded iris; if they haven’t bloomed in three years, it’s time to dig them up and divide their rhizomes.
* Dig up and divide daylilies as they complete their bloom cycle.
* Divide and transplant peonies that have become overcrowded. Replant with “eyes” about an inch below the soil surface.
* Late September is ideal for sowing a new lawn or re-seeding bare spots.