I was out with friends recently to have a few drinks and we had a few beers. Normally we drink wine but by silent consensus we chose to drink beer that night. I noticed of all the variety of beers how many of us requested either a lemon or lime with our drinks. Personally, I ordered a lime because I like how the its juice accents the taste of the beer.

But as I drank I began wondering what limes would be like in a dessert other than the traditional Keylime pie. Lims are not the first item people think of when deciding on what dessert to fix for family or friends. When I looked for several of my cookbooks I noticed that limes are not mentioned as much as lemons are, but lime recipes can be found in more contemporary cookbooks and online at a number of recipes sites such as All Recipes, Epicurious, Food Network, Cookingchannel.com, etc.

But I believe desserts are meant to challenge the senses and push your taste buds to a new level and provide your family and friends with a special treat, and limes can be that treat.

In cooking, many chefs appreciate the lime’s acidity in its juice and the flora aroma its zest produces from the fruits flesh. Limes are commonly used in cooking Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican and Southwest American dishes. In ceviche limes are used for its pickling properties.

Using a lime in a dessert is a challenge and I said before desserts should be a challenge for the cook but the enjoyment reached by using something in a non-traditional way would be so much more. So when you think of a lime think mouse (See Below) a tart, cheesecake or even cheesecake bars, but think of unique and fun ways to use this wonderful accent in more than one way. Enjoy

Lime Mouse

Ingredients

8 tbsp. butter
5 eggs
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. fresh lime juice (6 to 7 limes)
Grated zest of 5 limes
2 c. heavy cream, chilled

Directions

Melt butter in top part of double boiler over simmering water. Beat eggs and sugar until light and foamy. Add mixture to melted butter. Cook gently, stirring constantly until mixture becomes a custard, about 8 minutes.

Do not overcook or eggs will scramble. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and grated zest. Cool to room temperature. Using an electric mixer, whip chilled cream until very stiff, almost to butter. Stir lime custard into cream, until just incorporated. Pour into dishes or serving bowl. Chill at least 4 hours. 8 servings

- Cooks.com

http://www.epicurious.com/

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/

http://allrecipes.com/