Tag Key Lime Pie

Florida Key Lime Pie Dip

Carroll 4 Comments

Another dessert dip- options are good!

Key Lime Pie is my favorite “non chocolate“ dessert, I love the zip of the little key limes!

Key Lime Pie Dip

 

Key limes are much smaller (ping-pong to golfball-sized) than Persian limes, nearly spherical, thin-skinned, and often contain a few seeds. Green key limes are actually immature fruits, prized for their acidity. As they ripen to a yellow color, the acid content diminishes greatly, resulting in a sweeter fruit

When you can’t get actual key Limes the juice makes a great substitute- just get some fresh limes to be able to include zest!

Some of my favorite ingredients!

 

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 5 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 6 graham cracker halves, crumbled
  • Zest on 1 Lime

Directions

  • Beat milk and cream cheese together until fluffy.  Add in lime juice and incorporate.
  • In a different bowl, whip the heavy cream and sugar together until you have firm peaks.
  • Fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, add graham cracker and lime zest and gently combine.
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve! Fresh fruit, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, chocolate dipped pretzels all are great to serve with dip!

Serves about 10 friends.

A Florida Must Have!

 

You can use light cream cheese to if you aren’t forgoing your diet today!  🙂

Quick, Easy and Tasty

 Wish everyone a safe and happy Super Bowl  Sunday!! 

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Key Lime Pie Ice Cream- Top Chef Nitro Style!

Carroll 10 Comments

There are a ton of cooking shows on television today.  Some I love, some are just “ehh”, and some are just garbage.  The shows I don’t like are the ones that make professional kitchens and chefs look ridiculous. Many of my friends and family ask me after seeing Hell’s Kitchen, “Is that what you do?”…So I’d like to say to everyone, while there are times when chef is screaming in our kitchen, there is no Gordon Ramsey running around yelling at seemingly inexperienced “chefs” that don’t know how to saute a piece of fish. It just isn’t reality….

I am a Top Chef fan, I think Bravo does a great job, capturing the energy and vibe of a kitchen.  When my friends and family chat me up about cooking, our conversations often lead to Top Chef.  I love the creativity of the chefs, the familiar competition amongst them and the accurate portrayal of the stress all kitchens have.  The producers really capture it well, so I love for friends outside of food and beverage world to watch, so they can understand the day to day life in a kitchen.

We have a lot of kitchen “toys” at work, some of which are used by the chefs on Top Chef.  The one fault I see in the show, is that the contestants use new, cutting edge cooking techniques, equipment, presentations and ideas, but don’t give a clear explanation for the viewers. (Perhaps they need a 2 hour time slot).  We recently had a “teach and learn” at work using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream, a method I have seen on Top Chef fairly often.  So I thought I would share the process, while you might not have a liquid nitrogen tank at home, you can at least know what the heck Richard Blais is doing!

The Tank! Saftey first!

Transferring the Liquid Nitrogen

We used Paula Deen’s recipe for Key Lime Pie filling, which is delicious!  Of course we used liquid nitrogen, but if you can make it at home in your ice cream maker too!

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 (12-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 3/4 cups key lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon key lime zest
  • 1 pint half-and-half

Some of the Mise en Place for the Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat cream until slightly thickened. Gradually add the sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Add condensed milk and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in lime juice, lime zest, and half-and-half. Now you are ready for the ice cream maker, they all have slightly different directions, follow the method of the maker you have at home.  OR…go get yourself a liquid nitrogen tank, and do not forget the saftey mask and gloves!

Pour the liquid nitrogen into a manageable pitcher.

The Key Lime Pie filling is freezing in the mixer!

It's so cool to have the "smoke" blowing all over the place. They should do this in high school science classes!

I am refilling the pitcher, it takes a little more than I thought.

A little more and it should be nicely frozen. It took just minutes!

Voila, Key Lime Pie Ice Cream. Now I need a Graham Cracker Cone!

Now you are ready for the next Top Chef Auditions 🙂

The Story of Seaside, Florida and a Food Lover

Carroll 2 Comments
We just arrived home from a week spent on the Emerald Coast of Florida.  The weather was delightful, lazy days on the beach, friends and family, cocktails at sunset, early morning outings, just plain old R & R!  We had heard about the town of Seaside, I even had been there briefly years ago after the Truman Show had popularized it, but when we arrived we were super surprised about the culinary mind trip we were going to go on!  We spent hours eyeballing restaurants menus, small markets, locally made pickles and jams, tasted butters and yogurt creamed a short trip away; we were in heaven.  Like the way the town of Seaside was established, with the focus on community,  the  food scene certainly practices this as well.  Any foodie visitor to the Emerald Coast should block a few hours for this gastrofantastic town!  Needless to say we came home inspired!!

Small town of Seaside- The Farmer's Market

Fresh NW Florida Local Vegetables- Such a difference in flavor

Organic Tea Leaves- We were able to make our own blends, fun for tea's, marinades, sweets!!

Fresh Jams and Eggs- We took some back to the house and had an amazing breakfast!

Farmers Market Poster- I tried to steal this but thought that might not fly in Seaside!

Great Salads- We found our lunch on the beach #nomnom

Stalks of sweet corn- They were picked the afternoon before!

Fresh Breads- This bakery uses all organic, local ingredients. She baked the breads the day before, they were so good. I went to the local creamery stand and go some of the fresh butter as my bread baking interest was sparked again!

Local Honey- Made an hour down the road, he had Tupelo, Wild Flower and Bay Leaf. Great example of buying direct from the farmer as our purchase came with a quick lesson on the state of honey bees, as well as a taste test of the different types of honey! Awesome!

The Modica Market- A great store, we spent an hour looking at all the specialty local items.

The Modica Market Bakery- Then I spent an hour trying to decide which treat to have- 🙂

Modica Market- Chefs Paradise

Florida Made Cheese- I may not be in the know, but I don't think we have to many cheese artisans in Florida, needless to say I was thrilled to find this tasty cheese!! WOO HOO!!

Local Support- The Community of Seaside is dedicated and built around community. The restaurants, markets and chefs follow suit.

Lady Bird Hot Sauces- The Pink Grapefruit Sauce was awesome- soooo good! Double Win for the ASPCA involvement!

Microgreens! The shoppers in Seaside eat well!!

House Pickled Backyard Goods- I really need to learn to "can", there is so much opportunity! Look for canned goods coming soon 🙂

Ping Tung Heirloom Eggplants! These are awesome, the skin is so tender, the seeds are not bitter - Perfect for Baba Ganoush!

Pickle Stand- A ton of different pickles, amongst other many items 🙂

Seaside CSA Garden- This was awesome, very youth oriented, which instills in the kiddo's that important issues can be fun!

Key Lime Pie on a Stick- Can you ever go wrong with pie on a stick?

Food Trucks of Seaside

Barefoot BBQ Food Truck- Sir Wes could not resist, 2 thumbs up!

The Melt Down, Grilled Cheese Food Truck- I spent my time over here, I am a sucker for fancy schmancy grilled cheeses!

Wild Bills Beach Dogs Food Truck-"If you can think it, We will do it"

Dear Seaside,

We are fat and happy- Thanks for the good times, we will see you soon!!!

The Piggo’s