I have one solitary lime tree on my deck. It’s in a huge pot and it’s about 8 years old. The tree has survived freezing cold winters and scorching hot summers. If I’m not wrapping it with a tarp to save it from the cold, I’m soaking it with well water from a garden hose. I’ve been faithful to my sweet little lime tree, and it continues to be faithful to me. Every spring, fragrant white flowers bloom. They grow into tiny green limes and ripen into tart citrus fruit. Limes are prized for their vibrant juice and aromatic zest. This year’s harvest has been a good one! What does one do with a plethora of limes? That was my mission for this column, and I have three great answers to the question at hand. All three recipes use both the juice and the zest of fresh limes. Choose limes that are bright green, smooth, and shiny. The heavier, the better. Zest your limes with a rasp or microplane before squeezing them. Room temperature limes release the most juice. Rolling limes on the counter while pressing down hard with the palm of your hand — or even warming them in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds helps, too. I use a citrus reamer to extract the juice because I like the pulp. Strain the juice through a sieve if you’re a purist. Fresh lime juice can be frozen into cubes and stored in the freezer for up to 5 months. When life gives you limes, you know what to do!
Summer Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette
I know my loyal readers are thinking, “old girl just shared a honey-lime vinaigrette recipe last month.” I can assure you, this one is quite different. It’s made with red wine vinegar and created especially for serving with fresh fruit.
For the vinaigrette:
½ teaspoon lemon zest
¼ cup lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well to combine. Refrigerate any unused vinaigrette.
For the salad:
Mesclun salad greens
Seedless grapes, halved
Strawberries, quartered
Blueberries
Watermelon, cubed
Kiwi, peeled and sliced
Starfruit, sliced
Fresh mint leaves
Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Toss with vinaigrette before serving.
Coconut Lime Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts may be substituted for thighs. You’ll only need 3. Cilantro may be substituted for basil, as well. The trick to keeping your sliced basil leaves from turning brown too quickly is to cut them with scissors.
5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
1 small onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger (I used 1 tablespoon ginger paste.)
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk (full fat)
1 tablespoon lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Fresh basil leaves, sliced
Green onions, sliced
Jasmine rice
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Warm a skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Cook chicken until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add onion and red bell pepper to the same skillet and cook until tender. Add a couple tablespoons of water if the pan begins to get too dry. Remove vegetables from skillet and add to the chicken. Add garlic and ginger to the skillet and cook for a minute or two, until fragrant. Lower heat. Add coconut milk (shake can before opening), lime juice, lime zest and brown sugar. Mix well and heat through. Slowly add cornstarch slurry, while stirring constantly, to thicken sauce. Add fish sauce and red pepper flakes. Return chicken, onions, and red bell pepper strips back to the skillet. Stir to coat with sauce and warm through. Serve over hot jasmine rice. Garnish with fresh basil and green onions before serving. Serves 4.
Lime Pound Cake
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’m not a great baker. As a matter of fact, I overbaked these two pound cakes by about 10 minutes. Be sure to check the centers after about an hour. If they’re still wet and the cakes are getting too brown, lower the temperature to 325 degrees and continue to bake until the centers are set. Old-timey folks sometimes called a damp center a “sad streak.” If your center has a sad streak, the cake is still perfectly fine to eat. Overall, it’s better for the pound cakes to be underdone rather than overdone.
For the cakes:
3 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
For the icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
Lime slices, to garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two loaf pans with flour-infused cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, beat butter with cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add flour and eggs, alternating (1 cup flour/2 eggs) while beating. Mix well. Add salt, vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix well. Batter will be thick. Divide batter between loaf pans. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean. Baking time will depend on the dimensions of your pans. Cool on wire racks in pans for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and place back on racks until completely cool. Make icing. Mix powdered sugar, lime juice, and lime zest together in a small mixing bowl. Drizzle over cooled cakes. Garnish with fresh slices of lime. Makes 2 cakes.
The writer owns Catering by Debbi Covington and is the author of three cookbooks, Celebrate Beaufort, Celebrate Everything! and Dining Under the Carolina Moon. Debbi’s website address is www.cateringbydebbicovington.com. She may be reached at 843-525-0350 or by email at debbicovington@gmail.com.
