When I was growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, one of our favorite “hang out” places after events was a restaurant that served limeades and cherry limeades. When I moved to Israel, limes were not in the market. When they did come into the market, they had a short season.
One day, I discovered they were grown at Tekoa in the Gush Etzion region and the organic Ben’s Farm on Moshav Yirosh between Beit Shemesh and Kiryat Malachi.
Recently, they became available all summer long. As an ingredient for Mexican, Indian, Latin American and Southeastern Asian cookery, I buy them in season, bring them to room temperature, squeeze them and freeze the juice in plastic bags to use year round.
When my friend Alice said she had made a Key Lime Pie, I thought that sounded wonderful, so here are some lime pie recipes.
Fresh Lime Angel Pie
8 servings
This came from a food magazine, Family Circle, March 1983.
Angel pie shell
- 3 egg whites
- pinch cream of tartar
- pinch salt
- 6 T. sugar
Filling
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- ½ cup water
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup skim milk or non-dairy creamer
- ½ cup lime juice
- 1 t. grated lime rind
- 2 ½ t. sugar substitute
- 3 T. non-dairy heavy cream
- pinch cream of tartar
- pinch salt
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
2. For the shell, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a bowl until frothy. Beat in sugar substitute a little at a time until meringue forms stiff glossy peaks.
3. Spoon meringue into ungreased 9-inch pie plate, smooth over bottom and up sides to make a high rounded edge.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off oven and leave meringue in oven to cool.
5. Place water in a saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin on top and let stand 5 minutes to soften. Turn on heat and stir until gelatin dissolves.
6. Beat egg yolks with non-dairy milk. Stir in a little of the gelatin mixture, then the rest. Pour all into saucepan and cook over very low heat 2-3 minutes until slightly thick. Pour into bowl and cool.
7. Add lime juice to yolk mixture and stir constantly. Add lime rind, sweetener and non-dairy creamer. Cover and chill.
8. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form.
9. Beat chilled lime mixture at high speed until frothy. Fold in beaten egg yolks. Spoon into shell. Cover loosely and chill 8 hours.
No-bake, Dairy-free, Sugar-free, Easy Key Lime Pie
8 servings
This recipe also came from Family Circle food magazine.
1 prepared graham cracker crust
- 8 ounces nonfat cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 t. grated lime rind
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup sugar substitute
- 1 cup reduced-fat frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
- 8 thin lime slices
1. In a bowl, beat together cream cheese, lime rind, lime juice and sugar
substitute 3-4 minutes until fluffy.
2. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into graham cracker crust.
Chill 4 hours or until filling is firm.
Garnish with lime slices.
Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, compiler/editor of nine kosher cookbooks (working on a 10th) and food writer for North American Jewish publications, who lives in Jerusalem where she leads weekly walks of the Jewish food market, Machaneh Yehudah, in English, and has written the kosher restaurant features for Janglo.net, the oldest, largest website for English-language readers, since 2014.
