When life gives you limes

I’ve mentioned my passion for lemons, but I also have an equally zealous zeal for the zest, juice, and aroma of limes. I happened across a bin of perfect looking limes at the grocery store priced ten for a dollar! I put a horde of the green goodies in a bag and then noticed something next to them. “Sweet limes” ~ $1.29 per pound. These were large, yellow and appeared to have a significantly thicker skin than their little green neighbors. Never before had I tried sweet limes but figured my tendency toward tart citrus ensured I would likewise enjoy these lemon colored limes. I picked out six firm, heavy specimens and put them in the cart. I couldn’t wait to get home and do a little research…and perhaps make some sweet limeade.

I learned that my ten-for-a-dollar “regular” limes – the one most commonly seen in the grocery store - are actually Persian limes (Citrus latifolia). The “sweet” limes or “limetta” (Citrus limettioides) are known as Palestine or Indian sweet limes. These are a less acidic cousin of the Persian limes and are ready to eat when yellow.

Having also read that sweet limes are a less flavorful member of the citrus family, I cut one open to see for myself. I discovered the scent (peculiarly reminiscent of Lemon Pledge) and sweet/tart flavor to be very light and delicate – indeed, almost completely nonexistent. Juicy? Very much so. Sweet? Definitely. (But, the peel and pith left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth – akin to grapefruit.) All of this made me hesitant to have them stand alone as a limeade.

However, I remember watching the movie The Darjeeling Limited in which three brothers travel by train across India. Throughout the movie, they regularly drink a sweet lime drink as well as consume copious amounts of marmalade made from the same. More research led me to learn that both are very popular in Indian cuisine. The limeade is purported to be both highly refreshing and a much celebrated digestion aid. (By the way, the sweet lime in India is called a mousambi). I found a dozen or more different recipes (and names!) both online and in my various cookbooks for this Indian style lime drink. They differ in ingredients ranging from sugar, salt, cumin, honey and more but all agree the end result has a mild taste. I tried a couple and found them simply too bland for me – the honey and cumin even seemed to tower over the subtle citrus flavor.  

Maybe I will make the marmalade instead or use the remaining few to juice up my “regular” limeade (recipe below) - I will find a use for them yet!

Lemon or Limeade
10 lemons or 15 limes (sliced thin, end to end with a mandolin slicer)
1 to 1.5 cups sugar
5 cups of cold water (sparkling water adds a nice twist)

-Mash sliced fruit with one cup of sugar for 3-4 minutes in large, flat bottomed container until sugar is dissolved and fruit gives up its juice.
-Transfer bowl contents to pitcher fitted with strainer lid.
-Add 5 cups water and remaining sugar as needed. Stir to mix and serve over ice!

Spawn of Good Cooker

The girl's got it!  My kids apparently inherited the cooking gene.  Today my oldest asked me if she could make cookies, and I said yes.  In fact, I decided to stand back and let her do it all by herself (short of zesting the lemon which I explained to her as I zipped off the fragrant, citrus oil filled yellow rind stopping just short of the bitter white pith - with my new Microplane grater - of course). 

While I have not actively taught her to cook, she is always hanging out in the kitchen watching me, so I thought I'd let her show me what she's got.    

She picked out her recipe from my Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook (a great book of basics and probably my first cookbook ever, purchased shortly after I married, with so many pages stuck together by a variety of samples - which is how I find my favorites), then laid out her ingredients and got to work.  After a brief struggle with the bulky green KitchenAid mixer, she was off.   

The result was probably one of the best lemon cookies I have ever tasted, and I consider myself a lemon connoisseur.  As a lemon lover, I often buy this tart fruit just because I like the smell.  There is nothing like a big bowl of plump, juicy lemons to both brighten up and freshen up a room.  Given a choice between a chocolate and lemon sweet, I will most certainly choose the lemon.  

What I liked best about her cooking endeavour and what leads me to believe she is a Good Cooker in the making is the fact that, after eating a few lemon cookies, she pondered making the same recipe but using limes or oranges or even a lemon-lime combination.  

I guess I should let her loose in the kitchen more often.  Who knows what she will come up with.  Oh, and I think I'll go get some limes!

Try the recipe.  It is quite yummy.  

Lemon Tea Cookies
1t lemon zest
2t fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 c milk  
1/2 c butter
1 3/4 c ap flour
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
1t baking powder
1/4t baking soda

Glaze
1/4 c sugar
2T fresh squeezed lemon juice

Stir 2t lemon juice into milk. Let stand 5 minutes. Beat butter on medium high for 30 sec. Add 1/2 flour, 3/4 c sugar, egg, baking powder, soda, zest and milk mixture. Beat until thoroughly combined.  Beat in remaining flour.

Drop by rounded teaspoons 2" apart on parchment.  Bake 350 for 10-12 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.  Cool cookies on wire rack.  Stir together 1/4 c sugar and 2T lemon juice, brush on cookies.  Eat and enjoy!