Key Lime Mousse

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One of favorite summer desserts has got to be Key lime pie. It's a wonderful combo of tangy, sweet, and cold that's just perfect on a hot summer day. This Key lime mousse is a twist on the traditional pie. It has all the elements of a key lime pie but the whipped cream is incorporated making for a very light dessert. Topped with super ripe fresh mango, this maybe the perfect summer dessert!

Mango topped Key Lime Mousse

Ingredients

For the crust
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter together. Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch sprinform pan. I line the bottom of the springform pan with parchment paper so that I can easily remove the bottom when I serve the mousse.

For the mousse

2 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup key lime juice-if you want it a little more tart add about 1/4 cup more juice. I used Nelly and Joe's Key Lime juice but you can use freshly squeezed key lime juice if you want.
1 (1/4 ounce) envelope plain gelatin
2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 ripe mango diced

In a large bowl mix together the sweetened condensed milk and the key lime juice.
In a small pot over low heat, warm 1/4 cup of the cream until it is about room temperature, warm to the touch.
Sprinkle gelatin over the warmed cream; let stand for a minute or two to soften; over low heat cook, stirring constantly, until dissolved, 1-2 minutes; cool away from the heat for five minutes.
At high speed, beat the 1/4 cup sugar with the remaining cream until soft peaks form.
Reduce the speed to medium and gradually drizzle the gelatin mixture into the cream. Beat until stiff peaks form. Mix about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk. Mix until well combined, then gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Put the mousse into the prepared springform pan. Smooth out the top and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Remove from the sringform pan. I run a dampened knife around the edge before I open the pan. This seems to help it to release easily. Top mousse with the diced mango.


Notes
This time I wanted to make the mousse into individual servings so I made these in my silicon muffin pan. I pressed the crust into the bottom of the silicon muffin pan then filled them to the top with the mousse. I refrigerated them overnight. I ran a knife around the edge then flipped the pan upside down to release the mousse. I removed them one at a time. I haven't tried to use a regular muffin tin so I don't
know if that would work or not unless they were lined with muffin papers.

Fresh sweet corn salad

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I've had corn coming out my ears this week. Okay that's a little corny... (Sorry I couldn't help myself!) We have had a lot of corn around here. The first of the sweet corn in our area is ripe for the picking. Over the week-end I got 3 cases of really nice sweet corn. My mom and I decided to put up some corn this year. This is something she always did when I was growing up. It was a family event, all the kids helped out. I always dreaded corn freezing day. It meant spending all day husking corn, outside, hot, with sticky hands. She'd get several hundred ears of corn and we'd all spend a whole day working to get it put in the freezer. As a child I never thought I'd actually want to freeze corn.
Now that I'm an adult I find myself looking forward to getting that wonderful sweet corn and preserving it for later. So mom and I put up 33 quarts of corn on Saturday. Now Dad does all the husking. Yeah! That's the part I still don't like to do.
We didn't freeze all the corn however. I kept out several ears to eat fresh. We had some plain old corn on the cob. One of my favorite things but I wanted to do something a little more creative with some of the corn. I decided on making a corn salad. Really fresh seasonal ingredients are the key to this salad. I made it to accompany grilled chicken and we loved it so much I made it again to go with our burgers the next night.

Fresh Sweet Corn Salad
(Print Recipe)

Ingredients nocoup

5 ears of corn, husked
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
1/2 cup of chopped tomato (one medium tomato)
1/2 cup feta cheese, diced or crumbled
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Large handful of fresh basil leaves, julienned

Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse it in ice water to stop the cooking and to set the color. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob.

Toss the kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, tomato, feta, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.

I used an heirloom tomato from my parents farm but any really ripe fresh tomato will be fine.

For step-bystep instructions on how to freeze corn, visit our Waterberry Farm blog

Oatmeal Carmelitas

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I really loved the oatmeal banana muffins I made a few months ago using oat flour instead of regular flour. Since then I've been looking for other ways to use oat flour. These carmelita bars are also flourless and made using oat flour. They are so delicious you'll never guess that they actually contain about 15 grams of oatmeal per serving!
As I was making these bars with all their hidden oats, I was reminded a bit of one of the latest fads in cooking. You know the one where you puree up vegetables and sneak them into brownies and chicken fingers so your family doesn't realize they're eating vegetables. I'm not really a fan of this fad. I mean shouldn't we be trying to encourage or families to try new things and broaden their palate as well as their world? This is just my opinion but I'd hate to think we're raising a generation that will only eat veggies as long as they're disguised as something else. I've read the argument that at least the kiddos are eating veggies. I suppose that is true but at what point do you learn to enjoy vegetables that look and taste like vegetables? *stepping off soapbox now*


Carmelitas

Yield: 1 – 13" x 9" pan (35 squares)

Base and Topping
1 1/3 cup oat flour (go here for instructions for making oat flour)
1 cup oats, rolled, old fashioned or quick cooking
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup butter

Filling
32 caramels
5 tbsp cream
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

Combine oat flour, baking soda, salt and stir well. Stir in oats and brown sugar. Cut butter into dry ingredients until crumbly.
Pat half of the mixture into a lightly greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
While the base is baking, in a small saucepan, melt the caramels in the cream until smooth.
Remove pan from the oven. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and nuts on top of the base. Drizzle the caramel mixture on top. Add remaining oat mixture. Return to the 35 degrees oven for another 10 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow bars to cool before cutting. Because they don't contain any flour or eggs the carmalites are not as thick and a little most crumbly than most bar cookies but they taste so good you won't mind.


So chock full for nuts, chocolate and gooey caramel you'll never miss whats missing from these carmelitas.

Carrot Muffins

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I somehow ended up with two large bags of carrots in the vegetable bin in my fridge. Don't really know how. Carrot fairies maybe??
Anyway I needed to use some of the carrots right away. These muffins seemed like the perfect use for excess carrots! While not as healthy as the oatmeal banana muffins, they have lots of fruit and a little oatmeal, so I tell myself they're kinda healthy. Well health food or not they are tasty little muffins!

Carrot Muffins

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups grated carrot, squeezed mostly dry
1 lg Granny Smith apple peeled, grated, and squeezed dry
1 (8-ounce) container crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup walnuts roughly chopped (optional)
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liner or use a silicon muffin pan.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Add carrot, apple, pineapple, oats, and walnuts, mix together until well combined. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, and vanilla. Pour egg mixture into the fruit mixture and stir until combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan filling muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake until wooden toothpick comes out clean about 35 minutes. Remove from pan and place on wire rack to cool completely.

Rustic Apple Tart

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I made this rustic apple tart for dinner guest last night. This tart is a relatively quick easy dessert that's great for entertaining. It can be made several hours in advance. If you want to serve it warm just pop it into 325 degree oven for a few minutes. This recipe is really just a guide. You can use almost any fruit and spice combo that you want. Pears and plums are especially good in this tart.
I use a little vodka in the crust. I find that the vodka makes the crust a little more flaky and tender. If you choose not to use the vodka, simply replace with water.
I used Pink Lady apples for my tart. They are my favorite apple and in season now. They are a firm sweet-tart apple that hold up well in baking. Granny Smiths, Jonathan, Jonagold, Pippin, Gravenstein, Braeburn, and Fuji apples are other excellent sweet-tart choices.

I only got the one picture of this tart. There wasn't a crumb left after dinner.


Crust

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons (about) ice water
1/2 tablespoon Vodka (optional or replace with water)


1 1/2 pounds apples(3 or 4) cut into thin slices (a firm tart apple works best)
6 tablespoons sugar
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)

1/4 cup apricot preserves

For crust:
Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add vodka to ice water. Add 2 tablespoons of ice water vodka mixture; blend until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

For topping:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss apples, 4 tablespoons sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon in bowl. Roll out dough on floured surface to 12 1/2-inch round. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Mix 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon flour in small bowl; sprinkle over dough, leaving 2-inch plain border. Arrange apples on dough, leaving 2-inch plain border; drizzle with melted butter. Fold dough border in toward center. Brush border with egg glaze; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake tart until apples are tender and crust is golden, about 45 minutes to one hour.

Stir preserves in saucepan over low heat until melted. Brush over apples. Cool tart 1 hour on baking sheet. Serve with ice cream or freshly whipped cream.

Super Meyer Lemon Ice Cream

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Meyer lemons were on sale this week at the grocery store so of course I couldn't leave without a bag of 6 or 7 of these beauties! I recently became the proud owner of two Meyer lemon trees so hopefully next year I'll be picking them from my own backyard. In the meantime however, I couldn't resist bringing these home with me. After buying them I had to decide what I wanted to do with them. Oh the possibilities! I came across this article in the LA Times for 100 things to do with Meyer lemons. I'd like to try every single one of them. With my two trees, I just might get the chance! One of the suggestions they listed was for Meyer lemon ice cream. They had a link to a recipe, but I didn't have everything it called for so I decided to look to David Lebovitz, my ice cream guru. He had a recipe for Super Lemon Ice Cream that not only sounded wonderful but was also quite simple to make. So I decided I'd try my Meyer lemons in this recipe. I replaced the regular lemon juice with Meyer lemon juice. Meyer lemons are a little milder than lemons and I wanted the ice cream to have a real lemony punch so I added a bit more zest in mine. I think this ice cream has a great balance of tart and sweet.



Ingredients

3 teaspoons lemon zest (I used a little more than a Tablespoon of Meyer lemon zest)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 pinch salt

Zest lemons directly into food processor. Pour in sugar and process until the sugar is faintly lemon-colored and the zest is finely ground.

Juice the lemons and straining out any seeds. Pour the measured juice into the sugar/zest mixture. Blend until the sugar dissolves.
Add half and half and blend.Chill for about an hour; the product may break up, but just stir it back together. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's directions.

For Easter we had a strawberry and rhubarb sauce to go with our cake. I had a little left over and topped the ice cream with the sauce. The flavors were perfect together.

Happy Easter and an award

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HAPPY EASTER!!

I also received the Friendship Award from Helene of La cuisine d Helene. Thanks Helene!
FRIENDS... comes with the following description to be added & passed along:






"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.”

It also says : "Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

So I passed it along to these wonderful bloggers:
1. Rosie of Baking Cakes Galore
2. Elyse of Elyse's Confectionery Creations
3.Elaina of a Chicka Bakes
4.Kelly of Evil Shenanigans
5. Bellini Valli of More than Burnt Toast
6. Sara of Sara's Kitchen
7. Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy,
8. Lori of Recipe Girl