If you’ve had Key lime pie made with fresh-squeezed, as opposed to bottled, juice, you know what an exquisite difference that is. But for many years, Key limes weren’t available nationwide, and then, they were limited to their season of June through August.

So great is America’s love of Key lime pie that the fruits are now available year-round. That means no more bottled juice!

Key limes (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle), also known as Mexican limes and West Indies limes, are grown in the Florida Keys, Mexico and the West Indies. They are much smaller than standard supermarket limes, known as Persian or Tahitian limes (Citrus x latifolia). You can see the relative sizes in the photo. (See all the different types of limes in our Lime Glossary.

About the size of a ping pong ball, the Key lime is rounder and more fragrant than the Persian/Tahitian lime, with a much thinner rind. It has more seeds, and we’ll keep it that way: Breeding out features like seeds tends to breed out flavor as well.

But the real reason people love Key lime is that it’s less acidic than the Persian/Tahitian: pleasantly tart rather than puckery sour. It makes a big difference in a dessert. You can make Key lime pie with regular lime juice, but it will have more tang.

When purchasing Key limes, don’t worry if the skin is more yellow than green, or vice versa. Choose limes that are heavy for their size, which indicates more juice. The limes can be kept at room temperature for several days, or will keep for a week or more in the fridge (keep them in a plastic storage bag or wrap them in plastic wrap).

As a general tip, before you juice limes or any citrus, bring them to room temperature; then roll them on the counter under firm pressure from your hand. This will release more juice from the sacs.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF KEY LIMES

The Key lime, a.k.a. Mexican lime and West Indies lime, originated in neither the Florida Keys nor Mexico nor the West Indies, but in the Indo-Malayan region of southern Asia. It was unknown in Europe before the Crusades and is presumed to have been brought to North Africa and the Near East by Arabs.

It was brought by European Crusaders from Palestine to the Mediterranean countries. In the mid-13th century, the lime was cultivated and well-known in Italy and probably also in France. It was taken to the Americas by Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the early part of the 16th century, where it became naturalized in southern Florida, notably in the Florida Key. It was grown in southern Florida at least since the early half of the 1800s, often as an ornamental yard tree.

By 1883 Key limes were being grown commercially on a small scale. When pineapple cultivation was abandoned in the Florida Keys because of soil depletion and the 1906 hurricane, farmers began to plant Key limes as a substitute crop. Because transporting delicate fruit was iffy in those days, Key limes were pickled in salt water and shipped north, where they became a popular children’s snack. (Remember Amy March in Little Women pining for pickled limes?)
 

Use them wherever you might use regular lime juice: in cocktails like Gin & Tonics and Margaritas, in salad dressings (including fruit salad, where just a squeeze will suffice), on chicken and fish/seafood, in marinades, sauces and soups.

But the flavors soar in desserts. Try these Key Lime Bars (recipe adapted from Martha Stewart).

 
RECIPE: KEY LIME BARS

Ingredients

1. MAKE the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. MIX the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Do not turn off the oven.

2. MAKE the filling: Put the egg yolks and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium. Add the condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Raise the speed to high and mix until thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low. Add lime juice and mix until just combined.

3. SPREAD the filling evenly over the crust with a spatula. Bake until the filling is just set, about 10 minutes, rotating the baking dish halfway through. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Cut into 2-inch-square bars. Ungarnished bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.

4. MAKE the optional whipped cream prior to serving. Place the cream in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Garnish the bars with whipped cream and serve.
Cook’s Note
 
 
MORE KEY LIME RECIPES

Celebrate National Strawberry Ice Cream Day! (photo © Waitrose).

January 15th is National Strawberry Ice Cream Day. We love this easy strawberry ice cream cake adapted from British upscale grocery giant Waitrose. The company has a royal warrant to supply groceries, wine, and spirits to Queen Elizabeth II and to Prince Charles.

In this recipe, shortbread cookies substitute for the cake; but if you prefer, you can substitute finely cubed pound cake. You also can use strawberry ice cream instead of vanilla.

This dessert is also spot-on for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and summer celebrations. Prep time is 15 minutes plus several hours or overnight for freezing.
 
 
RECIPE: STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE ICE CREAM “CAKE”

Ingredients For 10 Servings

1. THINLY SLICE 4 of the strawberries and roughly chop the remainder. Line a loaf pan with a double layer of plastic wrap, allowing for some overhang. Arrange the sliced strawberries on the bottom (it will become the top when unmolded).

2. ROUGHLY CHOP the ice cream using a large knife, then mix it with the chopped strawberries and the shortbread pieces. Spoon half of the mixture into the loaf pan, patting down firmly so there are no air bubbles.

3. DOT the caramel sauce on top of the ice cream, then cover with the remainder of the mixture, firmly smoothing over the surface. Fold over the overhanging plastic wrap and place the pan in the freezer for several hours or overnight, until the ice cream is very firm.

4. TO SERVE: Gently lift out the ice cream using the plastic wrap as handles, and remove the plastic wrap. Allow to soften for 10–15 minutes as needed; then cut slices with a large knife.

5. PLATE the slices with an optional drizzle or dotting (use a squeeze bottle to create dots around the rim of the plate) of caramel sauce or strawberry purée.
 
More than 5,000 recipes can be found at Waitrose.com/recipes.
 
 

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Isn’t it beautiful?

Romanesco looks like it’s been sculpted by an artist. It’s a member of the cruciferous vegetables family (Brassicaceae) that includes broccoli and cauliflower, among others. If it seems exotic, that’s because we rarely find it in U.S. markets. But romanesco grown in California is in season now.

In the U.S., it’s also called broccoflower, Roman broccoli, romanesco broccoli, romanesque cabbage and romanesque cauliflower. So is it broccoli or cauliflower? Actually, it’s neither.

Remember high school botany taxonomy: kingdom, order, family, genus, species and sometimes, subspecies?

 
So the answer is: romanesco is neither broccoli nor cauliflower; it is its own cultivar. While you’ll see it called broccoli or cauliflower, you now know better.

Botanists believe that Italian farmers in the 16th century developed romanesco through cross-breeding. It was initially called broccolo romanesco.

As with cauliflower or broccoli, the pointy “florets” (often called fractals after fractal art) that comprise the head are of varying sizes. They are actually individual buds of the plant’s flower.

Romanesco tastes more like cauliflower, with a nutty, earthy flavor nuance and a crunchier texture.

It is about the same size of a regular head of cauliflower. There is also a smaller variety, which is about half the size. The pale green shade keeps its color through cooking.

[2] Cooked romanesco florets (photo © Grub Market).

Romanesco can be served raw, lightly cooked, or cooked through, and can be substituted in any recipe calling for cauliflower or broccoli.

It’s a shame to destroy the architecture by dicing or puréeing.

We wouldn’t want to turn it into soup, for example, when we could use regular cauliflower.

Instead, consider:

This recipe is from Mariquita Farm of Watsonville, California (alas, now closed), which grew romanesco for many years.
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. LIGHTLY STEAM the florets to desired consistency. While you can use them raw, a blanching or light steaming makes the texture more uniform with the other ingredients.

2. TOSS with the other ingredients and the vinaigrette, taking care not to damage the pointy “fractals.” Serve chilled or at room temperature.
 
 
RECIPE #2: LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. WHISK together the lemon juice, zest, mustard, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Add the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly until the dressing is well blended.

2. TASTE and season with additional salt and pepper as desired. Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat thoroughly.
 
 
WHY ARE CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES SO GOOD FOR YOU?

The Brassicaceae family of vegetables contains powerful antioxidants that prevent the build-up of free radicals, atoms with unpaired electrons in the body that are destructive, engendering disease.

Along with their nutritional elements, cruciferous vegetables aid with alkalinization (making the body less acidic), bone health, cancer prevention, cholesterol reduction and detoxification (neutralization and elimination of unwanted contaminants).

The high fiber content aids in digestion, heart health, lowering blood sugar, reducing allergy reactions and inflammation, and more.
 
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*Other members of Brassicaceae belong to a different genus. These include arugula, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, cress, daikon, horseradish, mizuna, radish, rutabaga, tatsoi and wasabi.
  

Alas, the company discontinued the product, and it took until 2014 for another commercial brand to come our way.

World Waters debuted its WTRMLN WTR (someone’s idea—not ours—of a clever way to spell “Watermelon Water”). The product was named “Best Juice” at the recent BevNET Best of 2014 Awards.

WTRMLN WTR is an all natural cold-pressed watermelon water that is more than refreshing: It’s packed with electrolytes (the same amount as coconut water and six times the electrolytes of sports drinks) and L-citrulline, a powerful amino acid that aids in workout performance and muscle recovery. Vitamin C and lycopene contribute antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits.

There’s no added sugar. The product is certified kosher by OU.

WTRMLN WTR is a pleasant departure from the never-ending stream of coconut waters we are pitched.

The line debuted New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Los Angeles, expanding to San Francisco and other areas this year.

So is it as heavenly as Sundia’s version? Not to us: It tastes more “green,” which may or may not be due to the varying sweetness levels of watermelon, or the fact that watermelon rind is pressed along with the flesh.

But it’s still grab-and-go watermelon juice. If your only other option is to juice your own, WTRMLN WTR is a great choice.

Discover more at WTRMLNWTR.com.
  

[2] How about some dessert? Just pour cream over any sliced fruit or berries—or on cooked fruit like baked apples and compote (photo © Spache The Spatula).

[3] Butter + Milk = Heavy Cream (photo © Siberkorn | Dreamstime).

[4] Whip it into a dessert topping (photo © King Arthur Baking).

[5] Salted caramel hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream (photo © Starbucks).

Here’s a fun kitchen trick. Say you need some heavy cream for a recipe (or even a cup of coffee), but have none.

If you have whole milk and unsalted butter, you can combine them to make cream. The difference between milk and cream is the amount of butterfat. The butter, which is at least butterfat, supplies what the milk lacks.

This recipe makes heavy cream, approximately 36% butterfat.

> The butterfat content of all dairy products is below.

> The history of cream and the different types of cream: a photo glossary.

> The year’s 16+ milk and cream holidays.
 
 
HOW TO MAKE HEAVY CREAM AT HOME

Ingredients For 1 Cup

 
Preparation

1. MELT the butter in the microwave or on the stove top.

2. PLACE in a mixing bowl with the milk.

3. BLEND with electric beaters or an immersion blender.

It’s that simple!
 
 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT

Butterfat, also called milkfat, is the fatty portion of milk. The components of milk include:

 
The USDA imposes federal standards for the minimum butterfat content of commercial dairy products. Here are the standards:
 
 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF BUTTER

 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF CREAM

 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF MILK

 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF CHEESE

 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF FROZEN DESSERTS

 
 
 
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*For whipped cream, the higher the fat content, the thicker the cream is, and the easier it is to whip into stiff peaks. Higher fat cream is also more resistant to curdling, and thus a better choice for soups and sauces.
 

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