Spring is here, and suddenly I can not get enough of fresh, light, bright flavors. In much the same way that I find myself opening the windows to enjoy the breeze, my kitchen is suddenly home to all things fruity, fluffy and fabulous. I have lots of favorites this time of year—pasta primavera and strawberry shortcake in particular make my rotation quite often—but my taste buds also get curious as the weather warms. So, I make the rounds on my favorite blogs and websites looking for foods that are new and novel. I am not much of an international chef, but when I saw this Mexican treat on one of my favorite websites, I knew I had to try it out.

It is called “Carlota de Limón”—in English, we often call this type of refrigerated dessert a Charlotte. I have no idea who Carlota/Charlotte is, nor do I know why this dessert is named after her, but she was really onto something. The flavor profile here is quite familiar; if you like key lime pie, you will love this. There is nothing fussy about it—every ingredient can be found at the grocery store—and the assembly takes mere minutes. The only challenge here is that this baby needs to be made ahead to give the flavors time to marry and soak into the layered cookies.

This recipe involves a bit of chemistry, in that it features a chemical reaction between the acid in the lime juice and the protein in the milk (this recipe uses both evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk). Three liquid ingredients go into the blender, but after just a few minutes, the mixture begins to thicken and firm up, creating something like a soft cheesecake. The other ingredient here is Mexican “Maria” cookies—a light, barely sweet wafer that provides the perfect matrix for the lime mixture. These cookies are widely available at most grocery stores in the “international” section. Other kinds of cookies would work here too—lady fingers, graham crackers or vanilla wafers are probably the best substitutions, but I really like those Maria cookies simply because they are light as air and only mildly sweet, letting the lime really take center stage.

This light, luscious dessert would be an excellent way to cap off a fun Cinco de Mayo party, but it would also be a perfect addition to a Mother’s Day brunch, a graduation celebration, or even a simple backyard grill out.

This recipe is pretty foolproof. In fact, this would be a fun project to do with a child (again—Mother’s Day!) The only word of advice I have is that you should always use freshly-squeezed lime juice for this dish. With so few ingredients, the lackluster flavor of bottled juice will really diminish the quality and taste of this; it takes just seconds to juice a few limes.

Invite “Carlota” to dinner soon and enjoy the flavors of a new season.

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Carlota de Limón

The sizes of Maria cookies will vary slightly from brand to brand, and the number of cookies you use will vary based on the size and shape of your dish, so don’t worry too much if you can’t find the exact size listed here.

• ½ cup fresh lime juice (this will require 3-5 limes)
• 12 ounces evaporated milk
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 2 sleeves Mexican Maria cookies (roughly 6 ounces apiece)
• Whipped topping (optional)
• Extra limes, sliced, for garnish (optional)

In a blender, combine the evaporated milk and the sweetened condensed milk until well mixed. Stir in the lime juice and let stand for a moment, then blend again. In a 2-quart dish, pour just enough of the lime mixture to coat the bottom of the dish, then lay down a single layer of cookies—if you have large gaps, break a few cookies in half to cover. Top cookies with roughly half a cup of the lime mixture, then gently lay down another layer of cookies. Continue this process until all the lime mixture is used up (depending on the size and shape of your pan, you may have a few cookies left over). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Garnish with whipped topping and lime wedges. Serve cold.

 

 

Article and photo by Lisa Crockett