sweetened condensed milk

Name: Carlota de limón (Postre de limón, Lime Charlotte, or Lime Ice Box Cake)
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 10-12 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk, also known as leche condensada (La Lechera); 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk, also known as leche evaporada; 1 to 1 ¼ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice; zest of 1 lime; 8 ounces whipped cream cheese; 1 sleeve of galletas María; ½ cup granulated cane sugar; ¼ cup water; glass trifle dish or casserole dish (you can also use small, footed ice cream or trifle dishes for individual servings); citrus juicer; citrus zester or handheld cheese grater with small grain for zesting; stand mixer or handheld mixer; pastry brush; wax paper or parchment paper; spatula

5 August 21, 2014 Dessert

Sweet potato flan

This post is part of a compensated campaign in collaboration with California Sweetpotatoes and Latina Bloggers Connect. All opinions and the recipe are my own.

Sweet potato flan is a non-traditional flavor for a very traditional dessert, but if you’re a sweet potato fan, I guarantee you’ll like this rich, decadent dessert. Mashed sweet potato gives this recipe a more dense, textured quality than your traditional flan.

I like cooking with sweet potatoes because they can be prepared in a variety of ways from savory to sweet. This low-carb and vitamin and mineral-rich vegetable is considered a superfood and one sweet potato contains more than one day’s worth of Vitamin A. My favorite way to eat them is baked and sprinkled with a little chopped piloncillo, ground cinnamon and a little bit of butter, which is what led to the idea to create this flan recipe….

3 August 21, 2013 Dessert

Mango and peach paletas

I’ve been absolutely obsessed with testing paleta flavors all summer, partially because of my access to such a wide variety of fresh fruits in Southern California for months on end, and partially just because I have an inner-kid who still remembers the excitement I felt from hearing the jingle of the bell on the paletero’s cart. This mango-peach paleta recipe has been a mega-hit both in my household and with my office mates who got to taste them when I brought them to work for an afternoon snack to share last week.

mango peach paletas …

0 July 12, 2013 Dessert

Avocado paletas

This post is part of a compensated campaign in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and Avocados from Mexico but my love for avocados from Mexico is 100 percent authentic and the opinions and recipe in this post are my own. This post includes affiliate links to my Amazon aStore, El Mercadito, recommending products that I used to make this recipe.

Summer means paleta time in my house. And though we like the traditional flavors, I also like to branch out and make flavors that are considered “normal” in Mexico, but that are not as common to see in the U.S., such as avocado. A few friends have looked at me sideways when I said I was working on a popsicle recipe with avocados, but I assure you that you’ll be won over by the creamy texture and pleasantly earthy, sweet taste.

I prefer to buy avocados from Mexico because of that distinctive, earthy taste due to the fertile volcanic soil in which they’re grown. They’re packed with nutrients and are a versatile ingredient that can be used in both savory and sweet dishes—but most people don’t think of using avocados in a sweet dish. The thing I especially love about this recipe is that the light coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk (also known as lechera) don’t overpower the natural flavor so you can still taste the earthiness of the avocado….

22 April 11, 2011 Aguas frescas

How to make horchata

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked for an horchata recipe since I began blogging. But each time I start explaining how to make it from scratch, I can see people start to lose interest around the time I mention that making horchata from scratch involves soaking rice and cinnamon sticks overnight and then grinding it and straining it. When I make it from scratch I sometimes also blanche almonds and soak them with the rice for an added depth of flavor. But the average person asking for a recipe always seems to get a frown on their face when they realize making it from scratch takes a little extra time and effort.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcm9_7LVHv0[/youtube]

RELATED RECIPE: Oaxaca-style paletas de horchata

It was because of this dilemma of nobody wanting to take the time to soak and grind the rice that I began experimenting in the test kitchen to try to make an acceptable quick recipe substitute for those times when we just need a quick fix of a tall, cool glass of horchata. This is the simplest recipe I came up with that passed the taste test with family and friends. It beats any powdered or pre-made liquid mix I’ve tried from a variety of grocery stores. The store-bought mixes always taste either too sweet or too fake to me. I hope you enjoy this version if you’re looking for a quick but yummy horchata recipe!

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30 April 10, 2010 Dessert

CARLOTA DE LIMÓN

Carlota de limón is an excellent, easy dessert served during Easter and Christmas holidays, as well as during the spring and summer. A Carlota, also known as a Charlotte in English, is an ice-box cake.

That is, it includes a filling layered with cookies that needs to be frozen in order to get the right consistency–almost ice cream-like. I consulted my cuñada as to what she knew about carlotas, but apparently not everyone calls them by that name. She told me she often sees the dessert simply called postre de limón in Mexico City. No matter what it’s called, though, we decided it was delicious and the perfect dessert to share with family and friends.

This past weekend, I was trying to decide what I should bring for dessert to my family’s Easter fiesta. I was considering taking either flan or capirotada, but couldn’t decide so I asked Twitter what to do. I got just about equal votes for each, including one really funny comment after I referred to our gathering as “Mexi-Rican Easter” since we’ve got some Puerto Rican cousins in my extended family on my stepmother’s side.

Eventually, my friend Nelda suggested I bring a carlota. We debated a bit about the method and the kind of cookie to be used (ladyfingers versus galletas María), but ultimately we decided the best version would include cream cheese. I can’t remember the last time I had a carlota, but I’ll tell you what: It’s making a comeback in my kitchen this spring and summer.

In fact, my carlota de limón was such a hit that my diabetic abuelita gobbled up two servings and begged for a third. Sadly, we had to tell her no so she wouldn’t get sick. But she wasn’t the only one in love–the whole thing was devoured in about five minutes flat.

Carlotas can be made with all different kinds of fruits. My favorite kind uses lime juice, but feel free to try other fruit juices or purees. I will say, though, that citrus juices will thicken the filling slightly better than other fruit juices or purees.

galletas María

Carlota de limón (Postre de limón, Lime Charlotte, or Lime Ice Box Cake)

Prep 30 mins

Inactive 1 hour

Total 1 hour, 30 mins

Author Maura Wall Hernandez

Yield 10-12 servings

How to make a Carlota de limón (postre de limón). This Mexican icebox cake is also known as a Charlotte in English.

Ingredients

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk, also known as leche condensada (La Lechera)
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk, also known as leche evaporada
1 to 1 ¼ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
zest of 1 lime
8 ounces whipped cream cheese
1 sleeve of galletas María

Glaze for the galletas María:

½ cup granulated cane sugar
¼ cup water

TOOLS

glass trifle dish or casserole dish (you can also use small, footed ice cream or trifle dishes for individual servings)
citrus juicer
citrus zester or handheld cheese grater with small grain for zesting
stand mixer or handheld mixer
pastry brush
wax paper or parchment paper
spatula

Instructions

First, juice enough limes to yield 1 to 1 ¼ cup juice–about 10 to 12 limes (more if you use smaller key limes). Set juice aside.
In the stand mixer bowl (or a glass bowl if using a handheld mixer), add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and whipped cream cheese until smooth. Mixture will be somewhat soupy because of the liquid evaporated milk.
Slowly add the lime juice while stirring. Mixture will begin to thicken. Add the lime zest. Blend until lime juice and zest are completely incorporated. Cover and refrigerate.
In a small saucepan, heat the granulated cane sugar and water until it becomes a light amber syrup. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper and place the galletas María in rows on the sheet. Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, lightly coat the tops of the cookies with the syrup. This will seal them a little and prevent them from getting too soggy before the filling gets cold enough in the freezer. When the cookie tops have dried, flip them over and brush the other side. You’ll have a little bit of glaze left over, which you can use for something else or discard.
When the cookies have dried completely, line the bottom and sides of your trifle or casserole dish with whole cookies. Remove the filling from the refrigerator and pour some over the bottom layer of cookies, being careful not to drown the cookies on the sides. Use a spatula to even out the filling if necessary. You’ll layer cookies & filling until you reach the top of your dish. You can either use whole cookies or, as I sometimes like to do, coarsely crush the cookies for the middle layers. For the top layer, I like to use crushed cookies with one whole cookie placed in the center.
Carefully place your dish into the freezer and allow it to set for at least two hours. If you use individual-sized dishes, you may need less time in the freezer, and if you use a deep dish like a trifle dish (as shown above), you may need more than two hours. It’s also fine to leave in the freezer overnight if you want to make it the day before you plan to serve the dessert. The ideal consistency will be like an ice cream cake.
Remove the dish from the freezer about five to 10 minutes to soften slightly before serving.

Courses Dessert

Cuisine Mexican