Lime Ice Cream Pie

This is a perfect summer dessert- cold and refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness.  It's also incredibly easy to make- no ice cream maker or special kitchen utensils required, other than a food processor for the crust.  The tart and creamy filling pairs wonderfully with the homemade graham-cracker crust which is buttery and sweet.  It's also nice that this keeps in the freezer for several days (or even a couple weeks) so you don't have to eat it all in one sitting.  Or you could make two and save one for later.  Either way, this is sure to be a success for you and your guests!  Thank you to Serious Eats for the recipe, which was unaltered.  Note that there is a good amount of wait time in this recipe so get an early start on it if you plan to consume it in the same day. 

This also gave me a chance to use my DIY cake stand!

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 10 plain graham crackers
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled

Filling:

• 1/2 cup lime juice (3-4 limes)
• 1 tablespoon lime zest, plus more for garnish, from about 1-2 limes
•  3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Start by making the pie crust.  In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, salt, and sugar.  Pulse until it is the consistency of fine bread crumbs.  Add the butter, and pulse until a course meal forms, scraping down the sides as necessary.   Transfer to a pie plate or tart pan and press evenly down into the bottom and sides of the dish.  As a note, the filling will not completely fill a pie plate to the top, so you don't need the crust to come all the way up to the top of the sides.  

Refrigerate for 15 minutes, and then preheat the oven to 375°F.  Bake the crust for  15 minutes, until it starts to turn a darker golden brown.  Remove from oven, let it cool, and the place in the freezer until you are ready to pour in the ice cream filling.  

To make the lime ice cream, combine the condensed milk and heavy cream in a medium mixing bowl. Stir to combine and then add the lime juice and lime zest.  Stir slowly.  The mixture will almost immediately thicken.  

Add the salt, stir, and then pour into the frozen crust.  Smooth out the top, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for 2-3 hours before serving.  

When you are ready to serve, let the pie sit out for about 5 minutes to soften before slicing.  Garnish with additional lime zest.  Enjoy!

Cherry Chile Salsa with Pork Tenderloin

I love it when cherries are in season- they are one of my favorite fruits!  I load up on them when they are on sale because they are so expensive normally.  I bookmarked this recipe from Serious Eats and I'm glad I remembered to make it this summer before cherries go out of season!  The cherries are combined with hot chile peppers, lime juice, and cilantro to make a delicious sweet and spicy salsa to go along with some roasted pork tenderloin.  The salsa was the perfect complement to the juicy pork, and probably the first time I've used fresh cherries in a savory dish.  The salsa would also be great with sturdy tortilla chips if you cut the cherries into smaller pieces.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin (preferably two smaller ones, but we ended up with one huge tenderloin cut in half)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 lb fresh cherries, pitted and halved
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 large or two small jalapeno peppers thinly sliced, with option to omit seeds to keep heat level down
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large zip lock bag, combine the pork with the vegetable oil, 4 tablespoons of lime juice and half of the cilantro and shallots.  Marinate at room temp for about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine cherries with jalapenos, sugar, olive oil, and the remaining cilantro, shallots, and lime juice. (You could omit sugar if your cherries are super sweet). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  Stir occasionally to mix the flavors.

To cook the pork, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (or preheat a grill to medium-high).  Remove from marinade and season well with salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat and brown your tenderloin on each side.  Place into a large baking dish and cook for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on the size of your steak and actual oven temp the time will vary).  Check with a thermometer to ensure pork is at least 145 degrees F in the center before removing from the oven.  Let it rest 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with the delicious cherry salsa piled on top.