Sunday, June 08, 2008
Food, Recipes

Ode to limes

Trilogy’s executive chef’s honeyed Key Lime vinaigrette

By Todd Hogan

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my grandmother’s summer garden in Griffin. In the middle of the dusty field, she would pull beans, snap peas and husk fresh corn from morning till night, her apron always brimming with crops from her garden.

On those steamy South Georgia nights, Grandma would often collapse into her rocking chair on the back porch, fanning her face with a newspaper and kicking shoes off of her aching feet. Leaning back in her chair with a sigh, Grandma would glance over to me, her eldest grandchild, and cackle, “Darlin’, let’s go fix us a margarita!”

I miss her terribly.

Limes are the unsung heroes of many foods, and when summer heats up, there’s no better fruit for cooling down. Key Limes, in particular, have a real knack for ratcheting up the volume in recipes both sweet and savory. Indigenous to Malaysia, the Key Lime is smaller that the average lime, with a thinner, yellow-y skin and a more sour and seedy interior. But judging the Key Lime is easiest once it’s in your food; its distinct flavor can be noted quite easily in many recipes.
Drinks, desserts, salads, marinades; so many foods can benefit from the refreshing zip of lime. Key Lime Pie was once so popular at one in-town restaurant that dessert orders had to be placed weeks in advance. A popular ice-cream manufacturer in the United States once had to clear all production queues one summer, just to meet the demands for its recently-introduced Key Lime flavor. Even the most squeamish non-sushi eaters can often be enticed by the ceviches of Mexico, fish cooked only with the acidity of limes. Yes, indeed, the lime, and notably the Key Lime is in high demand, and yet often overlooked by the home cook.

Of course, I recommend a margarita for sipping, while pondering the injustice of our lime-lacking society, and, if the mood strikes, a salad with a nice, light and honeyed Key Lime vinaigrette.  

 
    You know, with the dog-days of summer upon us, and the afternoons heating up to 100 degrees, even I have a hard time finding the will to live, let alone test out new recipes. My grandmother never let the heat stop her from pulling, picking and husking corn. Perhaps it was the wonderful anticipation of icy drinks-to-come that got her through it all. Now that I think about it, knowing that the invigorating flavor of a fresh Key Lime can infuse the simplest vinaigrette recipe with a bracing edge, maybe we too can overcome Atlanta in July. And, if, at the height of the summer’s heat, things still seem bleak, we can always take our lime as grandma did, in a slice, with crushed ice and a shot of tequila. SP
Todd Hogan is the executive chef at Trilogy. 4930 Davidson Road. Marietta. 770-971-4770. www.trilogydining.net.

KEY LIME VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

• ¼ cup champagne vinegar
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup Key Lime juice, strained
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 egg
• ½ tablespoon Kosher salt
• ½ tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Instructions

Combine egg, mustard & vinegar in a blender. Slowly add oils and all other ingredients. Chill and use with leafy greens, pasta salad or as a sauce for grilled fish … ah, I’m getting a little puckery just thinking about it. And speaking of puckering, once limes are firmly entrenched in your life, you may notice their obvious superiority over lemons. In sharp contrast to the lime, lemons could be described as bitter, sour and acidic. While it’s true that Key Limes are more acidic than the larger, greener hybrid limes of the grocery store, they’re still less acidic and nerve-jarring than the unwieldy lemon. If you’re used to the obligatory “ice water with lemon, please,” try that h2o with a wedge of lime next time.