Key Lime Truffles

On my quest to use all of the Key limes I bought, I tried another recipe for Key Lime Truffles, found here: http://thesugarpixie.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/key-lime-truffles/.  My husband and I have enjoyed confections by the same name from See's Candies, so I thought it was something worth trying. These are a little more time consuming then I was really prepared for, and I think it would be fun to do with kids or a group, because it takes time to dip each truffle so they are completely covered in the white chocolate.  However, as I got tired I put the melted chocolate in a baggie with the corner cut off and drizzled my truffles.  They won't have a complete outer shell as they should, but they're pretty!  These are really yummy, and the recipe will make a lot of truffles, so they are great for parties or gifts.  I think this might be one of those things that you get better at with practice.  Next time, I plan to make sure the balls of filling are fully set in the freezer, and then have each one completely covered.  They are definitely best this way, and will keep better with a full candy shell.

"Easy" Key Lime Pie

Northern Cali is great for a lot of things, and one of those things is fresh produce.  We often go to Larry's Produce in Suisun Valley.  It's great because you can get tons of fresh produce for cheap, and we are support local business!  Anyway, Larry's has Key limes, and even though they're actually imported from Mexico instead of the Florida Keys, I still had to pick up a bag and make some "real" Key lime treats!

My first attempt was a Key lime "cheesecake".  I found a super simple recipe online, and went to work!  I knew the reason most people don't use real Key limes in their dishes is because they're sooo tiny and labor-intensive, so I was prepared.  I bought a little hand-juicer (that's really cute, too!) and readied myself to cut and juice a lot of little limes.  It actually went pretty easy, but it took me 23 limes to get the 3/4 Cup of juice I needed for the recipe.  Anyway, the recipe turned out less like a "cheesecake" and more like what I know to be a Key lime pie.  And, besides the juicing the recipe was super simple, and the pie ended up being delicious!

Here's the recipe I used ->

Ingredients:
1 prepared graham cracker crust (or make your own - might make it that much better)
1 Pkg Softened Philadelphia (I think any brand is better than Philadelphia) cream cheese

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2-3/4 cup key lime juice (I prefer closer to 3/4 for tartness)
*You could just use regular lime juice of course, if you want this to be super easy and fast.

Directions:

Blend in food processor until smooth.

Pour in pie shell and refrigerate.

*And you may want to serve it with whipped cream!

Enjoy!