There is no better way to celebrate a bit of Christmas than with a titch of green. To fill that green quota, with kids in tow, we headed to the San Francisco production of Shrek to feast our eyes on two of the most charming singing ogres – Shrek and Princess Fiona. As we say in the biz, “it was a recipe for success” for both kids and adults alike. Hence, a perfectly kid inspired treat. While I can’t claim credit for this recipe, I can tell you that it has a bit of my spin on it. This faux key lime flavor, which I sampled at another fun holiday function this week, is all the rage, “I am a believer!”
Key Lime Ogre Miniature Tarts (fit for a princess)
Ingredients
8 egg whites
3 TBS sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 (3 oz) package lime JELL-O
8 mini graham cracker ready-crusts
4 TBS chocolate syrup
dark chocolate, shaved (or chocolate sprinkles)
Directions
In a large-size bowl, beat the egg whites on low speed until they begin to foam. Slowly add the sugar, a bit at a time, and gradually increase the speed. Beat until egg whites appear glossy, and reach a firm consistency. To test the consistency, turn the mixer off lift the beaters out of the bowl, stiff egg white peaks (AKA meringue) should form. Set the meringue aside.
In another large-size bowl, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until turns into whipped cream. Sprinkle the JELL-O packet evenly over the whipped cream and gently fold by hand until fully incorporated. Then, gently fold in the meringue.
Place 1/2 TBS of chocolate sauce evenly in the bottom of each tart (or miniature pie shell). Spoon the mixture into the graham cracker pie crusts. Top with chocolate sprinkles or shavings. Set securely in a baking dish and place in the freezer for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight.
Note: A fun summer alternative to these mini-tarts is to turn this recipe into ice cream sandwiches. To make these you will need to substitute the graham cracker pie crusts for 24 graham cracker squares and eliminate the chocolate sauce. It is still possible to partially dip the sandwiches in chocolate once they are frozen, but the sauce will need to be one similar to one used to dip strawberries, so that it will harden. To assemble the sandwiches, once mixture is ready, place in a zip lock bag and cut off a small corner so that you can easily spread (or pipe) the mixture onto 12 graham cracker halves; and then top with the remaining 12 pieces to graham crackers to form a sandwich. Place the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer for at least four hours, or overnight. Give the sandwiches plenty of time in the freezer so that they soften and the lime mousse freezes. At this point you can dip half of the sandwich in a chocolate sauce and place back in freezer for 30 minutes. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap or seal in an airtight container in the freezer for three to four days, if not eating immediately.
Just to tell you how fashionable this flavor, earlier this week I attended the San Francisco BlogHer holiday event and Wrigley’s featured three new gum flavors- Mint Chip, Strawberry Shortcake AND Key Lime Pie. So trust me when I say, that I am convinced KEY LIME is the gusto du December. Green isn’t just for St. Patrick’s Day anymore, break it out for the holidays!
One of my favorite foodie out-takes from the Shrek story, when Gingy is in trouble. Something about that cookie makes me want to bake! 😉
And of course, a few of my favorite San Francisco-based ogres: Prima, Secondo and Cugina.
Love this post! I will have to try this recipe.