Key Limes are the key to a delicious summer with recipes from Lilly Pulitzer

Date: 06/25/2012

Good morning Lilly Lovers! Today the Pelican Girls are tickled pink to share the "key" to a delicious summer: key limes. We've got TWO recipes from the barefoot princess, the QUEEN of pink and green herself: Lilly Pulitzer. Inspired by the limes in the Lilly Pulitzer Summer Classics print, we went hunting for summer recipes.

These two tasty treats are PERFECT for any of your summer soirees--even if it's just a night at home. We'll share Lilly's own recipes for Key Lime Mojitos and Key Lime Roll from the book "Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Entertaining."

Key Lime Mojitos

Adjust the amount of sugar in this recipe according to your preference.
10 Servings

2.5 cups light rum
1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed lime juice (half of juice from key limes, if available)
3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar
3 3/4 cups club soda
10 large sprigs fresh mint (about 4 to 6 leaves each)
crushed ice

Stir rum, lime juice and sugar in large pitcher until sugar is dissolved and stir gently.
Divide mint among 10 glasses. Using back of spoon, crush mint sprigs in glasses.
Add crushed ice to glasses. Pour Mojito mixture over mine and ice, dividing equally among glasses. Serve immediately.

Remember: when celebrating colorfully, please celebrate responsibly!

Key Lime Roll

Key limes are a great Florida tradition. They are smaller than regular limes and more tart. This cake can be made up to two days ahead
and stored in the refrigerator, sealed tightly in plastic wrap.
Serves 10

For the cake:
3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of two key limes
3/4 cup cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the ganache:
8 ounces good quality white chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

For the lime syrup:
8 limes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

To make the cake: heat overn to 375 degrees. Butter 12x17 inch sheetpan with sides. Line bottom with parchment paper that extends two inches at each end of pan. Butter paper; flour the entire pan. Wet a dishtowel that is a couple of inches larger than the pan, ring it out well and spread on a clean surface.
Beat half the sugar and the yolks together with an electric mixer until light, fluffy and thick; about two minutes. Beat in vanilla and zest; set aside. In medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the yolk mixture and mix until just combined and smooth. In a very clean, dry bowl, whip the remaining sugar with the eggs until they hold firm peaks.
Fold the yolk mixture with 1/4 of the white mixture to lighten. Fold the remaining whites lightly into the yolks. Pour into prepared pan, spreading the batter very evenly. Bake about ten minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean and the top is lightly browned.
Remove cake from oven and from the edges of the pan with a sharp knife. Immediately turn out of the pan onto the wet dishtowel. Quickly peel off the parchment paper. Trim any cripsy edges off the cake. Let cool for five minutes and roll the warm cake up within the towel. Set aside to cool.

To make the ganache: Make an ice-water bath in a large bowl and set aside in the sink. Finely chop the chocolate in order for it to melt quickly. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Bring heavy cream just to a boil and pour over chopped chocolate. Let is sit for three minures. Whisk the mixture together until chocolate is melted and smooth. Place the bowl over ice-water bath and use a wire whisk to make it thick and fluffy. Whisk in lime zest.

Unroll the cake from the dishtowel. Starting at the center of the roll, the tightest point, evenely spread the filling to once inch from the far end of the cake, leaving half-inch borders on the sides. Roll as tightly as possible and set on a serving plate, seam side down. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the lime syrup: Use a sharp knife to cut the skin and pith off limes. Carefully holding the lime, make a slice on either side of the membrane to release each segment. Remove puts and squeeze the membrane to extract any remaining juice.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar with 1/2 cup of water until the sugar dissolves. Add lime segments and juice, remove from heat, cover and allow to cool. Serve a spoonful over each slice of the key lime roll.

YUM! Don't those sound delicious? What summer soirees do YOU have planned? What Lilly will you wear? Need fit info on the latest Lilly? See Friday's blog for all the juice.

Don't forget! The Pink Pelican has TWO exciting events coming up June 27-30: Lilly Goes Greek and the Lilly Lover Meet-up! Mark your calendars and join us for goodies, gifts with purchase, fun, shopping AND a sneak peek at the Lilly Pulitzer Fall 2012 Collection. We've been busy gathering treats for our Lilly Lovers and Greek Gals!