{"id":284,"date":"2011-04-13T07:39:55","date_gmt":"2011-04-13T13:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/therealfoodchronicles.com\/?page_id=284"},"modified":"2016-04-23T19:50:05","modified_gmt":"2016-04-24T01:50:05","slug":"key-lime-bars-and-mayan-brownies-with-a-kick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/key-lime-bars-and-mayan-brownies-with-a-kick\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Lime Bars and Mayan Brownies with a kick"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"belize\"<\/p>\n

One of the reasons I, and many other people, love traveling is the opportunity to savor local foods.\u00a0 To taste fruit ripened on the branch\/vine the way it should be.\u00a0 To experience the bustle, sounds, and sights of an open-air marketplace.\u00a0 To smell a meal prepared with fresh herbs and spices.\u00a0 To toast a new friend with a local libation.\u00a0 To indulge in regional specialties and delicacies.\u00a0 And maybe even to find inspiration for future cooking adventures back home.<\/p>\n

Eating a meal that incorporates tradition and geographic uniqueness provides you with immediate and intimate access to a culture, its people, and local conditions.\u00a0 And, for me, it is one of the things I enjoy most when visiting a new place.<\/p>\n

Driving through Belize last month, my travel companions and I experienced the culinary diversity of its Mayan, Garifuna, Creole, and even Sri Lankan and Chinese inhabitants.<\/p>\n

We stopped by the side of the road to purchase home-made tamales and roasted corn on the cob.\u00a0 We ate conch ceviche, creole-style snoek, and lime-coconut shrimp \u2013 always served on a bed of rice cooked in green coconut water.\u00a0 And breakfasts of johnny cakes and stuffed fry jacks kept our energy levels up through the day (I cashed in my gluten tickets here).<\/p>\n

And, when we could, we indulged in the flavors of the local produce.<\/p>\n

Belize is home to coconut trees sewn from the seeds of African palms that appealed to earlier British settlers.\u00a0 The coconut water makes its way into many local dishes; the meat into rum, oil, and other products.<\/p>\n

Oranges and other citrus trees line many of the major highways and scent the warm air.<\/p>\n

Their cocoa is sourced by British chocolate producer Green & Black\u2019s<\/a>, who\u00a0 took flavor inspiration for their Maya Gold chocolate bars from inhabitants of Southern Belize.<\/p>\n

And, they have a very competitive haba\u00f1ero sauce industry, headed up by Marie Sharp\u2019s<\/a> and Hot Mama\u2019s Belize<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The flavors of the Belizean sweet coconut, oranges and limes, cocoa, and haba\u00f1eros are what I brought back to my kitchen to fight off the monotonous snow in the form of two desserts.<\/p>\n

\"Mayan<\/p>\n

Sweet Inspiration<\/h3>\n

These look harmless, don\u2019t they?\u00a0 Even delicious.\u00a0 But, beware, these rich, fudgy brownies and light, lime squares hold a spicy secret.<\/p>\n

\"Belize<\/p>\n

Just a hint of haba\u00f1ero complements the citrus used in each.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The key lime bars \u2013 which are based somewhat on recipes from Martha Stewart<\/a> and the Baked Perfection<\/a> blog and modified to be gluten and dairy-free \u2013 incorporate lime, chile, and coconut with a short-bread crust.<\/p>\n

The brownies use a prepared GF mix for the base, but include a number of add-ins that make them taste and smell like something from out of this world \u2013 or, at least, from out of the U.S.<\/p>\n

Spicy Key Lime Coconut Bars (DF\/GF)<\/h3>\n

Quick tips: wear gloves when handling the haba\u00f1ero; your eyes will thank you later. \u00bc tsp haba\u00f1ero is just enough to add a tiny, occasional bite; add more or less to taste.\u00a0 If you squeeze your own lime juice, strain in before adding it to the mix \u2013 it will help remove unwanted pulp and seeds.<\/em><\/p>\n

For crust<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u00bd haba\u00f1ero chile pepper for rubbing frying pan<\/li>\n
  • 1 cup shredded non-sweetened coconut<\/li>\n
  • 1 \u00bd cups rice flour (or other GF flour blend)<\/li>\n
  • \u00bd cup powdered sugar + more for dusting<\/li>\n
  • 10 Tbsp vegan butter, cut into small pieces<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    For filling<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • \u00bc cup rice flour<\/li>\n
    • 2 Tbsp corn starch<\/li>\n
    • \u00bd tsp baking powder<\/li>\n
    • 5 large eggs<\/li>\n
    • 2 cups sugar<\/li>\n
    • 2\/3 cup key lime juice (~15 medium key limes)<\/li>\n
    • 2 teaspoons grated key lime zest<\/li>\n
    • \u00bc tsp finely minced haba\u00f1ero chile pepper<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.<\/p>\n

      Heat saut\u00e9 pan to medium high.\u00a0 Rub saut\u00e9 pan with the inside of a habanero chile pepper. Pour in 1 cup unsweetened coconut shreds and pan toast, stirring coconut to prevent it from burning.<\/p>\n

      Prepare crust in a large mixing bowl, by first combining the flour, sugar and \u00bd cup of the toasted coconut. Cut the butter into the flour-coconut mixture until it resembles coarse meal.<\/p>\n

      Pour flour-coconut mixture into a lightly-greased 9-by-13-inch pan, and press it into bottom (not sides).\u00a0 Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.\u00a0 Remove from oven and allow to cool.<\/p>\n

      Prepare filling in a separate mixing bowl. Beat together eggs. Add in lime juice, zest, haba\u00f1ero, rice flour, corn starch and baking powder.\u00a0 Mix well.\u00a0 Pour into cooled crust and sprinkle with remaining toasted coconut. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.<\/p>\n

      Cool completely and chill until ready to serve. Cut into 2-inch squares.<\/p>\n