Carlota de Limón – Lime Charlotte

Marie biscuits are layered with a tangy filling of lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk to make this easy no-bake Carlota de Limón or Lime Charlotte.

When it’s hotter than all get-out outside, what we all need is a dessert that can be made without turning the stove or oven on, don’t you agree? That’s why I chose no-bake desserts as this week’s Sunday FunDay theme. Personally, I think some of us should get extra points for a dessert that's served super cold as well.

Make sure you scroll down past my recipe to see the other lovely no-bake desserts my blogger friends are sharing, perfect for these hot summer days. 

Carlota de Limón – Lime Charlotte

Carlota de Limón is a classic Mexican dessert that is served very cold (as if it were an ice cream cake). As you make your shopping list, keep in mind that Marie biscuits are also called Maria biscuits or cookies in some places. In a pinch, you could also substitute plain graham crackers. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups or 360ml evaporated milk

1 can (14 oz or 397g) condensed milk

1⁄2 cup or 120ml dulce de leche (or sub more condensed milk) 

1⁄2 cup or 120ml fresh lime juice

Zest 1 lime

Maria biscuits – about 30

Optional to decorate/serve:

Whipped cream

Strawberries, halved 

1 lime, sliced thinly

Method

Use electric beaters or a whisk to combine the condensed milk, dulce de leche and evaporated milk. Add in the lime juice and zest and beat until thickened.

Line a deep round pan with foil and cover the bottom with a layer of Maria biscuits, scoring and breaking some to fill the gaps. I had a bunch of crumbs in my biscuit packet so I sprinkled them on the base as well. 

Spoon in one third of the filling, spreading it carefully to cover the biscuit base.

Top with another layer of Maria biscuits, again, scoring and breaking a couple to fill the gaps.

Top with second third of the filling, a final layer of biscuits, then the last third of the filling.

Pop the carlota de limón in the freezer for an hour or two or until firm.

When you are ready to serve, remove the carlota de limón from the freezer. Lift it out of the pan with the foil and carefully move the carlota to a serving plate. Decorate with whipped cream, halved strawberries and sliced limes, if desired.

Enjoy! 

Check out the no-bake desserts my Sunday FunDay blogger friends are sharing today! Which one will you make first? 

• Carlota de Limón from Food Lust People Love
• Drumstick Dessert from Palatable Pastime
• Oreo Icebox Cake from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Mango Pudding from Sneha's Recipe
• Nutty Cracker Jack and Pretzel Treats from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pineapple Mousse from Mayuri's Jikoni

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin this Carlota de Limón – Lime Charlotte!

 .

Easy Pork Vindaloo - Instant Pot

This easy pork vindaloo is a super tasty dish and quick to the table because it’s made in an Instant Pot. Vindaloo is classically a very spicy curry but you can tone that down by scaling back on the red chili peppers. 

I remember watching a Jamie Oliver show years ago and he was cooking beef stew. He didn’t bother browning the meat saying that he had tried making the stew both ways, browning and not browning, and didn’t see a difference in the flavor of the resulting dish. In fact, for his wife Jool’s Favorite Beef Stew, the beef is chucked into the pot along with the vegetables. (That might have been the dish he was making, I don't recall.)

This story is my way of assuring you that this pork vindaloo is going to turn out just fine, more than fine actually, delicious, even though the pork isn’t browned. In case you were worried. 

Easy Pork Vindaloo - Instant Pot

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can use a Dutch oven to cook this recipe on your stovetop, slow simmering the pork in the spices until tender. Just keep the lid closed tightly and add more water if necessary. 

Ingredients

1 teaspoon monosodium glutamate

2 1/2 lbs or 1134g pork shoulder, cut into 1.5 in or 4cm cubes

4 tablespoons canola or other light oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

3-4 red chili peppers

4 cloves garlic

1 knob fresh ginger, peeled

2 onions

1/4 cup or 60ml white vinegar

1/2 cup or 120ml water

For the spice mix:

4 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

For garnish: 

cilantro

To serve: cooked rice and/or flatbread

Method

Sprinkle the MSG on the cubed pork. Set aside while you prepare the other items. 

Use a small food processor (or a sharp knife) to mince the garlic, chili peppers and ginger. Cut the onions into quarters and again use the food processor to mince them. 

Press the sauté button on your Instant Pot. Add oil and allow it a minute to heat up. Add the cumin and mustard seeds. 

Once the cumin seeds brown and the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the onions. Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until the onions begin to brown slightly.

Add the pork, garlic, ginger and peppers. Stir well until the pork is coated with the onions, garlic, ginger and chili peppers. 

Add the spice mix, give everything a good stir then add the vinegar and water.

Secure the lid and make sure the pressure valve is closed. Cook for 25 minutes on “normal.” 

Naturally release pressure for 10 minutes, then manual release. 

Remove the lid and press the sauté button. 

Cook for 5 minutes to boil off some of the liquid and reduce the gravy to a stew like consistency. Taste for salt and add a little more, if needed.  

Garnish with cilantro and serve with cooked rice and/or your favorite flat bread. 

Enjoy!

It’s MultiCooker Monday and my blogger friends are sharing all sorts of lovely dishes cooked in small appliances. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our organizer and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. 

• Buttermilk Fried Chicken from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• East Indian Pork Roast from Sneha’s Recipe
• Easy Pork Vindaloo - Instant Pot from Food Lust People Love
• Garlicky Collard greens and Split Pea Stew/ Collard Greens and Split Pea Dal from Magical Ingredients
• Korean-Style Chile-Braised Brisket (Instant Pot) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Riblets in Black Bean Sauce from Palatable Pastime

Multicooker Monday is a blogger group created by Sue of Palatable Pastime for all of us who need encouragement to make better use of our small appliances like slow cookers, Instant Pots, Air Fryers, rice cookers and sous vide machines. We get together every third Monday of the month to share our recipes. If you are a food blogger who would like to post with us, please request to join our Facebook group. 

Pin this Easy Pork Vindaloo!

 .

Southern-style Tuna Salad

My Southern-style tuna salad is an old family recipe, the one I grew up with. It’s like egg salad but, of course, with added tuna, like we make it in the Southern United States. 

Another short tale. Many years ago, I was on the board of the American Association of Malaysia. Once a month, we would meet to deal with association business and we would bring dishes to share for a working lunch. 

One month I made tuna salad sandwiches. They were fancy sandwiches, crusts cut off, this recipe inside. We were discussing some item on the agenda when the chairperson stopped short and looked right at me. “Your egg salad has tuna in it!” she exclaimed. My retort was “No, my tuna salad has eggs in it! Doesn't yours?” 

A lively discussion by the whole board (a mixed group of Americans from all over) followed whereby I learned that there seems to be a north-south divide. In the northern US states tuna salad does not have eggs, southern-style tuna salad does. Who knew? 

Growing up, this is the way I remember my grandmothers and my mother making the “dressing” for not only tuna salad but also potato salad (at least on the days when no one had the wherewithal to whip up homemade mayonnaise.) Homemade mayo was always preferred but, you know, who has time for that? (Another parenthetical aside: My elder daughter would disagree. She always has time for that and she is a pro at homemade mayo! But she is not with me right now and I cannot be bothered.) 

Southern-style Tuna Salad 

You can chop up the egg yolks along with the whites and just add them to the tuna salad but you’ll miss the opportunity to enrich the mayonnaise and mustard dressing and make it seem more like homemade. Trust me, it makes a difference in flavor somehow. 

Ingredients

4 hard-boiled eggs

2 cans (5 oz or 142g) wild-caught chunk white albacore tuna in water

1/2 cup or 120ml mayonnaise

2-3 tablespoons yellow mustard

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 medium onion

To garnish: chopped green onions and a good sprinkle of cayenne

Method

Drain the canned tuna in a sieve and use the can lid to press out as much liquid as you can. If you don't the tuna salad will be a bit "wet."

Cut the boiled eggs in half with a sharp knife and put the yolks in a mixing bowl. Mash them with a fork. 

Add in the mayonnaise, mustard and seasonings then grate in the onion. I use a microplane so the onion is very fine (and juicy) because I like the flavor but personally don’t like to find crunchy bits of onion in my tuna salad. You are welcome to mince the onion with a sharp knife if onion bits don’t bother you. Mix well. 

Chop the egg whites and add them to the mixing bowl, along with the tuna. Mix well to combine. 

Garnish with some chopped green onions and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, if desired. 

Chill until ready to serve. This tuna salad is great on bread rolls, sliced bread or crackers. It is perfect for a picnic. Just bring it chilled in the cooler, provide the appropriate starchy things and let everyone help themselves! 

Enjoy! 

This month my Fish Friday Foodie friends are going on a picnic. Check out all the picnic friendly recipes below! Many thanks to our host and organizer, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. 

• Fish Bread Rolls from Sneha’s Recipe
• Salmon Salad Spread from Palatable Pastime
• Shrimp Louis Sandwiches from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Southern-style Tuna Salad from Food Lust People Love  
• Surimi (Imitation Crab) Salad from Karen's Kitchen Stories

Are you a food blogger who would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas. 

Pin this Southern-style Tuna Salad! 

 .

Piña Colada Bundt Cake #BundtBakers

A delicious treat of the tropical cocktail in cake form, this Piña Colada Bundt Cake is made with pineapple, coconut cream and, of course, rum. It is brushed after baking with a coconut pineapple rum syrup/glaze.

Once upon a time, a boy and a girl got married. He wanted to surprise her with the honeymoon so he only said, pack for a beach holiday. So she did. But the funny thing is (and it wasn’t so funny back then) the suitcases went to the Bahamas and the couple went to Barbados. Which was a big surprise for everyone. 

They consoled themselves by ordering cocktails by the pool where they could sit around in the hotel bathrobes and gift shop I 💙  Barbados t-shirts. Many, many, MANY consoling piña coladas were consumed before the suitcases turned up four days later. And they lived happily ever after. 

I’d say “The End” but there’s cake to come!  A tender, pineapple-y, coconutty cake with rum. Read on. 

Piña Colada Bundt Cake

For your canned pineapple, buy the kind in juice, not syrup, so you’ll have the necessary juice for the coconut pineapple rum syrup/glaze. This recipe is adapted from one on Real House Moms. It makes one 6-cup Bundt cake. 

Ingredients

For the cake batter: 

1 1/2 cups or 190g flour, plus extra for preparing the Bundt pan

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup or 100g sugar

1/3 cup or 75g softened butter, plus extra for preparing the Bundt pan

1 egg

1/2 cup or 120ml coconut cream

1 1/2 teaspoons aged rum 

1/2 cup or 90g chopped, canned pineapple, drained juice reserved

For the coconut pineapple rum syrup/glaze:

3/4 cup or 150g sugar

1/4 cup or 60ml pineapple juice

1/4 cup or 60ml dark rum

3 tablespoons coconut cream 

Optional for decorating:

a few good pinches sweetened flake coconut

diced canned pineapple

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Generously butter then flour a 6-cup Bundt pan. 

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add the egg and beat until well mixed.

Add the rum and coconut cream and mix until incorporated.

Tip the pineapple bits in the flour bowl and stir them around till they are coated with flour.  Now add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and beat until the batter is light and glossy. 

Spoon the batter into the Bundt pan and even out the top with a spatula. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the coconut pineapple rum syrup. Cook the sugar, pineapple juice and rum together in a small pot over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and it has reduced by about one half. 

Take the pot off the heat and leave the mixture to cool. It will thicken up more as it cools. 

Whisk in the coconut cream.

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes then remove cake from pan and cool completely.

Brush with the cake with the syrup/glaze. I spooned the syrup/glaze over the cake to start with but a lot just dripped off despite how thick it was so brushing it on seemed to work better. Keep brushing it on as the syrup/glaze soaks in. You may not use all of the syrup/glaze.

Decorate with a little sweetened flake coconut and bits of the canned pineapple, if desired. 

Enjoy! 

This month my Bundt Bakers are all sharing boozy Bundt recipes. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha's Recipe. 

• Caramel & Rum Upside Down Pineapple Bundt Cake by Sneha's Recipe
• Coffee Liqueur Bundt Cake by Patyco Candybar
• Lemon Rum & Coconut Bundt by Sweet Sensations
• Mojito Bundtlets by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Piña Colada Bundt Cake by Food Lust People Love
• Rum Cake by Passion Kneaded

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

Pin this Piña Colada Bundt Cake! 

 .

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Twists #BreadBakers

These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Twists are made with an enriched brioche dough filled with peanut butter and chocolate chips and baked till golden. Enjoy them with a cold glass of milk or a cup of tea.

I’ve always been a fan of peanut butter cups but find they are a little too sweet for me these days. Recently I was introduced to the Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups and, boy, howdy, are those guys good! 

They were my inspiration for this month’s Bread Bakers’ theme which is “favorite breads.” Who wouldn’t love a soft brioche twist filled with the perennial favorite combination of peanut butter and chocolate?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Twists

This recipe is adapted from James Morton’s first fabulous baking book, Brilliant Bread. I also have one of his other books, Super Sourdough and can highly recommend both. If you have a stand mixer, I recommend you use it for this recipe. The dough is really sticky to knead by hand. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon dry active yeast

1/3 cup or 78ml milk, slightly warmed

2 cups or 250g strong white bread flour -18g

1/4 cup or 57g sourdough starter (fed or discard)

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/3 cup or 75g unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup or 194g creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup or 85g semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the sugar and yeast with the warm milk and two tablespoons of the flour. Leave it for about five minutes. If the yeast has started foaming up, proceed with the next step. If not, your yeast is old and should be replaced. 

Add the flour, the sourdough starter, egg, yolk, milk and salt and combine to form a soft dough. 

Knead your dough for about 5–10 minutes, or until it is really starting to come together.  Add the soft butter and continue to knead until it passes the windowpane test, at least another 5 minutes. 

Cover and leave in a warm place to prove for one hour, or until doubled in size. Alternatively, leave to rest in the fridge for 10–14 hours.

Turn your proved dough out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle some more flour on top. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a big square about 15 in or 38cm wide. 

Spread the peanut butter over one half. If your peanut butter is too stiff to spread easily, warm it slightly with a couple of quick zaps in a microwave. 

Sprinkle the chocolate chips onto the peanut butter. 

Fold your dough over to seal the peanut butter and chocolate chips. 

Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into strips. I got 10 strips out of mine but you can cut thicker or thinner strips, according to your preference.

Twist each strip and place them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper or a silicone liner. I couldn’t squeeze all 10 in one pan, try as I might. If yours are also too much for your biggest pan, put the remainers in a smaller pan. Don't crowd them because they need room to rise. 

Cover lightly with cling film and leave to rise for about an hour. At least half an hour before you’re going to bake, preheat your oven to 450°F or 232°C.

When you are ready to bake, turn your oven down to 410°F or 210°C and bake the twists for 10–15 minutes, until they are a light golden brown. We want them to stay soft and pillowy. 

I meant to turn my pans around halfway through because I know my oven doesn't brown evenly but we were watching the UEFA 2020 final and I completely forgot. If your oven has the same issues, you might want to turn your pan around at about the 7 minute mark. Also the extra ones were on a different oven shelf and got a bit darker. Still soft and delicious though! 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking pan for a few minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. 

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, our Bread Bakers' theme this month is Favorite Breads. Many thanks to our host Kelly of A Messy Kitchen. Check out the great recipe links below. 

• Blueberry Pistachio Chocolate Sourdough from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
  
• Cinnamon-Honey Raisin Bagels from What Smells So Good?
  
• Cranberry Yeast Bread from A Messy Kitchen
• Garlic Rolls from Passion Kneaded 
• Hemp and Honey Whole Wheat Bread from Ambrosia
  
• Lemon Zucchini Loaf from A Day in the Life on the Farm
  
• No Knead Sourdough Sandwich Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Twists from Food Lust People Love
• Sourdough Boule from Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Twists!

.