Lime Meringue Pie (Pastel de Limon — Puerto Rico)

1 (9-inch) pie crust, your favorite recipe or packaged

Filling
3/4 cup cornstarch
4 egg yolks (reserve the white for the meringue)
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter

Meringue
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Bake the pie crust in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes, or according to the package directions, until light golden brown. Cool and set aside.

Combine the cornstarch and 1 cup of the water in a saucepan and whisk until combined. Add the remaining water and filling ingredients and whisk to combine. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick and boiling. Pour into the baked pie shell.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add the remaining Meringue ingredients, beating until thoroughly combined. Top the pie filling with the egg white mixture, spreading it just to the edge of the pie crust. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 15 minutes, until light golden brown. Overcooking will cause the meringue to crack when serving. Cool and refrigerate before serving.

Makes one 9-inch pie to serve 6 to 8.

Maduro en Gloria (Heavenly Bananas)

Posted by Olga at recipegoldmine.com March 20, 2002 15:43:15

From Willemsted, Curacao, West Indies.

Named after the famous shipping banking family, Maduro, this is a dish served on festive occasions.

4 tablespoons butter
6 firm bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 pound cream cheese
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Curacao liqueur

Melt the butter in a skillet and brown the bananas very quickly over high heat.

Place half the banana slices on the bottom of a buttered pie plate. Blend heavy cream and cream cheese until very soft. Add sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and liqueur, beating until light and smooth. Spread half of the mixture over the bananas. Place remaining banana slices on top, and spread the rest of the cream-cheese mixture over the dish. Bake in a 375 degrees F. oven for 20 minutes or until almost all the cream is absorbed and the top is lightly browned. Do not allow all the cream to be absorbed, or the bananas will become too dry.

Serve hot. If desired, top with whipped cream.

Serves 6.

Baked Stuffed Papayas (Jamaica)

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 (12 ounce) papayas
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook and stir beef, onion and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until beef is light brown; drain. Stir in tomatoes, jalapeño pepper, salt and pepper; break up tomatoes with fork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Cut papayas lengthwise into halves; remove seeds. Place about 1/3 cup beef mixture in each papaya half; sprinkle with cheese. Arrange in shallow roasting pan. Pour very hot water into pan to within 1 inch of tops of papaya halves. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F until papayas are very tender and hot, about 30 minutes.

Tropical Fruit with Chocolate Sauce (Curaçao)

Chocolate Sauce
3 to 4 cups assorted fresh tropical
    fruit: banana, pineapple, strawberries,
    carambola, papaya, mango
2 to 3 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur or rum

Prepare Chocolate Sauce. Toss fruit and liqueur or rum. Cover and refrigerate, stirring once or twice, at least 1 hour. Spoon fruit into dessert dishes; drizzle with Chocolate Sauce.

Chocolate Sauce
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur or rum

Heat chocolate, milk and sugar to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in butter and liqueur. Let stand 1 hour.

Cover and refrigerate any remaining sauce.

Yields 6 to 8 servings.