Olympic Dinner

Last night we were invited to my colleague Erik's house for a potluck. In honor of the Olympics, the idea was for everyone to bring a dish from their country. Lucky for us, we had quite an international group of people representing: Switzerland, Uruguay, France, Canada, Brazil, USA, Spain, Ukraine, Venezuela and Mexico! I would have typically made a savory dish, but no one had mentioned any dessert, so I thought that a Mexican lime pie would be perfect for this hot weather, given that it is served cold. Apparently, my grandma Aurora has been making this delicious "pay de limon" (as we refer to it) for 50+ years, but it was my stepmom Gaby who taught me how to make it and it has always been a hit. Hopefully it will be one in your home too! It's one of the easiest and most affordable desserts you'll ever make, wish healthy was a characteristic, but I'm afraid not (although I heard last night that they now sell fat free condensed milk, que?!?)...

Ingredients

1/2 cup of lime juice (freshly squeezed)

2 packs of Maria cookies

2 cans of condensed milk 

1/2 can of evaporated milk

*If possible, I recommend using the Mexican brands, to keep it's authenticity ;)

Given that we were not serving the pie at home, I bought a disposable, 3-4" deep, rectangular , aluminum  pan, for easy transport. Plus, then you don't have to worry about leaving it behind. 

Matt squeezed the limes (approx. 5) ahead of time, just for convenience. Side note: we got those Komachi knives from Regina and Santiago and they are the amazing (and colorful!)

Pour the condensed milk into the blender and add 1/3 of the evaporated milk. Warning: it will be very hard to contain yourself from licking the condensed milk off any utensils used. 

While the blender is still on, remove the top cap (on a low setting to avoid major messes) and add the lime juice little by little. You want the mixture to remain pretty thick. Forgive me for not knowing the proper terminology, but in the end, you want it to be able to slide off a spoon slowly and not be very "liquidy". Continue to add evaporated milk and lime gradually.

Add a layer of Maria cookies to the bottom of your pan. Fill the gaps with  little pieces. 

When your filling is ready, pour it over the cookies. Remember, you will have several layers, so you don't want it to be too thick, but also not too thin (maybe 1/2 inch). 

Layer #2, same process. Cookies on top and then another layer of  filling. In this particular case, I had enough ingredients for two layers, given that the top is always cookie-free. I suppose you could have as many layers as your heart desires, but I'd say two or three are pretty standard. 

Final step, refrigerate. Ideally for about 4-5 hours, but even 1 hour will do. This allows for it to chill and for all of the ingredients to "get acquainted".

Ready to eat! 

Everything yesterday was scrumptious and it was so much fun trying all the different food: Swiss cheese, French salmon quiche, Uruguayan beef empandas, Venezuelan flan, etc. Erik and his wife made little signs with the name of the country and flag to go next to each dish. They also had gold, silver and bronze paper plates and even medals. First, there were medals awarded for correct Olympic trivia answers and then for best dishes (everyone got to cast their vote)!

• USA came in 3rd place with their hotdogs and buffalo chicken dip (hosts)
• MEXICO came in 2nd place with our lime pie - woohoo!!
• VENEZUELA came in 1st place with their "arepas con reina pepiada" (chicken salad made with avocado and peas on a ground corn dough patty) 

By the way, did you see these stunning pictures of the full moon between the Olympic rings in London? Reuters