Limas Rellenas de Coco

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide stainless-steel or tinned copper cazo for candying
• •Fine grater or small sharp knife for scraping the limas
• •Demitasse spoon or small grapefruit spoon for hollowing
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Heavy saucepan and wooden spoon for the coconut filling

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the limas

   Use small Mexican limas if you can find them, the aromatic kind with peel thick enough to become a shell. In Mexico this fruit is not the same as a supermarket Persian lime. If all you can get is Persian lime, choose the smallest unwaxed ones with firm skins. A thin-skinned lime collapses and then you have sweetened sadness, not a confection.

2. 2

   Scrape the peel

   With a fine grater or small sharp knife, lightly scrape away only the glossy outer green surface from each lima. Do not dig into the white pith. You are opening the peel so the bitterness can leave and the syrup can enter. This is fussy work. Convent sweets are like that. La paciencia es la regla del huerto.

3. 3

   Blanch the bitterness

   Put the limas in a wide pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Add the baking soda. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 15 minutes, turning the fruit once or twice. Drain, rinse, cover with fresh water, and simmer 10 minutes more. Drain again. The peels should feel a little softened but still hold their shape.

   Do not boil them violently. Hard boiling tears the rind and makes the shells ragged before they ever see the syrup.
4. 4

   Soak overnight

   Cover the blanched limas with cold water and let them stand 12 hours. Change the water at least twice. Smell the water when you pour it off. At first it will smell sharp and bitter. By the last change it should smell clean and citrusy. My mother wrote in the margin of her notebook: change the water until it stops fighting you. She was right.

5. 5

   Hollow the shells

   Cut a small round opening at the stem end of each lima, just wide enough for a demitasse spoon. Pull out the pulp and membranes carefully, keeping the rind whole. Rinse the hollow shells under cool water and drain them upside down on a cloth. The lima is not here for juice. It is architecture.

6. 6

   Start the syrup

   In a wide nonreactive pot, combine 4 cups water, 2 cups of the white cane sugar, and the salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the hollow lime shells and simmer very gently for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the limas rest in the syrup 12 hours.

7. 7

   Feed the syrup

   Lift the limas out with a slotted spoon and set them on a tray. Add 1 1/2 cups more sugar to the syrup and bring it back to a simmer. Return the limas to the pot and cook 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and rest 12 hours again. This gradual strengthening keeps the rind tender. Dumping all the sugar in at once toughens the peel. No me vengas con atajos.

8. 8

   Candy again

   Repeat the same process with the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar. Simmer the syrup, add the limas, and cook 15 to 20 minutes, until the shells look glossy and slightly translucent. If the syrup has thickened too much, add 1/2 cup water before simmering. Let the limas rest in the syrup at least 12 hours, or overnight.

9. 9

   Drain the limas

   Set a rack over a tray. Lift the limas from the syrup and drain them upside down for 1 hour. Reserve 1/2 cup syrup for the filling and keep the rest for brushing or storing the finished sweets. The shells should be sticky, tender, and strong enough to hold coconut without tearing.

10. 10

    Cook the coconut

    Combine the grated coconut, 1 1/2 cups sugar, whole milk, reserved lime syrup, and canela in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, 25 to 35 minutes. The coconut will turn glossy and thick, and the spoon should leave a clean line across the bottom of the pan for a few seconds. Remove the canela and cool until just warm.

11. 11

    Fill the limas

    Pack each candied shell with the coconut filling, pressing gently so the cavity is full but the rind does not split. Let the filled limas sit at room temperature for 1 hour so the coconut settles into the shell. Brush the outside with a little reserved syrup if they look dry.

12. 12

    Serve or store

    Serve each lima in a small paper cup or on a shallow plate, cut side showing the white coconut against the pale green rind. This is a make-ahead sweet, not a last-minute dessert. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days, bringing them to room temperature before serving. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Buy unwaxed fruit. Wax blocks the syrup and gives the rind a strange shine that has nothing to do with candying. At La Merced or Mercado de Medellín, ask for limas chicas para dulce. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
• •Do not replace the white cane sugar with piloncillo here. Piloncillo belongs to tacha and many darker almíbares. These limas need a clear syrup so the green rind stays visible and the coconut stays white.
• •Fresh coconut matters. Bagged sweetened coconut is already sugared, dry, and usually tastes like a cupboard. If you must use unsweetened dried coconut, soak it in warm milk for 20 minutes first. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •The three syrup soakings are the recipe. They let the sugar move into the rind slowly. Rush the syrup and the peel turns tough on the outside while staying bitter inside.

Advance Preparation

• •The lime shells can be candied and held in their syrup up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator before filling.
• •The coconut filling can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently before filling so it packs cleanly into the shells.
• •Finished limas keep covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Serve at room temperature so the syrup sheen and coconut texture return.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 120g)