Concentrate my limeade.

May 31, 2008 12:43 PM

More adventures in home food processing: limeade concentrate from limeade?

So I got a hankering for key lime pie after seeing a simple recipe involving frozen limeade concentrate and sweetened condensed milk. The only limeade concentrate I found at the store was made almost entirely of high fructose corn syrup, with no mention of limes, so that was a no-go. I wasn't in the mood to juice dozens of limes (they're expensive and out-of-season anyway), so I bought a jug of prepared limeade made with lime juice, water, and sugar, figuring I could just find or adapt a recipe.

Problem is, there seem to be two approaches to key lime pie: the easy, fake-it way, using the concentrate, not diluted with water; or the real way, using lime juice, again not diluted with water.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has ever made key lime pie using limeade, and, if so, how to go about it. Can I boil the limeade down, or will that leave it too "cooked" tasting? How much should it be reduced? Half? Till syrupy?

Alternatively, it doesn't have to be pie, as long as it's limey and creamy. What other desserts could I make using non-concentrated limeade?

posted by libraryhead to food & drink (7 comments total)

Lemonade/limeade concentrate usually require adding four equal parts water to make lemonade/limeade. So, I'd try reducing your jug to one-fifth its volume to make concentrate that would most like work with your recipe. Also, check your liquor store for lime juice.
posted by glibhamdreck at 1:55 PM on May 31

Boiling is not the right way to do it; it'll change the flavor.

I wonder if you could put in your freezer (in a strong container which has plenty of expansion room) and wait until it's full of ice crystals. Then use a drainer mesh basket to filter the ice out. That could be repeated to further concentrate it.
posted by Class Goat at 2:21 PM on May 31

You can reduce it on a stove without boiling it. Just keep it just below boiling using a thermometer or by bringing up the heat slowly and backing off if you see bubbles. But it will certainly evaporate faster at 90 deg C and will not be boiling.
posted by GuyZero at 2:28 PM on May 31

The recipe using the frozen concentrated green fructose-ade probably depends on the sugar content to get the end result consistency correct.

Doesn't your grocery store carry lime juice? Like the RealLemon but it's RealLime? Mine always has it. I think.

Alternately, you *could* get out your home vacuum pump and bell jar, and reduce it that way. Since reducing the pressure lowers the boiling point you could boil off all the water at room temperature, without the flavor-changing effects of cooking it.
posted by gjc at 3:13 PM on May 31 [1 favorite]

Never used limeade for a key lime pie. If you go down the fruit juice aisle at your local grocery store, you might be able to find a "key lime" juice you can use. Please note that there is a difference between "key lime" and "lime."

On an unrelated note, if you mix limeade with some honey, you get a sweet coating that can be used for a delicious fruit salad (pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, etc). :)
posted by toaster at 4:18 PM on May 31

Lime sorbet or light cream. Mix limeade with heavy cream to taste and freeze while agitating. Got an ice-cream freezer? Or a substitute for one? (I have made ice cream inside a number ten can inside my stockpot, with a bag of ice and several fistfuls of rock salt between, but I was only able to freeze about a pint of mix.)
posted by eritain at 8:47 PM on May 31

If only I *had* a bell jar... I found some key lime juice at the store (at $6, probably still cheaper than the equivalent quantity of limes) to make the pie. The limeade will most likely be consumed in liquid form, although I do have an ice cream maker, so I may give that idea a try. Thanks for the suggestions, all.
posted by libraryhead at 11:36 AM on June 1