Kaffir lime leaves are a popular ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking. Commonly found in curries, these flavorful leaves add a distinct flavor reminiscent of fruit loops.
I used these on a dessert last winter, paired with a fresh coconut mousse, calamansi cherry coulis, almond ice cream, and candied almonds. My original thought was candied lime zest of course but necessity is the mother of invention and we had a bagful of lime leaves in the freezer that couldn't go to waste so I decided to try my usual citrus candying technique on the leaves. The result was unbelievable!
I always start by washing thoroughly the leaves, then julienne the leaves. When using citrus peel you carefully remove the peel from the fruit with a vegetable peeler making sure not to take any pith, julienne the peel. Citrus peel can be so bitter that it is best to blanch the peels three times, using fresh water each time before candying.
Kaffir lime leaves can be bitter also, as well as chewy, so I modified the technique to account for this. Combine equal parts sugar and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. The amount of syrup you must make depends on how many leaves you'll be candying, you need enough to cover the leaves. At least one cup of sugar and water should be used so you have enough liquid to proceed.
Add the julienne lime leaves to the boiling sugar syrup, boil for one minute and then remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Return to the heat and bring to a boil; again boiling for one minute and standing off the heat for 15 minutes. Repeat this process one more time. The purpose of the triple boiling is to remove bitterness and to bring out the fruity lime flavor of the leaves; as well as to tenderize them so they are not chewy. After the third boil taste one of the leaves, if it is still bitter you can repeat the process one more time. If the leaves taste sweet and fruit loop lime flavor then return to a boil and testing with a candy thermometer bring the syrup to 130 degrees F.
Once 130 degrees is reached remove the lime leaves from the syrup using two forks and toss in granulated sugar in a shallow pan. Use the forks to separate the pieces and coat in sugar. Remove the lime leaf pieces from the sugar and transfer to a clean baking sheet and let cool. The leaves should become crispy once cooled. The result is a crisp, sweet, fruity product that is easy to eat and can be added to many desserts to add an intense lime flavor.
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| Fresh Coconut Mousse, Calamansi Cherry Coulis, Almond Ice Cream, Candied Kaffir Lime Leaves, and Candied Almonds Photo Credit: Will Blunt, Starchefs.com |
