2 teaspoons lime zest plus 1 tablespoon lime juice
2 to 4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 cups cold heavy cream
Step 1 Transfer the meringue cookies to a large, resealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to lightly crush the cookies. (You should have pieces of varying sizes.)
Step 2 Trim the berries, discarding the greens. Halve or quarter 1 pound of the strawberries; add to a medium bowl. Blend or mash the remaining ½ pound strawberries until you have a chunky purée. Add the strawberry purée, lime zest, lime juice and 2 to 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar to the chopped strawberries and toss to coat. (The better the strawberries, the less sugar you’ll need.)
Step 3 In a large bowl, beat the cream with 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high until whipped cream holds stiff peaks. Fold the crumbled meringue into the whipped cream.
Step 4 Starting and ending with the strawberry mixture, layer it with the cream mixture in individual serving dishes (preferably clear cups, bowls or jars), creating as many layers as you like. Serve immediately.
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 1/2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1 teaspoon fine-grain salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch (or more to taste) ground cayenne pepper*, optional
Hot milk or water to serve
Combine the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, milk powder, salt, cornstarch and cayenne in a large airtight container. Secure the lid and shake vigorously to combine, and remember to shake prior to every extraction.
To serve: Place 2 tablespoons of the mix in a mug and add about 2 fluid ounces hot water or milk. Stir to combine. Fill the mug with more hot water or milk and enjoy.
Notes
* The Aztecs always added chiles to their chocolate. Even a pinch ups the flavor ante quite a bit, and as called for here certainly won’t be sensed as “heat.”
No matter — this is fast, easy and will keep for a year if kept in an airtight container in a cool place.
Blend milk, flour, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt together in a blender until batter is smooth.
Melt clarified butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat until bubbling; pour batter into the center of the skillet.
Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Brush with 1 tablespoon butter, drizzle lemon juice over the top, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
