Frozen lime terrine is easy and elegant

This recipe is just the ticket for an easy, make-ahead and elegant dessert. It comes together quickly and you can make it up to two months ahead. The recipe is from the August/September issue of Fine Cooking magazine. I made it recently for my annual end of the season golf party, and the gals loved it. Because I had another dessert, I cut each serving slice of this dessert in half. It was plenty.

The original recipe called for regular sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream cheese. I used reduced-fat versions of all three, and they worked fine. Don't skip using fresh lime juice; bottled just won't do in this dessert. And be sure to strain the juice. If you're not familiar with dulce de leche (sweet caramelized milk), look for it in the ethnic section near Hispanic ingredients or the baking aisle of most grocery stores.

FROZEN LIME AND DULCE DE LECHE TERRINE WITH BLACKBERRY SAUCE

SERVES: 8 to 10 (generously) / PREP TIME: 20 minutes (plus overnight freezing time) / TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes (plus overnight freezing time)

• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest

• 2/3 cup strained fresh lime juice (from about 6 good size limes)

• 1/2 cup dulce de leche

• 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (from about 2 whole crackers)

• 2 cups (12 ounces) blackberries, rinsed

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons Chambord, framboise, cassis or water

Look for jarred or canned dulce de leche in your supermarket's baking or ethnic food sections. Do not use the kind in the squeeze bottle, which is too thin for this purpose.

Line an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing excess to hang over the sides.

In a blender, put the condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream cheese and blend on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the lime zest and blend briefly. With the blender running on medium-low speed, slowly pour the lime juice through the hole in the blender's cap. Turn the blender off as soon as all of the juice is incorporated. Additional blending can thin it too much.

Pour about one-third of the lime mixture into the loaf pan, spreading it evenly. Spoon half of the dulce de leche in a thick line down the length of the terrine to the left of center. (If it's too thick to spoon, heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds.) Pour and spread another third of the lime filling on top. Spoon the remaining dulce de leche to the right of the center. Pour and spread the remaining lime filling on top. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the top, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 8 hours.

Combine the blackberries, sugar and liqueur in a 1-quart saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries release some of their juice but remain mostly whole, about 5 minutes. Let it cool briefly, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Uncover and invert the terrine onto a cutting board. If the terrine doesn't release, let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes inverted, and then gently bang the cutting board on the counter to release. Carefully peel off the remaining plastic wrap. To serve, dip a knife into hot water and dry it before slicing the terrine into pieces 3/4- to 1-inch thick. Transfer the slices to serving plates and let sit for 5 minutes before serving so they are creamy, not icy. Spoon some of the sauce over each slice and serve.

From Fine Cooking Magazine, August/September 2014 issue.

320 calories (31 percent from fat), 11 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 47 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 160 mg sodium, 40 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber.

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