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Pastel de Limon

Gordon told us Roselba was a great cook and he was right. My good friends, Jill, Claire and I had a hard time choosing between a chili relleno served with a rich red chili and a bright egg on top or a chicken braised in green sauce, both served with white rice and lemon agua fresca. I went for the chicken. I'm sure the long walk did its part to season that meal, but it really was yummy. After removing the last bit of succulent meat from the chicken bone I pushed my plate away and said, "That was delicious, now I'm ready for some ice cream".

Mauricio and Roselba

We were eating "comida" the large late afternoon meal enjoyed in Mexico at the comedor "San Miguel" in the high mountain village of Amatlan - the last stop on a three village walking trip through the Pueblos Mancomunados. An alliance of eight Zapotec mountain villages in the glorious mountains NE of Oaxaca City, the Pueblos Mancomunados, in partnership with local ecotourism company Tierraventura offers travelers a chance to both support the villages directly and learn as much possible about their history, culture and remarkable self-reliant economy. Each village has constructed cute and serviceable cabanas that have fresh sheets and hot showers. Our group was fed by local families in comedors, restaurants that were essentially an expansion of the home kitchen. The food was nutritious and simple.

Cute cabanas

Our starting point Guajimaloyas was 10,000 feet in elevation. High altitude in tropical latitudes makes for a familiar yet exotic forest. Our local guides, Vidal, Salvador and Javier knew it all, from pre-Hispanic history to medicinal uses for about every plant we saw. We were thankful to have Tierraventura's Marie along who patiently translated all the detailed information. Our final day was a lovely walk, but as we left the cool breeze of the high altitude of Latuvi we walked down a canyon and into the hot sun and dust. I asked how far we were walking that day and was told that was very American of me. In Mexico they measure distance in walking time. It was a 6-7 hour hike, about 9 miles.

Claire, Piper, Jill & Javier

In the comedors we were fed good tasty food, but no dessert. Jill and Claire were especially longing for something sweet after several days of only savory meals. We all knew my ice cream fantasy was a long shot. I filled my glass with one last refreshing agua fresca and enjoyed the view of the big green valley beyond the bright dishtowels drying in the sun. Dulce, Roselba's daughter, walked out holding a small plate in each hand, smiling.

Dulce, Roselba and Mauricio

Dessert! When we dug in we were thrilled to taste a cool, creamy lemon mousse-like cake. It was like cake and ice cream made into one dessert - we gobbled it up! Mauricio, Roselba and Dulce were all sitting in the kitchen and Claire begged me to find out how it was made. I was sure there was a simple butter cake and some sort of custard involved. French pastry in the Oaxacan Sierra Norte. I walked in to the kitchen "El postre es sabroso, ¿como lo hace?" Roselba clearly happy that I enjoyed her food, gave Dulce a quick command who quickly dug a can of condensed milk and a can of evaporated milk from the garbage, picked up a roll of Marie cookies and said "con limon" this elegant indescribable lemon confection was made from canned milk and tea biscuits!

At long last, dessert! 

Pastel Helado de Limon

I googled Pastel Helado de Limon and there are a ton a recipes (all pretty much exactly the same) - clearly Roselba did not make this up. It seems to be popular homemade dessert in Latin America where canned milk is the norm. I made it here at home and it was delicious.

1 9 by 13 baking dish

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 package Marie cookies

Put the can of evaporated milk and the can of sweetened condensed milk into a blender with ½ cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Lay a layer of cookies on the bottom of a rectangular pan. Pour a small amount of the sweet milk mixture over each cookie and then stack another cookie directly on top. Repeat procedure and the pour remaining liquid over the entire dish. Chill for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

Pastel Helado de Limon

Want to learn more? Our awesome traveling companion from London, Laura Rees-Evens wrote a great blog - Mexico: beyond the tourist traps. Check it out!

Posted by Piper Davis, Grand Central Bakery Cuisine Manager & Claire Randall, General Manager / Portland