Dessert Tostadas with Lime Curd

Tortilla Shells
6 flour tortilla shells (see Food Preparation section)
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup Lime Curd
3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate curls
Fresh strawberries

In a small bowl, beat whipping cream to soft peaks. In another bowl, stir Lime Curd until smooth; fold into whipped cream. Use, or cover and chill overnight.

Place tortillas on dessert plates; spoon about one-third cup of the Lime Curd into each. Sprinkle with chocolate and garnish with strawberries. To eat, break off chunks of the tortilla to scoop through filling.

Lime Curd:
4 to 5 large Mexican limes
1 egg
3 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Remove green skin (zest) from 2 of the limes. Scrape off any bitter white pith left on the zest. Place the zest in a small saucepan. Add enough boiling water to cover and blanch over high heat for 1 minutes. Drain and pat dry on paper towels. Finely chop the zest.

Halve and squeeze enough of the limes to produce 1/2 cup lime juice.

In a small bowl, beat together the whole egg and egg yolks.

In a small, heavy non-reactive saucepan, combine the lime juice, zest and sugar. Stir to partially dissolve the sugar. Add the egg mixture and the butter. Cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil. It will thicken as it cools. Strain the curd into a clean, dry heat-proof jar, cover with wax paper and cool. Cover the jar and refrigerate until chilled. Keeps very well if refrigerated.