By Dave Woods

dwoods@joplinglobe.com

Jason Lieberman knows why his lime tart is so popular with friends, family and those who buy his baked goods.

“It’s quick, easy and a crowd pleaser,” he said. “I think if people knew how easy it is to make, they would be making them all of the time.”

The 35-year-old Joplin native has recently returned to town after living in Chicago for almost a decade.

In Chicago, he landed the culinary director’s job at Bloomingdales and honed his skills hosting cooking and baking demonstrations for home cooks and big-city foodies.

Now, living in Joplin and contemplating his next move, he’s in his own kitchen refining some of favorite recipes he knows have commercial appeal. The lime tart is one of them.

“It’s a great dessert because it’s light,” he said, whipping topping for a tart. “They are popular for the holidays because they are easy to make and don’t require a lot of time.”

Any home cook can make them, he said. “As long as you know how to separate an egg, you can do this.”

Lieberman explained that a good lime tart starts with fresh, juicy limes.

While some people make a Key lime pie or tart, he prefers to use the common lime.

“Key limes are expensive and they can be hard to find,” he said. “They can be really limey and too tart.

“It just makes sense. It’s easier to squeeze two big limes than 20 small Key limes. That’s a lot of work.”