2 limes
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
cup sugar

1. With a special zesting tool, grate the colorful outer rind from the limes into a large, nonreactive saucepan with a very heavy base. Add the juice of the limes and the butter. Cook over medium heat until the butter is melted.
   
2. Meanwhile, put the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with a wire whisk until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir ½ cup of the hot lime juice into the egg yolks, then add the yolks to the pan with the remaining lime juice and cook, stirring constantly until mixture is slightly thickened and steaming hot, about 5 minutes.
   
3. Transfer the cooked curd back to the mixing bowl and chill completely before using.
   

¾ cup sugar
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ cup egg whites
1 teaspoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment and preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Whisk together the sugar and powdered sugar and set aside.
   
2. In the bowl of an upright electric mixer, whip the egg whites with the lime juice and salt until foamy. Very slowly stream in half of the sugar mixture and continue whipping until the egg whites hold stiff peaks and are very smooth and glossy.
   
3. With a rubber spatula, fold the remaining sugar into the whipped egg whites, then pile the mixture into a 1-gallon self-sealing food-storage bag. With scissors or a sharp knife, snip off about ½ inch from one corner of the bag to create a pastry bag. Pipe the meringue through the impromptu pastry bag onto the baking sheet lined with baker's parchment, forming 12 long sticks, each about ½ inch in diameter.
   
4. Bake until very crisp and dry, about 2 ½ hours. The sticks may be baked ahead and kept in a cool, dry place for several days.
   

1 ¼ cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
¼ cup honey
¼ cup cold water

1. Put the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl or a food processor. Add the cold butter and mix with a wire whisk or process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
   
2. Stir the honey and water together, then add the liquid to the dry ingredients. Mix just until the dough comes together in a ball.
   
3. Between 2 sheets of baker's parchment or waxed paper, roll the dough to ½ -inch thickness. Chill the dough until it's firm, about 1 hour.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet with parchment. Lightly flour the dough and roll it into a rectangle the same size as the baking sheet. Working on top of a piece of parchment, use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to trim any rough edges off the dough and cut it into 24 rectangles each about 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches.
   
5. Lift the parchment with the cut crackers to the baking sheet and, with a fork, prick several holes in each cracker. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and, while they're still hot, re-cut the crackers. Let the crackers cool in the pan.