Monthly Archives: April 2011

Weekend Baking: Orange Mousse fit for Royalty

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Well, it’s not baked, actually. But, it is fit for Royalty, which makes it a natural dessert for the weekend of a Royal wedding.

I’ve paid little attention to all the hoopla surrounding the big wedding celebration taking place across the ocean today. All the publicity it’s been getting did bring to mind a cookbook on my shelf that I hadn’t looked at in quite some time.

Many years ago, my mother-in-law’s niece made a trip to England. She brought two gifts back for my mother-in-law — a Bone China tea cup and saucer and a cookbook. I was the lucky daughter-in-law who got both of her English treasures after she died.

I pulled “Cook in Your Castle” off the shelf this week. After paging through the section on desserts, I finally decided on 10 Downing Street Frozen Orange Mousse, a recipe from Margaret Thatcher, who was Prime Minister at the time the book of recipes was compiled.

There were a couple of things about the recipe that worried me a bit. First, I noticed it called for gelatin. I don’t use gelatin very often. The recipe didn’t explain how to dissolve it before adding it to the mixing bowl.

I wound up putting 2 tablespoons of cool water into a custard cup. I sprinkled the packet of gelatin over the water and mixed it with a fork. The gelatin immediately absorbed the water and became an ugly, clumpy mass. I left it sit for 5 minutes and, in the meantime, heated some water in a small saucepan on the stove. Just before the water came to a boil, I removed the saucepan from the heat and set the custard cup holding the clumpy gelatin in the water that came halfway up the sides of the bowl. As I stirred the gelatin mixture, it began to dissolve and become liquid. Smooth and lump-less liquid. The mousse turned out perfectly light and lovely. I’m not convinced, though, that the gelatin is necessary. I remember Chef Christopher Rounds (the Key West king of coconut cream from my previous post) told me he uses gelatin in his coconut cream pie to hold it all together. I’m guessing that if this orange mousse is going to be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two, the gelatin will keep it looking light and fluffy.

Then, there is the issue of using uncooked yolks and whites of eggs. Salmonella is a concern.

Cooking eggs destroys the Salmonella; however, they must be cooked to a temperature of at least 160°F (71°C). Sunny-side up and over-easy eggs often do not reach this temperature. For recipes that contain raw eggs such as Caesar salads, mousse, or homemade ice cream, it is best to use pasteurized eggs that have been heated to a high enough temperature to ensure that the Salmonella has been destroyed. These days, pasteurized eggs  are available in most grocery stores.

Although this fluffy dessert is called Frozen Orange Mousse, the recipe directs the cook to refrigerate the mixture. I did both. Frozen, the mousse melts in the mouth like rich, creamy frozen custard, leaving that all-too-familiar-to-me coating of fat in my mouth.

Chilled, the orange mousse is as light and puffy as a big white cloud.

It’s a nice little breakfast treat, too, with a cup of English tea, of course.

I’ve rewritten the recipe with ounces turned into cups and directions for dissolving the gelatin.

You’ll discover there’s always room for mousse!

Cheerio!

Margaret Thatcher’s 10 Downing Street Orange Mousse

  • 3 large pasteurized eggs
  • 1/2 cup castor (superfine) sugar
  • 4 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • Fresh mint leaves, orange pieces and shredded orange peel for garnish

Separate eggs. Eggs are easiest to separate when they are cold. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat yolks, orange juice concentrate and superfine sugar until very light and pale.

Put 2 tablespoons cold water in a glass custard cup or small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over the water and mix with a fork. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. In the meantime, heat water in a small saucepan, using just enough water to come halfway up the sides of the custard cup when it is set into the pan. Just before the water comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat. Set custard cup in the hot water. Stir gelatin with a fork until it dissolves and the mixture becomes smooth liquid.

In another bowl, whip cream. Add whipped cream to yolk mixture in large mixing bowl. Beat on low speed to incorporate. Pour in the warm gelatin and blend.

In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add whites to mixing bowl, gently folding them into the creamy mixture.

Spoon orange mousse into one serving bowl or several small dessert cups. (I filled 6 of the dessert cups as shown in the photo plus one custard cup that I froze.)

 

I dream of Coconut Cream

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Ever since my trip to Key West last January, I’ve been dreaming about the Amaretto Coconut Cream Pie at Antonia’s. I know Key West is all about the Key Lime Pie, and I did try some from a couple of different places and they were good. But, my vote for the best dessert in Key West goes to the Semifreddo Di Amaretto E Coco at Antonia’s.

Antonia’s chef and owner, Christopher Rounds, indulged me with tastes of his homemade Italian sauces, fresh Italian flatbread and pasta and luscious desserts as we visited at the bar in the Italian restaurant that was opened 31 years ago by Antonia. With his little boy grin and a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, Chef Rounds told me his customers love to be spoiled. It’s what makes him successful and keeps his guests coming back.

It was delightful spending time with Rounds. Of German descent, he told me you don’t have to be Italian to run an Italian restaurant. He is an expert at preparing delicious Italian food with fresh ingredients. Lots of Italian food. Rounds has watched grown men cry with happiness as they hug him and tell him his food tastes just like the Italian dishes they remember enjoying in their Italian grandmother’s kitchen, proof of the authenticity of his Italian cooking.

Rounds does not share recipes. I tried as hard as I could to get some kind of directions on how to make his coconut cream amaretto pie. The only information I could eek out of him was that the dessert is made with whipping cream, coconut, egg white, mascarpone and gelatin sheets. It is the creamiest, coconutiest most delicious heavenly coconut cream I’ve ever tasted.

Rounds pulled a whole dessert from the freezer. I noticed it had been created in a springform pan. He cut a slice for me to eat — a giant piece. I let every bite melt on my tongue and glide down my throat as I watched with dismay as my fork got closer and closer to the final morsel on my plate. I oohed and aah-ed and sighed, and I think my breathing may have gotten a bit rapid. “Just look at this,” said Rounds as he pulled the pant leg of his shorts up a bit higher on his leg. “I get goose-bumps when people get so much enjoyment from my food. This is my life. It’s what I love.”

It’s easy to love Christopher Rounds. It’s easy to lust over that coconut dessert he serves. If you get to Key West, have a meal at Antonia’s and Chris Rounds will spoil you to death. And, don’t leave Antonia’s without having a piece of that Amaretto Coconut Cream Pie.

Coconut Cream in Coconut Shortbread Cups is quite divine. It’s not Antonia’s, though. No mascarpone, no egg whites and no gelatin. It does have lots of whipped cream, coconut and just enough amaretto.

If you’d like to fill little shortbread cups with the fluffy coconut cream filling that starts with a can of coconut milk, use the recipe I posted earlier for Coconut Shortbread Tartlets. This recipe for Coconut Cream is a custard, lightened with whipped cream, that generously fills a baked 9-inch pastry shell.

I’ll continue to work to recreate the divine Amaretto Coconut Cream Pie I swooned over at Antonia’s in Key West. In the meantime, I’ll eat Coconut Cream Shortbread Cups and plan my next trip to Key West.

Oh, and don’t be surprised if you get a goose-bump or two as your guests get excited with each bite of a coconut shortbread cup filled with a puffy cloud of coconut cream.

Coconut Cream Shortbread Cups

  • 1 (13.5- to 14-ounce) can coconut milk, divided
  • 3 egg yolks from large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon, divided
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup flaked coconut
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons amaretto, divided
  • 1 baked 9-inch pastry shell, graham cracker crust or Coconut Shortbread Cups
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup coconut, toasted, for garnish
  • Fresh raspberries, for garnish

Pour 1 cup coconut milk into a heavy saucepan. Place over medium heat. Remove from heat just before the coconut milk begins to boil. Set aside.

Beat 3 egg yolks until thick and light colored. Add 1/2 cup sugar, flour, salt and 1 lightly beaten egg. Beat well.

In a 1-cup glass measure, whisk together 1/4 cup coconut milk and cornstarch until smooth. Stir in remainder of coconut milk from can. Pour cornstarch mixture into egg yolk mixture and blend well.

Gradually whisk hot coconut milk into egg mixture. Pour pour back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wire whisk until mixture thickens and just comes to a boil. Continue to whisk until mixture is smooth. Custard will be very thick. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut, vanilla and 1 1/2 teaspoons amaretto. Cover with plastic wrap, gently pressing directly onto the custard. Chill 2 hours.

Beat whipping cream with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon amaretto until thick. Gently stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the chilled custard. Continue adding the whipped cream, 1/4 at a time, gently folding it into the coconut custard mixture.

Spoon mixture into pastry shell, graham cracker crust or shortbread cups. Cover and chill until serving time. Top pie with toasted coconut, if desired. A fresh raspberry is a nice garnish to the tiny shortbread cups. Makes enough filling for 1 (9-inch) pie or several mini-shortbread cups.

Weekend Baking: Earth Day Sunflower Seed Bars

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It’s Earth Day. More than 40 years ago, a senator from Wisconsin, shaken by witnessing a tragic oil spill off the Pacific Coast and outraged by the lack of concern for such events in Washington, organized a 70’s –style “teach-in and celebration” to raise awareness of environmental issues and to engage the public in concern and action around preserving the Earth. That action gave birth to the first Earth Day in 1970. Last year, what was once a grassroots effort was observed by 500 million people in 175 countries worldwide. Earth Day is quite a testament to the power of ordinary folks, just like us, who are interested and concerned with the changes that are happening in the natural world around us.

This tradition of celebrating awareness of the environment is even more important today than it was 40 years ago. Fragile natural systems are in peril, and more information is being made available every day about the changing patterns of weather and the decline of native plant, animal and insect populations.

This Earth Day, I’m doing my small part toward helping the efforts of the Great Sunflower Project, an organized effort to help the declining bumble bee population by giving them more sunflowers, which they are wildly attracted to. Bumble bees are major pollinators for many of our agricultural crops in the United States.

I’ve made Sunflower Seed Bars to share with friends today. Each chewy bar, topped with a generous sprinkling of roasted and salted sunflower nuts, will be accompanied by a packet of sunflower seeds.  I’ll be inviting each recipient of this little treat to plant sunflowers in their garden, at their business or their school, or to simply toss them into a ditch.

The recipe for these Earth Day bars comes from my friend Sarah. She brought a pan of her homemade bars to my house one day last week. My house was the drop point for food a bunch of my friends were gathering to offer to our friend who just lost her husband to cancer.

Sarah brought the bars over in a Doughmakers cake pan, just out of the oven and still warm. The bars smelled wonderful and looked so tempting with chocolate and caramel swirled over the top. I wished there was some way I could get a taste.

So, knowing how easy it is to scratch the pebbled texture of a Doughmakers pan if a sharp knife is used on it, and knowing that many people are unfamiliar with Doughmakers bakeware — I did Sarah a big favor. I allowed the bars to cool, then slid the pan into the refrigerator to chill. Then, I used my plastic cheese knife to cut the bars. This would allow me to return Sarah’s cake pan without a scratch. And, it would allow me a chance to have a taste. Hee, hee.

I cut one chewy edge from a short side of the bars. I ate the whole narrow strip of oatmeal crust, melted caramel and chocolate. I wanted more, but it just wouldn’t be right. Sigh.

Sarah was willing to share her recipe.

I took a hunk of homemade caramel that I made at Christmas time from the freezer, defrosted the rock hard mass in the microwave oven and weighed out 14 ounces.

In no time, I had my own pan of Sunflower Seed Bars. Before patting the oatmeal mixture into the pan to form the crust, I lined the pan with aluminum foil, allowing the edges to come up over the sides of the pan. Once the baked bars were chilled, I used the foil as handles to pull the bars out of the pan for easier cutting. First, though, I carefully removed all four sides with a sharp knife. After all, I wanted the bars to look pretty and perfectly square.

I ate  most of those thin strips immediately. I am telling you, it’s hard to stop eating these things.

What a decadent way to celebrate Earth Day!

Earth Day Sunflower Seed Bars

  • 3/4 c. soft butter
  • 1 c. oatmeal
  • 1 c. flour
  • 3/4 c. brown sugar
  • 1 t. baking soda

Mix together and put in a greased 9×13 pan and bake 325 degrees for 10 minutes. While crust is cooling, melt 30 – 40 caramels (1 (14-ounce) bag, wrappers removed) with 1/4 c. milk  – pour over crust.

Top with sunflower seeds (1/2 cup) and chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup peanut butter chips and 3/4 cup chocolate chips).

Bake 10 – 15 minutes.

Let cool then refrigerate!

 

 

Wait a minute. Cube Steak?

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Despite the fact our deck was covered with a heavy, 8-inch blanket of snow last weekend, my husband picked up a bag of charcoal, shoveled the deck and fired up the grill. The little trick Mother Nature played on us this weekend may have cost him his tee times at the course, but it would not stop him from throwing a couple of steaks on the grill. Cube steaks.

Last summer, inspired by the sun-yellow yolks of eggs from chickens raised by a local farmer, my husband and I decided to seek out beef from a local source. We were fortunate to find organic beef lovingly raised by a farmer about an hour away from our home. We cleared out space in our freezer to make room for a quarter of a cow.

As I arranged frozen packages of roast beef, steaks and ground beef on a shelf in our upright freezer, I came to some packages labeled Cube Steak. Wait a minute — cube steak? That meat my mom used to bake in some kind of tomato sauce that I never cared for? I pushed the packages onto the freezer rack, wondering how I would ever use cube steak.

Cube steak, often referred to as Minute Steak, is most often a tougher cut of beef that has been run through the tenderizer, forming tiny cube shapes on the meat. Because it is so thin, it cooks in just a minute or so. And, because it is tougher meat, less attractive to consumers, it is usually more cost effective.

My mom had the right idea when she baked the meat in a tomato sauce at low temperatures, producing a somewhat tender, yet chewy meat to serve over egg noodles.

I’ve come up with a marinade to soak the cube steaks in for a while before laying them on a hot grill. The trick is to use hot coals. And, don’t leave the steaks over the heat very long. The marinade breaks down some of the tough tissue in the meat while infusing wonderful flavor.

Put your cube steaks in large, zip-top plastic bag, mix up the marinade and pour it into the bag, seal it up and refrigerate for at least an hour. When you’re ready to eat, be sure the rest of your meal is close to being ready to serve before you put the cube steaks on the grill. The steaks will be cooked and ready to eat in no time — well, in just a minute or two.

Grilled Marinated Cube Steak

  • 1/3 cup minced onion
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons local honey
  • Juice from 1/2 of a lime

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl or 2-cup glass measure. Pour over cube steaks in a zip-top plastic bag, seal and refrigerate for an hour or two.

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes made easy with a blender

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In many homes on Easter Sunday, a succulent ham shank, crusted with brown sugar and mustard, is brought to the dinner table glazed and bubbling, surrounded by creamy scalloped potatoes. This will happen again in just a few days in many homes, but not mine.

Ham has never been part of the Easter meal tradition at my house. Growing up with a German-Czechoslovakian father meant every holiday dinner involved a roasted loin of pork, crusted with flavorful caraway seeds and softball-sized dumplings to soak up the drippings from the pork and lots of creamy sauerkraut.

After I got married, though, I discovered ham and scalloped potatoes. I tried to learn to prepare a moist ham and creamy scalloped potatoes. But, I almost always wound up with dry ham and curdled potatoes. I gave up and went back to the familiar pork dinner that I was more comfortable with in the kitchen. My favorite guy missed the cheesy scalloped potatoes, but adapted well to the more German-style Easter meal.

Early in my marriage, I clipped a recipe for Blender Scalloped Potatoes from a newsletter from somewhere and glued it onto one of the pages of the 3-ring binder that served as my personal recipe collection. I wrote a short comment beside the recipe after making it for the first time back in the 1970′s — “So good and so easy.”

No pre-cooking the potatoes and not a single can of cream-of-anything soup in sight. The recipe makes enough to fill a 1-quart casserole dish, which was just enough for my family over the years. If you’re serving a crowd, make two or three batches to create a large pan full of scalloped potatoes, or make several individual servings by using ramekins.

I don’t believe there could be an easier way to prepare creamy, cheesy potatoes. Whole milk (I’ve experimented with reduced-fat and no-fat milk. They don’t give the rich, creamy results that whole milk delivers) goes into the blender for a whirl with an onion and a tiny bit of flour. The liquid mixture gets poured over raw, cubed potatoes in a baking dish. A few dots of butter and a hefty handful of grated Cheddar finish the preparation before the potato dish goes into the oven for about 90 minutes. That’s it.

Any leftover scalloped potatoes reheat nicely in the microwave oven. Add some chopped leftover ham to the potatoes before reheating. That’s a meal in a dish.

I must admit that I’ve never served these potatoes with ham. Try them with pork chops or meat loaf or steak — the best!

Blender Scalloped Potatoes (So good and so easy)

  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 ounces (1/2 cup) grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Lightly butter 1-quart glass baking dish or 4 (6- to 8-ounce) ramekins.

Put potato cubes into prepared dish(es).

Pour milk into blender. Add onion chunks and flour. Process until mixture is smooth. Pour mixture over potato cubes. Dot with butter. Spread cheese over all.

Bake, uncovered, in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the potatoes are tender.

Tips from the cook:

  • I find the cheese gets very dark brown after 1 1/2 hours in the oven. I often bake the dish without the cheese for 60 minutes, then add the cheese for the last 30 minutes or so. I like the cheese to get golden, but not so dark that it looks burned.
  • For more depth of flavor, I sometimes skewer a chubby clove garlic and a bay leaf on a toothpick and dunk it into the potatoes, just along the side of the dish, before baking. At serving time, I pull out the pick that is still holding the garlic and bay leaf.
  • I like using white sharp cheddar cheese for these scalloped potatoes.

Weekend Baking: Coconut Shortbread Tartlets filled with Mango Curd

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There’s something about Spring, with all of its celebrations that pull friends and family together, beginning with Easter, then Mother’s Day, followed by graduations and wedding showers, that just seem to demand tiny sweet desserts. Desserts that can be picked up and popped into the mouth and disappear as fast as a bag of M&M’s.

Shortbread is one of my favorite spring desserts. So rich and buttery and short on sugar, the cookie-like sweet pairs well with berries and citrus curds. This spring, I’ve added coconut to my shortbread recipe. Pressed into mini-muffin cups, the dough bakes up nicely, turning a golden brown. I’ve discovered lovely mango curd (recipe is in my last post) is absolutely luscious as a filling for these bite-sized coconut shortbread cups.

One of the things I appreciate about shortbread, besides its versatility, is the fact the dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for a couple of days, or slipped into a freezer-strength zip-top bag and kept frozen for a few months. Mixing this shortbread takes no time at all in the food processor.

Once baked, the empty shortbread cups can be stored in the freezer for up to a month. So, for those special occasions when you are expecting many guests, you can make and bake shortbread cups at your leisure, stocking up for the big day.

I plan to have a small supply of baked Coconut Shortbread Tartlets in the freezer this spring. Once mango season has come to an end, the little cups will be ready to fill with lemon curd and berries or homemade ice cream with a drizzle of hot fudge sauce. Or chocolate mousse. Or, how about mini banana cream pies?

Coconut Shortbread Tartlets with Mango Curd Filling

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter (2 1/4 sticks), chilled
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons ice water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Mango Curd
  • Whipped cream, fresh mango bits and mint leaves, for garnish

Cut butter into small chunks. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, powdered sugar and salt until well combined. Add coconut and pulse a few times. In a small bowl, whisk together yolks, ice water and vanilla until combined well. Add to flour mixture in food processor and pulse until incorporated.

Form dough into a ball. Divide into two equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap each disk of dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to a week.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Form one disk of dough into 36 equal -sized balls, keeping remaining disk of dough wrapped and chilled. Press dough balls into bottom and up sides of 36 ungreased mini-muffin cups (measuring about 1 3/4 inches across the top and about 1 inch deep). Prick bottom of shortbread shells with a wooden pick. Chill for 15 minutes, or until firm. Bake in middle of preheated 400-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Cool in cups on rack.

At this point, cooled shortbread cups can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the freezer for a month or two or they can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container for a few days.

When ready to serve, fill each shortbread cup with Mango Curd. Garnish as desired and serve.

The full batch of dough will make 6 dozen shortbread tartlets. You will probably need a double batch of Mango Curd to fill all 6 dozen. One batch is plenty for 1 disk of dough, or 36 tartlets.

You’ll find more shortbread and citrus curd recipes on these older posts on my blog:

Orange Shortbread Bites with Orange Curd

Espresso-Cocoa Nib Shortbread Bites

Raspberry Ribbons

Lemon Curd Breakfast Parfaits

Lemon-Filled Coconut Meringues with Chantilly Cream and Fresh Raspberries

Mango Curd-Filled Tropical Baby Cakes

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Velvety smooth, thick and creamy, soft and spreadable, sweet and tart — all characteristics of a good lemon curd. Every year around this time, I pull out my favorite recipe for lemon curd. Last week, I adapted that recipe to create a mouth-watering bowl of mango curd. A kiss of citrus from lemon and lime juices gives this creamy tropical curd just enough tartness to balance the sweet-as-honey mango.

Spread this Mango Curd on scones, banana muffins or bran muffins. Use it to fill tiny tarts or little thumbprint cookies. Sandwich it between butter cookies or spread it on shortbread.

Mango Curd is quite sublime with Tropical Mango Baby Cakes. In my column this week, I baked the cake batter in mini-bundt pans. The next batch of batter was baked in traditional cupcake tins. The cupcakes can be cut through the middle to form two layers. The Mango Curd is a perfect filling. Sprinkle the little cakes with powdered sugar and they are ready to eat.

The only thing that could possibly make this curd any more delectable would be folding some whipped cream into the pudding-like bowl of the mango-based mixture, creating mango cream.

Mango Curd is for all who just can’t get enough of the lovely mango that is in season and looking pretty in grocery stores right now.

Mango Curd

  • 1 large ripe mango, peeled, cut into chunks
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Grated zest of 1 lime
  • 3 large eggs

Puree mango chunks in blender or food processor. You should have about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of puree. Set aside.

Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Add sugar, lemon juice, lime juice and zest. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and mixture just comes to a simmer. Add pureed mango and bring to simmer.

In a bowl or 4-cup glass measure, whisk eggs together. Gradually whisk in hot mango mixture and blend well. Pour mixture back into saucepan and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until it just begins to bubble. Pour mango curd through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and cool slightly. Chill mango curd, its surface covered with plastic wrap, at least 2 hours, or until cold. Makes about 1 1/4 cups of mango curd.

Those who enjoy mangoes, will be interested in these recipes from earlier posts:

Honey Mango Crisp, Mango and Banana Chutney, Tropical Cream Phyllo Tarts with Grilled Mango and Pineapple, Mango Soup with Coconut Cream, My Dad’s Banana Muffins with A tropical Twist

Weekend Baking: Honey Mango Crisp

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Honey Mango Crisp is a dessert I had no intention of preparing when I got out of bed on Thursday morning. It was not on my “To Do” list for the day. The product of a few experiences I’ve had during the past year, Honey Mango Crisp came about very unexpectedly.

It began last May when I asked a local, very experienced beekeeper if I could watch as he introduced a new bunch of honeybees to one of his hives. I’ve always been a little afraid of bees, worrying about getting stung. The thought of being so close to thousands of honeybees all gathered in one small box scared me half to death. But I was curious and wanted to learn more about this beekeeping hobby that country folks and city dwellers were grabbing onto.

All the bees in the box above, along with their queen, would continue as roommates in their new hive, a tall white box that reminded me of a file cabinet. Beekeeper, Jon, suited me up with a white outfit and headpiece with face screen that would protect me from the bees. I was told to never wear dark colors when visiting a beehive. The bees may think you are a bear and go into attack mode.

This story is getting long and I know you’re probably wondering when I’ll get to the Honey Mango Crisp. I’m getting there. After being close-up with honeybees, swiping honey with my finger right off the frame pulled from a beehive and sucking the thick, golden syrup from my finger, I was hooked.

I was very apprehensive, watching from a distance as Jon, the beekeeper, slid the frames into the hive, bees buzzing. I did not know I had bees on my suit at the time. Yikes!

Since that time last year I’ve done some reading, exploring the whole beekeeping thing a little more seriously and becoming more intrigued.

This week I attended a beekeeping class, part of the Spring Adventures in Lifelong Learning series in Bemidji. Two experienced beekeepers did an excellent job of explaining the hive, the bees and the hobby. As I was leaving the class, a woman asked me if I had a recipe for Honey Cake. She explained that during World War II, when sugar was rationed, home bakers made cakes with honey. She wished she had a recipe.

The next day I was poring through old cookbooks from my great-aunt, my aunt and my mom, thinking I’d come across a recipe for honey cake. I didn’t. But I did find a recipe for Honey Apple Crisp in a cookbook published in 1940. And, because I had some ripe, sweet, juicy mangoes on my counter and because I had some luscious local honey in my pantry, I decided to modify the 1940′s apple recipe and create Honey Mango Crisp.

It took little time to create this marvelous Crisp with a tropical flair. Since mangoes are so much sweeter than most varieties of apples used for baking, I omitted the sugar in the old recipe, using just a small amount of brown sugar in the crumb topping. I also added shredded coconut to the topping.

The mangoes release sweet juice as they bake. The topping becomes toasted and crunchy. My husband came home from work and dug right into the warm crisp with a spoon, filling a shallow bowl and downing the small serving in no time. He went back to the dish a second time. Between “Wows” and “Oh, mans” I reminded him I was taking the Honey Mango Crisp for the students in my cooking class to taste. Good thing I had at least taken a picture of the just-out- of-the-oven Honey Mango Crisp, because I didn’t have a bit to bring home after class. All students wholeheartedly approved .

The only thing that could possibly make this dessert any better would be tiny scoops of coconut or ginger ice cream melting over the top of each serving.

From time with a beekeeper to beekeeping class to a quest for honey cake — a very accidental route to Honey Mango Crisp. I’m sure this isn’t the end of my honeybee story.

And, my search continues for a Honey Cake recipe.

You can watch as I prepare individual-serving-sized Honey Mango Crisps on a segment of Lakeland Cooks. Click here.

Honey Mango Crisp

  • 4 cups peeled and sliced ripe mangoes
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup butter, chilled
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of a 9-inch round glass baking dish or pie dish. Pile mango slices into buttered baking dish. Pour honey over the mango slices.

In a mini-food processor, whirl flour, brown sugar and salt to mix. Cut butter into small pieces. Add to food processor. Process until mixture forms buttery crumbs. Add coconut and process with one or two pulses. Alternatively, mix ingredients using a pastry cutter or two knives. Clean fingers work well, too.

Sprinkle topping evenly over honey-topped mangoes in baking dish.

Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Watercress-Topped Tuna Sandwich is just right for Lupper

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I’ve made a couple of new friends in the last few months. They are both green — not green with envy, but green with leaves and stems. My new friends are both edible — arugula and watercress.

More on my good friend, arugula, later. For now, I will focus on watercress, which has been making an appearance in grocery stores recently. Zesty, peppery, crisp and bright, watercress tastes much like nasturtium flowers. The delicate dark green leaves are packed with vitamins.

I’ve discovered the dainty little leaves with their thin stems are a wonderful addition to potato and leek soup pureed to create a velvety smooth, spring-green soup. You might enjoy the recipe for Potato, Leek and Watercress Soup that I share in my column this week.

I’ve also discovered watercress is a nutritious and delicious substitute for sprouts or lettuce on sandwiches.

The other day I mixed up some canned tuna (I’ve been using Wild Planet sustainably caught wild Albacore tuna) with finely chopped red onion, a squirt of jalapeno mustard and a dab of Lemonaise to hold the tuna together. I spread the tuna mixture on half of a toasted 7-sprouted grains English muffin. I arranged avocado slices over the tuna, topped it with sliced roasted red peppers from a jar and sprinkled Mozzarella cheese generously over the top. Just a couple of minutes under the broiler and my open-face sandwich was ready to plate. It wasn’t ready to eat, though, until I scattered tender, fresh watercress over the top, allowing the petite leaves to fall onto the plate, surrounding the sandwich with luscious greens.

Now, that’s a sandwich for lupper, similar to brunch but instead of a combination of breakfast and lunch, lupper combines lunch and supper. I enjoyed this Watercress-Topped Tuna Sandwich around 3:30 in the afternoon. That’s lupper.

If you prefer a breakfast, lunch or brunch sandwich, you may enjoy the Peanut Butter and Nutella Sandwich from an earlier post. Click here to go directly to the recipe.

Weekend Baking: Apricot-Almond-Pistachio-White Chocolate Biscotti

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Another snack-pack for the car has been assembled for my weekend foodie trip with my Bemidji Cookbook Club. First stop, Byerly’s in St. Louis Park for a private tour of the store, along with tastes from each department, a mini-cooking class and, finally, some sips in their Wine & Spirits Shop. This is all planned for us by Joan Donatelle, Director of the Culinary Center at Byerly’s. Our group will head over for a dinner of wood-fired artisan pizza at Pizzeria Lola, with plans to be standing at the door well before the Pizzeria’s 5:00 open. I know the seats in this popular neighborhood pizzeria fill fast. Read about it and see some great pictures of their copper-wrapped wood-fired oven over at The Heavy Table.

Our Saturday will begin with a private program and tasting of olive oils and vinegars at Vinaigrette, then over to Midtown Global Market, shopping the Uptown food-related stores and dinner at a yet-to-be-determined destination. Suggestions, anyone?

Before heading north on Sunday, we’ll be getting a private cooking class from Chef Francesco at Nonna Rosa’s in Robbinsdale, ending with a meal, of course. What a weekend!

The four-hour car trip calls for a snack-pack. This week I’ve filled a couple of tins with my favorite biscotti.

Apricot-Almond-Pistachio-White Chocolate Biscotti are the result of my experimentation to try to duplicate a biscotti I used to get at a coffee shop in Moorhead. I think I’ve finally come up with a homemade version that comes very close to the crunchy dippers I used to enjoy there. (Sadly, they no longer carry this particular addictive Italian treat.)

These will keep well at room temperature in a tin with a tight-fitting lid for two weeks. They freeze well, so you can make them now and store them in the freezer until Easter, if you like.

Be sure to use a bar of premium white chocolate for these crunchy twice-baked Italian cookies. Look for cocoa butter in the list of ingredients. If it’s not listed, go to the next bar of sweet white creaminess. Don’t be afraid to use dark chocolate, if you prefer.

I chop all of the add-ins very coarsely. I love lots of chunky texture in biscotti. One of those great cheese knives work like a charm for chopping sticky apricots. I bought my cheese knife at least a couple of years ago at a kitchen store. Here in Bemijdi, they are now available for purchase at Chocolates Plus. I use it for all kinds of cheese, as well as for slicing hard-cooked eggs, cream cheese, cheesecake and almost anything that would normally cause chopping and slicing frustration. Before I had my cheese knife, I would lightly coat the blade of my knife with non-stick cooking spray before chopping apricots.

This crunchy biscotti is first baked in three 12-inch logs. Once those logs have cooled, they need to be sliced. Each of the cookies are baked a second time.

These Italian treats are easy to mix up, easy to bake and way too easy to eat.

I’m ready for my road trip with biscotti in my bag.

Apricot-Almond-Pistachio-White Chocolate Biscotti

  • 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 (3.5 ounce) bar white chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup whole raw almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup raw pistachio nuts, toasted, chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon apricot-flavored brandy, cognac or brandy
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1 (6-ounce) package dried apricots, chopped

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. If using foil, butter and flour it. Combine first six ingredients in food processor. Process until fine meal forms. Or place ingredients in large bowl and use pastry blender or two knives to cut mixture until consistency of fine meal. Beat eggs, brandy and almond extract to blend in large bowl. Add flour mixture chopped nuts, white chocolate chunks and apricots and stir until moist dough forms, using clean hands if necessary, to gather all of the ingredients together in one mass.

Divide dough into three equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into 12-inch-long strip on prepared cookie sheet, spacing evenly. Moisten fingertips and shape each dough strip into 2-inch-wide log. Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Bake until logs are golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer sheet to rack and cool completely.

Reduce heat to 300 degrees. Cut logs from sides of pan if necessary. Transfer to work surface. Using heavy sharp knife, cut each log crosswise into ¾-inch-wide slices. Arrange half of cookies cut side down on cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Gently turn cookies over and bake 10 minutes longer. Transfer cookies to racks. Repeat baking with remaining cookies. Cool cookies completely. Makes about 40.

Tips from the cook

  • Give your knife a light coating of nonstick cooking spray before chopping apricots. No more dried fruit stuck to the blade.
  • Nonstick qualities of parchment paper will allow you to safely lift the whole baked biscotti loaves from the baking sheet to a cutting surface without breaking them
  • Using a serrated blade will produce a clean slice through the apricots and nuts.