Pina Colada

Pina Colada

(someone wrote in: "I'm back, barely here and exhausted, after our company fun day. Hey, can anyone tell me what's in a pina colada?")

1 14 oz can Goya Cream of coconut

Dump can in blender.

Fill can with rum (usually dark - I use Bacardi Light).

Dump in blender small can of pineapple chunks and ice .

Some family variations:
Add ice cream -(godmother), dash of nutmeg (father), I'm thinking Ben & Jerry's
Island Paradise would be good too [coconut ice cream with pineapple and a passionfruit ribbon (kosher)], but haven't tried it.

MoP QQQ - thinking it's getting to be that time of year
(4/30/02)

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White Chocolate Custard

White Chocolate Custard

1 cup half and half, scalded
3 oz. white chocolate, broken into small chunks
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp sugar

Scald the milk and add the chocolate to it.  Stir until melted.

Whisk the sugar into the egg yolks. Dribble the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until combined.

Heat in a double boiler on medium heat, stirring constantly, until just thickened. Be careful:  if you let it get too hot or go too long, it will break.

Pour in a 2-cup heatproof dish to cool.  Delicate, soft-set custard. If you use 2 tbsp sugar and Ghiradelli white chocolate, it is almost cloyingly sweet.  Lovely served over cake and fresh raspberries.

From the kitchen of Small Child
posted by Sylvia
(4/28/02)

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Braised Spring Lamb Shoulder with Rosemary

Braised Spring Lamb Shoulder with Rosemary

Serve with fresh peas, fava beans or roasted fingerling potatoes.

Whole bone-in shoulder of spring lamb, about 4 pounds
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved

Season the lamb well with salt and pepper. Select a heavy pot with a tight- fitting lid that the lamb will fit in comfortably. Heat the pot over moderately high heat. Add the olive oil, and when hot, add the lamb and brown well on all sides. This should take 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a plate and pour off the fat in the pot.

Place the pot over high heat and add the wine. Boil for about 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon to release any stuck-on bits. Return the lamb to the pot and sprinkle the surface with rosemary. Scatter the garlic around the lamb, cover and reduce heat to low.

Cook for about 3 hours, until the lamb begins to fall off the bone. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let it rest briefly while you reduce the cooking juices over high heat to a sauce-like consistency. Keep the sauce warm.

Remove the bones and any cartilage and cut the lamb into serving-size portions. Divide among warm plates, topping each portion with some of the sauce.

Serves 6.
PER SERVING: 625 calories, 50 g protein, 1 g carbohydrate, 42 g fat (20 g saturated), 200 mg cholesterol, 131 mg sodium, 0 fiber.

posted by Spinbear
(4/14/02)

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Aziza's Lamb Shanks with Honey Kumquat Sauce

Aziza's Lamb Shanks with Honey Kumquat Sauce
Serves 4.

At the San Francisco restaurant Aziza, chef Mourad Lahlou uses lavender honey in this dish.

4 lamb shanks
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
6 cups veal stock or chicken broth
2 onions, chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp saffron threads
3 tbsp honey
16 kumquats, halved or quartered, seeds removed

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Trim the lamb shanks of excess fat and skin. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil over high heat in a skillet large enough to hold all the shanks. Add the shanks and brown on all sides, this should take 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the shanks to a plate and pour off any fat in the skillet.

Return the skillet to high heat and add 2 cups of the veal stock. Reduce the stock by half, scraping up any stuck-on bits with a wooden spoon. Add the onions, reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and the skillet is almost dry, about 10 minutes.

Add the turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger and saffron. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, adding a little stock to moisten. Return the shanks to the skillet and cook them with the onions and spices for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally and adding a little stock to moisten if needed.

Add the remaining stock and bring to a boil. Cover and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for about 1-1/2 hours, until the lamb is tender but not falling off the bone. Turn the lamb in the sauce halfway through. Transfer the shanks to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Return the skillet to the stovetop over high heat and add the honey and kumquats. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened to your taste.

Return the shanks to the skillet and cook them in the sauce for another 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

To serve, put some of the sauce on each plate, then top with a shank. Serve with Moroccan bread or couscous.

PER SERVING: 630 calories, 71 g protein, 38 g carbohydrate, 21 g fat (7 g saturated), 202 mg cholesterol, 201 mg sodium, 7 g fiber.

posted by Spinbear
(4/14/02)

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Denise's Marinated Tofu Salad

Denise's Marinated Tofu Salad
It's one of those that varies with the maker. The base recipe is in the Moosewood cookbook as Tofu Salad. It contains 4 tablespoons oil, but you can halve it, or double everything but the oil and it still turns out good! It's one of those things you can assemble at the beginning of the week in a tightly covered container and use whenever. It tastes better the second day and keeps getting better.

The Marinade:
4 tbsp chinese sesame oil (the stronger the flavor, the less you need)
5 tbsp rice or cider vinegar (or wine, or garlic vinegar or anything similar)
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce (once I used worchestershire when I was out of soy sauce)
3 cloves garlic, minced (minimum of 3!)
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1 tsp minced fresh ginger (optional) (I leave this out)
1 to 2 tbsp dry sherry or rice wine (optional)

1 to 1.5 lb of very firm tofu, drained and cubed
8-10 medium mushrooms, sliced
1 carrot, grated or cut into small matchsticks
1 sweet pepper, minced
Finely shredded cabbage (1-2 lb minimum) (red is lovely!)
2 or more minced green onions (or other onion, equal amount)
Handful of bean sprouts (I don't usually have this)

Optional ingredients:
1/2 cup of peanuts OR other nuts (I've used raw cashews or walnuts)
minced fresh cilantro (I leave this out)
diced fresh ripe tomato (will try this when home grown are available)
1 to 2 tbsp sesame seeds

Whisk the marinade ingredients together. Marinate the tofu cubes while you prepare the other ingredients. Then stir all together and let sit at room temp for at least two hours. Serve cold or room temp.

You can add anything you like or have on hand, or replace or remove any vegetable or ingredient you simply can't stand. (like me with ginger) If you simply can't stand sesame oil, you'd probably better find another recipe--because that flavor/smell really makes the salad! It makes a lot and the amount of oil you get with each serving is very low!

bon appetite
Denise
(4/4/02)

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Khoresht Chagaleh Badam (Fresh Green Almond Stew)

From a site that no longer is up. (I didn't buy enough for this though, plus it has meat and it has saffron, which stains braces.)

Khoresht Chagaleh Badam (Fresh Green Almond Stew)
Etrat Elahi

This savory sauce from Lorestan and Broujerd is made with fresh green almonds while the outside shell is still crunchy and edible (available at Middle Eastern specialty stores from March through May).

1 lb lean ground beef or lamb
2 cups vegetable oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh green almonds (halved & seeded)
1 cup chopped fresh mint
2 cups chopped fresh parsley
1?4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 cups beef broth
3 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp saffron powder

Bring to a boil broth, lemon juice, 2 tsp salt, saffron and turmeric.

In a bowl, combine beef, 1 tsp salt, and pepper. Mix well using both hands. Roll into small, marble-sized meatballs and add to the boiling broth.

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and fry for 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove onions, add almonds and chopped herbs, and fry for 10-15 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated and herbs have darkened in color. Drain oil and then add herbs to meatballs. Cook for 20-25 minutes, covered over medium heat, until liquid has reduced to half.

Serve over white rice.

Lani
(4/3/02)

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Dad's (Carlisle's) Latest Excellent Sorbet Recipe (from Sylvia)

Dad's (Carlisle's) Latest Excellent Sorbet Recipe (from Sylvia)

I use two bags of frozen raspberries, or two boxes of fresh, and run them through our electric juicer to separate the seeds from the pulp and juice. I does only a poor job.

I pour the juice into a blender with 6 tablespoons of sugar, one tablespoon of vanilla and a glug--about 2 to 3 tablespoons of (Nulaid) cholesterol egg product (there are several products available, even a powdered substitute for egg whites, and they all work).

Next I take the pulp from the juicer bucket and pour it through a strainer, mixing with a spoon, until there are only seeds in the residue.

I next mix it at high speed in the blender for several minutes to incorporate air into the liquid. The liquid is then poured into the ice cream maker where it gradually gets frozen into a smooth-textured sorbet.

You can decrease or increase the sugar, depending on how you feel about the sweetness of the fruit and the results you want. I think that you can add water to extend the amount and to produce more of a flavored ice (glacé?).

I think that adding some Knox gelatin or some other source of gum could make the texture and density more like Hagen Daz (sp?).

This works with berries and mangos and citrus. I think that you could also make a sorbet from pumpkin pie filling.

posted by Sylvia
(4/1/02)

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