Coconut Rum with Pineapple Ice Cream

What happened to Spring? For approximately a week, I was naively convinced that Winter was gone for good. I guess technically speaking Winter is over, but its spirit is still lingering and I am not happy about it. I am ready for sunny warm days and ice-cream. I have to confess that, although I am not an ice-cream kind-of person because I rather eat sherbet, there is one exception: coconut ice cream. The problem is that coconut ice cream is hard to find because few places offer it. This problem was solved a year ago when my husband bought me an ice-cream maker attachment to my KitchenAid mixer (KitchenAid KSM150PSWH Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer, White) and a Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream cookbook. Now, that is a good present (as long as you are willing to ignore the few pounds you are going to gain from eating so much ice cream). To my surprise, there was a recipe for coconut ice cream with rum.  I made the ice cream the following week and it was the best coconut ice cream I had ever tasted but something was missing. I kept thinking about why I felt that something was missing and after eating about two cups of ice cream, I realized what was missing: Pineapple! It is the perfect pairing, I thought. It would be like pina colada ice cream. The following week I went to the store and bought a can of crushed pineapple to add to the ice cream. My partner in crime thought it was not a good idea. Oh dear, was he wrong. The coconut-pineapple ice cream was delicious. I closed my eyes, had a spoonful of ice cream and it immediately took me to a sunny beach far, far away from this wintery land. I was so happy eating the ice cream that I forgot to take a picture. I am sure you’ll forgive and understand me when you make it and start eating it compulsively. Here is the recipe:

Coconut Rum with Pineapple Ice Cream

Adapted from the Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

Servings: 1 quart

Notes: You’ll need an ice cream maker.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

¾ sugar

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 can (15 0z.) coconut cream such as Coco Lopez (Coco Lopez Cream Coconut, 15-Ounce Cans (Pack of 6))

1 small can of crushed pineapple (drained)

Directions:

1. Wisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy (about 1 to 2 minutes).

2. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, the continue whisking until completely blended, about one minute more.

3. Pour in the cream, milk and rum and whisk to blend.

4. Open the can of coconut cream and place the coconut cream in a blender. Do not include the oily liquid at the bottom of the can because it does not blend well with the milk mixture.

5. Pour one cup of the milk mixture in the blender and blend in low for about a minute or two.

6. Pour the coconut mixture back with the rest of the milk mixture and whisk until blended.

7. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. About 5 minutes before the ice cream is ready, slowly add the crushed pineapple.
9. Place the mix (it may have the texture of yogurt) in a container and freeze. It will be ready to eat in about five hours.

Mussels & Chorizo AKA MOULES A LA PORTUGAISE

I was reviewing the recipes I have posted and I was surprised to see that most of the recipes involve chicken. People who don’t know me, I thought, may think that I love chicken. Although there is nothing wrong with it, I’m just not a big fan of chicken. In my opinion, it is too bland. On the other hand, it is easy to make and thus, I find myself eating a lot of chicken. I’ll try to post less chicken recipes, I promise.

Last week was beautiful. The sun was shining, crisp air was flowing, and there were no signs, at least for two or three days, of winter. And do you know what I crave the most during spring and summer? Seafood. I looked in my fridge and found chorizo and a bottle of white wine, among other uninteresting items. I knew exactly what I wanted to make: mussels & choizo (AKA moules a la portugaise). All I needed was mussels. Although it is hard to find fresh seafood in Central Pennsylvania, we just found a place that has really fresh seafood, including oysters, and have been going there quite often ( http://www.ilovecrabs.com ).

I found this recipe in Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook, which I highly recommend – but note that I may be biased because I think he is the best looking chef in history, a talented and entertaining writer, and I love his show in the Travel channel. This is the only recipe I have made from this book because sometimes I tend to be lazy and the rest of the recipes looked too long. But, I am trying to explore more difficult recipes and that is why I started this blog. I digress (badly). Back to the recipe: it is very easy to make. Very easy. And it is ready in about 20 min. If you don’t like mussels, would you please give them a second try? I know, you’ll tell me that they have an awful consistency. Yes, they have a rubbery consistency but, other edible goods do too and I bet you like them (i.e. gum!).  I know that next you’ll tell me that they taste very fishy. I tend to disagree with that statement, they don’t taste fishy, they taste oceany (yes, I just made up a word, and I like it). Just try them. If you don’t like them, give me a call and I’ll eat them.

MOULES A LA PORTUGAISE adapted from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking

Serves 4

Note: Make sure you get Spanish chorizo and not Mexican. Both are very good but very different.

Ingredients

·         Olive oil

·         ½ white onion thinly sliced

·         3 garlic cloves

·         0.5 oz. Spanish chorizo sausage

·         1 cup white wine

·         3 pounds mussels (scrubbed and debearded)

·         Baguette

1.  In a large pot, heat the oil, add the onion and cook until soft.

2.  Add the garlic and chorizo and cook for another 4 min.

3.  Stir in the wine.

4.  Add the mussels and cook with the lid on until all the mussels are open (approximately 8 min.)

5.  Serve on a big bowl (all juices include) and accompany with a baguette.

Mexican Pulled Pork (Chilorio)

Chilorio is one of my favorite Mexican dishes. It is similar to American pulled pork but it has a spicier taste to it without being hot. Also, it is served on a warm flour tortilla instead of a bun. But it is hard to find it here. Very hard. Actually, I know no Mexican restaurant that serves it, which is interesting because it is really easy to make and it does not require many exotic ingredients.

One time I was in Borders perusing the cooking books section when I saw this big, beautiful-looking Mexican cookbook. I am picky about cooking books. And I am especially picky about Mexican cooking books because many of them have no authentic recipes. As I started reading the book, I recognized each recipe. My excitement increased as I started reading the ingredients of the recipes and the directions. Many of the recipes are identical to dishes my grandmother and mom make. At that moment, I knew I had a treasure in my hands and bought two copies. One for me and one for my mom. It was one of my best acquisitions. 

I went home and reviewed the recipes carefully. To my surprise, I found the recipe for Chilorio, which I had not had in years. After reading the recipe I was surprised because it looked suspiciously easy. I went to the grocery store, bought all the ingredients I needed, and started cooking. I knew I had done something right when the smell of the pork instantly reminded me to the dish I used to eat when I was younger in Mexico. I could not wait to try it. When it was finally done I heated a flour tortilla and made a taco. Then another. Then another one. I ate a lot that night. It was that good.

If you like pork and spicy food, this recipe is for you. You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry with the exception of the chiles. If you local grocery store doesn’t carry them, you can find it at your local Mexican store or online at http://www.mexgrocer.com. You won’t regret buying them because you can make wonderful salsas and adobos with the leftover chiles.

By the way, months after I bought this cookbook, I found that the same company also printed America, the Beautiful Cookbook. Other cuisines available are French, Asian, Italian, and Mediterranean. Yes, I have them all and I highly recommend them. I’ve made a killer Jambalaya from the American cuisine book. 

Comments: One time I didn’t have parsley so I decided to use cilantro instead. I was surprised at how different the dish tasted. It was not bad, but it was not as good. So, please, do not substitute the parsley with cilantro. You’ve been warned!

Mexican Pulled Pork (Mexican Chilorio) – serves 6

Adapted from Mexico the Beautiful Cookbook by Susana Palazuelos and Marilyn Tausend

3 lb. boneless pork, cut into 1in. cubes

1 ½ cups water (or more as necessary)

½ cup vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons lard (optional)

1 chile ancho, seeds and membranes removed

2 chiles guajillos, seeds and membranes removed

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley

6 cloves garlic

1.       Place the pork, ½ cup of the water, vinegar, and salt in a large saucepan. Simmer, covered, for about 45 to 50 minutes or until all the liquid has cooked off and the pork fries in its own rendered fat. If there is not enough fat, add the lard so that the pork fries to a golden brown. Set aside.

2.       Place the chiles in a small saucepan with the remaining 1 cup of water. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Transfer the chiles and cooking water to a blender, add the oregano, cumin, parsley and garlic, then puree.

3.       Add the pureed chiles to the fried pork, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered for 1 hour or under the pork is tender and can easily be cut with a fork. It may be necessary to add another cup of water to the pan, depending on the tenderness of the meat.

4.       Once the pork is cooked, let it rest for about 15 minutes and then shred.

5.       Served on a warm flour tortilla.

Chicken Salad Veronique

My friend Liz is getting married and I offered to bring sandwiches to her surprise, beach-inspired wedding shower. My first thought was to order some hoagies at the local sub shop. Then, I realized that it would probably be more cost-effective – and the sandwiches would taste better – if I made the sandwiches myself. I looked through my recipe book and found a recipe that I had wanted to try for a while: Chicken Salad Veronique from Barefoot Contessa at Home. As soon as I saw it I knew what I was going to bring to the shower: chicken salad sandwiches. And I am glad I did! People kept telling me how good the chicken salad was and, in fact, I saw several of them getting second servings. Now, the best compliment came for Julie, Liz’s friend. She told me that it was the best chicken salad that she ever had. And that is the kind of compliment that makes the time planning and cooking a dish worth it.

The recipe did not call for nuts but I added some because I thought they would add a nice crunchy texture to the salad. I made the right decision: the nuts nicely contrasted the fruity flavor from the grapes. I also decreased the amount of celery and tarragon the recipe called for because (1) I am not a big fan of celery and (2) I thought that too much tarragon would make the salad to “aromatic” and would overpower the other flavors. Below is the recipe with my edits. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad Veronique – adapted from a recipe from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Servings: four

Ingredients:

·         2 whole chicken breasts

·         Olive oil

·         Salt and ground black pepper

·         Onion powder

·         Garlic power

·         ½ cup mayonnaise

·         1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves

·         ½ cup small-diced celery

·         1 cup grapes cut in half

·         ¼ cup of chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.

2. Place the chicken breasts on pan and rub them with olive oil (approximately 1 tablespoon). Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion power, and garlic powder.

3. Roast for approximately 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside until cool. Note that you can cook the chicken one or two days before you make the chicken salad.

4. When the chicken is cool, cut the chicken into a ¾ inch dice.

5. Place the chicken in a bowl and add the mayonnaise, tarragon leaves, celery, grapes, and nuts. Add salt and pepper and toss well.