Sweetie Pie

Coconut Macaroons for Easter

Coconut Macaroons are a traditional dessert for Passover.  There are two basic recipes with variation in the use of sweetened condensed milk and egg whites.  I chose a recipe that calls for both.

Coconut Macaroons

3 cups coconut flakes - I chose unsweetened for a mildly sweet treat, but either variety would work.

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

seeds from 1 vanilla bean

2 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Beat the egg whites with the 1/4 teaspoon salt to stiff peaks.  In a separate bowl, combine the coconut, vanilla bean, vanilla extract, and sweetened condensed milk.  If you do not have a vanilla bean, just leave it out - no biggie.  Add about one third of the beaten egg whites to the coconut mixture and stir to combine.  Then add the remaining  egg whites and fold gently until everything is fluffy and mixed.

Scoop tablespoon sized balls onto the baking sheet.  A mini ice cream scoop works wonderfully for even portions.  You can make large snowball macaroons, but I prefer the minis. 
Bake at 325 for about 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Cool on the pans, then store in an airtight container.  Do not refrigerate.  Coconut macaroons are extra decadent with a little dip in some melted chocolate.  Just melt a little of  your favorite chocolate by 30 second increments in the microwave, then dip thebottom of each macaroon and return it to the parchment sheet to cool.

Yogurt Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta is a creamy dessert from Italy.  Although it translates as 'cooked cream' it contains no eggs and the cream really only needs to be warmed in preparation.  This is traditionally a very rich dessert of lightly sweetened cream mixed with gelatin so that it can be unmolded into a thing of cool and wobbly beauty.  Panna cotta is often topped with fresh berries and nuts or honey.
The recipe that finally pulled me in to the wonders of this custardesque treat is from Smitten Kitchen.  Here I found that it can be rather healthy when made with yogurt, and it's okay to use low fat milk.  Although the result is not ultra rich, I prefer the light and refreshing dessert from this recipe.

I topped our panna cotta with strawberry vanilla syrup and sliced almonds.  (I happened to have about 6 jars of this from a jam making project gone  syrupy.  We managed to finish off about 2 jars with the panna cotta recipe testing.)

For the complete recipe and instructions, visit Smitten Kitchen.

Before posting, I decided to try the recipe with coconut milk and I'm so glad I did!  I followed the same instructions, but used 1 can of light coconut milk in place of most of the milk.  One can will leave you just a little short of the two cups of milk needed, so just top it off with whatever kind of milk you normally drink.  I also used some vanilla in place of the lemon juice.  This coconut and yogurt panna cotta was extra delish with a creamy texture and mild flavor.  We loved it!

 

 

Peach Pavlova with Coconut Cream

I don't know how I have lived all these years without knowing about this dessert.  So simple, so delicious, so common in Australia.  Maybe it's because I've never traveled down under. There are tons of recipes for this dessert online and it's popular in both New Zealand and Australia. There were two revelations waiting for me in the discovery of the Pavlova. 
First of all, a meringue base - yum!  This sounds like something I'm really going to like.  The only problem is that it is traditionally topped with a generous layer of freshly whipped cream and I didn't want to eat all that dairy.  Then came a thorough search of the internet for non-dairy whipped cream alternatives.  I didn't want to use cool-whip because it's very sweet, and also pretty fake.  Tofu whipped cream just doesn't appeal.  Then I found Chocolate Covered Katie, a blog with lots of great and healthy dessert recipes.  I was convinced that coconut whipped cream was the way to go.  And boy was it!  Again, so simple, so fantastic, a revelation.  Click through to her blog for complete instructions.
To make this dessert you will need 4 eggs, sugar, one can coconut milk, fresh fruit and some time.  First, put the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator so it will be nice and cold when you're ready for it.  Next, separate four eggs and leave the whites out to come to room temperature.  It's easier to separate them when they're cold, then return the yolks to the fridge if you want to save them.
This will bake very slowly and cool very slowly in the oven so that it will remain glossy and free of cracks.  When it's done, it will be crunchy on the outside and marshmallowy soft in the middle.  This will be topped with a generous helping of whipped coconut cream and fresh peaches.  I served up slices individually so that the leftovers would not get soggy.
Coconut whipped cream will not get as stiff as heavy cream might.  It is light and fluffy and rich all at the same time.  We just love it.

Peach Pavlova with Coconut Whipped Cream

4 egg whites at room temperature

pinch of salt

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I used a half vanilla bean)

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet so it will be ready.

Place the egg whites and a pinch of salt in a very clean, large bowl.  Beat on high speed until they are firm.  Slowly add the sugar a little at a time and keep beating.  When the egg whites and sugar become glossy and will form stiff peaks stop beating and grab a spatula.  Sift the cornstarch and fold it in.  Then stir in the vinegar and vanilla.  Spread the mixture in a circle on the parchment paper and smooth it out, or maybe make a rim around the edge if you like.  Bake for one and a half hours, then turn the heat off and let it cool completely in the oven.  If you're oven bakes hot, or if you notice it browning, turn the heat down.  The slow baking and cooling will keep it glossy and free of cracks.

For the coconut cream, take the can out of the refrigerator and open it.  It should be very very thick on top.  Scoop out the thick part and place it in a bowl.  Add a pinch of salt and maybe a tablespoon of sugar and whip it up.  Taste and see if you'd like more sugar, keeping in mind that the pavlova is very sweet. 

Top each slice with a generous dollop of cream and fresh peaches.  Watch your family's faces light up.  Have seconds and talk about how wonderfully wonderful this dessert is.  Of course any fruit would work, just use whatever is in season and at it's best when you bake. 

Almond Crescents

Every once in a while I stumble upon a recipe so simple and so perfect that it immediately makes it into permanent rotation.  These charming little cookies have only 4 ingredients:  almonds, sugar, egg whites, and citrus zest.  I made them once with lemon and once with orange zest and both were awesomely good.  Batman stopped by to help stir these up.  Unfortunately I had to do most of the work because he had to go to time out for throwing sugar.  You would think a hero would have better manners.
Although almonds are consumed around the world, the US is by far the largest market.  California produces 80% of the worlds supply with more than half a million acres in the state under almond cultivation.   This tree is in the same family as peaches (prunus) and produces fruit with a tough outer layer, which is equivalent to the fleshy part of a peach, and inside is the hard shell like a peach pit, and inside of that is the almond.  This small deciduous tree is ancient, mentioned multiple times in the Bible and ancient Greek medical texts.  The Romans showered newlyweds with almonds as a fertility charm.  It's also very nutritious, and according to the Almond Board of California, 1 ounce of almonds contains 6 grams of protein, 3.5 grams of fiber, 35% daily value of vitamin E, 8% daily value of calcium, and only 1 gram of saturated fat and 13 grams of the good unsaturated fats.  This makes it a heart healthy, nutritionally dense food, and very satisfying snack.  Almonds can be found in many forms, including almond meal or flour which is simply ground up almonds.  You can find it in most grocery stores in the health food or baking aisle, you can order it on line, or you can make your own in a food processor.  Keep your almonds in the refrigerator for a very long shelf life. 

Almond Crescents

recipe from Rachel Allen

2 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

7 ounces almond meal

zest of one orange or lemon

Sliced almonds to roll the cookies in, about 1 cup.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the sugar, almond meal and citrus zest and set aside.

Place the egg whites in a small bowl.  The easiest way to separate eggs is to break one at a time into a small bowl.  If you are gentle when you crack the shell, the yolk will remain intact.  Now you can simply fish it out with your hand and let the white fall through your fingers.  This is a good recipe to practice on because it won't ruin your cookies if you accidentally break the yolk and get a little in with the whites.

Beat the egg whites up a little with a fork and add them to the dry ingredients a little at a time.  Depending on the size of your eggs, you might not need every drop of the whites.  You just want the dough to come together enough to roll it into a log.  My dough was very soft and sticky.  Roll it into a log on a clean work surface.  Place the sliced almonds in a dish to roll the cookies in.  Line a pan with parchment paper.  Using a knife, cut off small pieces of dough and shape them into crescents with your fingers.  Work quickly and drop each cookie into the sliced almonds, roll it around and place it on the pan.  These cookies are quite small and you should get 16-18 out of one recipe.

Bake for about 15 minutes.  You will want to keep an eye one them because those sliced almonds can burn easily.  When they are done they will be lightly golden and cracked on top.  Let them cool on the pan if you can resist gobbling them right up.  I seriously considered eating every single one and then pretending like the whole recipe never happened.  What cookies?