Coconut Cream Dream Pie

Doug and I attended John Michael Lerma's cooking class at the Chef's Gallery awhile back. While we never bought his cookbook Garden County: Where everyone is welcome to sit at the table, I finally got around to making his Food Network; Great American Pie Cook-Off award winning Coconut Cream Dream Pie. Certainly not low calorie, it is a must try for any coconut lovers in the family.

Winning Hearts and Minds Chocolate Cake

According to Molly from Orangette, everyone needs a chocolate cake in her repertoire. This is hers.

Emma and I made it today because the boys left to go watch the Packers vs. Bears and we were looking for something to do. Somehow, sitting at home, eating chocolate cake, when it's -18 degrees outside, felt like the right thing to do.

Island Pork Tenderloin Salad & Coconut Bread

Frugal living. It's a trait I inherited from my mother. Sometimes my frugal nature is what drives my recipe search. Take for instance, self-rising flour. I bought a bag the other day, and used 3 cups to make beer bread. Then I discovered that I already had an open bag (another trait that I also inherited from my mother). So what does one do with all that self-rising flour? She goes to epicurious.com and does a search using "self-rising flour". This is how I ended up, in a round about way, with Island Pork Tenderloin Salad. I first arrived on the recipe for Coconut Bread, which claims "This bread is slightly sweet, like some corn breads, and works well as an accompaniment for the Island Pork Tenderloin Salad . It also makes a nice island-style tea bread when served in the afternoon with lime marmalade and hibiscus tea."

While I don't plan on drinking hibiscus tea in the afternoon anytime soon, I thought I would at least try the salad, which by the way is an Epicurious Blue Ribbon Recipe. 95% would make it again out of a whopping 612 reviews. The salad was excellent. A 4 fork rating from me! I would skip the bread next time. It was nothing to write home (or blog) about.

Jonesin' for summer

The truth hurts...and the truth is that; other than those two weeks left of playoff football, there isn't much to look forward to for the next month or so.  Just as the Winter Blues start hitting me hard, Ashley finds a recipe to perk us right up; "Fried" Chicken Salad with corn and heirloom tomatoes and a sour cherry cobbler for dessert.  (I should just let you know right now that we are calorie counting and have discussed starting a running regiment in attempt to both drop 20 pounds by this summer so everything we will be posting for awhile will be from low-calorie recipes.  Cobbler comes in at 230 and the giant salad comes in at 650.)

This is a nice quick meal that really does feel summery. I liked that the subtlety of the dressing doesn't overpower the combination of flavors, which by themselves aren't typically dominant. I learned you have to be more careful when flipping the chicken, as the tongs kind of destroy the breading if you're not delicate. I also learned that faster and more forceful is the way to cut such delicate breading into strips with a chef's knife. If you go slow, it just tears the breading away. However, if you use a controlled butcher knife-esque approach, you'll end up with picture perfect 1/2" slices. Be sure to choose the thin chicken cuts, they cook up fast and give you a good breading to meat ratio. Much like the ratio of teeth to gums in a person's smile, you don't want too much meat or the effect is lost. We also used matzo meal for crumbs because we ran out of breadcrumbs and it still turned out well.  The heirloom tomatoes were an excellent choice at a time when produce isn't top drawer. The corn off the cob is also a key and, after the cherry cobbler a la mode for dessert, I felt just like it was a nice August evening.

Makes 4 small or 2 large servings

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper
1 pound thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets
4 ears corn, husks removed
1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons rinsed, dried, and chopped fresh mixed herbs
1/2 garlic clove, minced
2 tomatoes, sliced 1/3-inch thick
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup dried bread crumbs
6 cups loosely packed arugula

Combine 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and let marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large kettle over high heat. Add the corn; return the water to a boil. Remove the corn immediately and set on a plate to cool slightly. Cut the kernels from the cobs.

Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk, the mayonnaise, herbs, and garlic; add salt and pepper to taste and set aside. Sprinkle the tomatoes on both sides with salt and let drain on a rack.

Heat half the oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot; reduce the heat to medium-low. Place the bread crumbs on a pie plate; remove half the chicken from the buttermilk and dip it in the bread crumbs to coat well. Add to the skillet and cook until golden on both sides and just cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining chicken and bread crumbs. Slice the chicken into 1/2-inch strips.

Arrange a bed of arugula on each of 4 plates; top with slices of tomato and a mound of chicken. Sprinkle with corn and drizzle with the dressing.

Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Here's another one of our favorites. When we first came across the recipe we immediately thought the Thai basil chicken would be much better served up as lettuce wraps, rather than an entree over rice. We turned out to be right. This one always gets devoured right at the kitchen counter... sitting down first would only delay the time it takes to get into our mouths.

2 cups basil leaves, tightly packed
3 garlic cloves, peeled
6 green or red Thai chilies, stemmed
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound chicken breast, cut into 2" pieces
¾ cup shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 head of iceberg lettuce, leaves cut into cups
red pepper flakes for serving

Process 1 cup basil leaves, garlic and chilies in food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 10 one-second pulses, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula once during process. Transfer 1 tablespoon basil mixture to small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12" heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet. Do not wash food processor.

Pulse chicken and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in food processor until meat is chopped into approximate ¼" pieces, 6-8 one-second pulses. Transfer to medium bowl and refrigerate 15 minutes.

Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. Heat over medium-low heat (mixture should start to sizzle after about 1½ minutes; if it doesn’t, adjust heat accordingly), stirring constantly, until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken with potato masher or rubber spatula, until only traces of pink remain, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining cup basil leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until basil is wilted, 30 to 60 seconds. Serve immediately, passing extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, and vinegar separately.

NOTE: If fresh Thai chilies are unavailable, substitute 3 Serranos or 1 medium jalapeño.

Tinga Tostadas

Here is a recipe that Dave and I love so much we made it for Christmas Eve when Wendy was visiting. I highly recommend taking the extra time to make your own tostadas and letting them fry up in oil just long enough to be crispy and not chewy. The depth of the dish really relies on the toppings you serve along with the tinga. Cilantro, lime, diced red onion, and queso fresco are all pretty necessary. Avocados, salsa verde, and black beans make a nice addition for those that don't care for cilantro.

We have also made this for a picnic during a kayaking trip since it is just as delicious served cold. I'm hoping the Packers pick off the Bears this coming Sunday so I can serve it at a Super Bowl party!

FOR THE TINGA:
2 pounds boneless pork butt, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1" pieces
2 medium onions; 1 quartered and 1 chopped fine
5 medium garlic cloves; 3 peeled and smashed and 2 minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon ground chipotle powder
2 bay leaves

FOR THE TOSTADAS:
¾ cup vegetable oil
12 (6") corn tortillas

SUGGESTED GARNISHES: queso fresco, fresh cilantro leaves, sour cream, diced avocado, lime wedges, chopped onion, salsa verde

TO PREPARE TINGA: Bring pork, quartered onion, smashed garlic cloves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and 6 cups of water to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat, skimming off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and cook until pork is tender, 75 to 90 minutes. Drain pork, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Discard onion, garlic and thyme. Return pork to saucepan and, using potato masher, mash until shredded into rough ½" pieces; set aside.

Heat olive oil in 12" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shredded pork, chopped onion and oregano; cook stirring often until pork is well browned and crisp, 7-10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in tomato sauce, chipotle powder, reserved pork cooking liquid and bay leaves; simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated, 5-7 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and season with salt to taste.

TO FRY THE TOSTADAS: Heat vegetable oil in 8" heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees. Using fork, poke center of each tortilla 3 or 4 times (to prevent puffing and allow for even cooking). Fry 1 at a time, holding metal potato masher in upright position on top of tortilla to keep it submerged until crisp and lightly browned, 45 to 60 seconds (no flipping is necessary). Drain on paper towel-lined plate and season with salt to taste. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

TO SERVE: Spoon small amount of shredded pork onto center of each tostada and serve, passing garnishes separately.

NOTES: The trimmed pork should weight about 1 1/2 pounds. The pork can be prepared through step 1 and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The tostadas can be made a day in advance or bought in a store (Mission brand preferred).

Apple Pear Scones

I had been thinking about making some scones all day. The only thing I was missing was butter. So, of course, I picked some up on my way home from the gym! The recipe makes some of the best scones I've ever had. I don't normally buy scones at coffee shops because I feel like most of the time they aren't what I'm hoping for. My sister and I made these once when she came to visit me here in Michigan and I've been hooked ever since. The only modification I made tonight was using mostly whole wheat flour. Just trying to make them a little bit healthier.

2 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. cold butter

1/2 c. diced Golden Delicious apple

1/2 c. diced Bosc pear

2/3 c. buttermilk

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugars. Then, with a pastry blender, cut in the butter until coarse crumbs form. (Cut the butter into smaller pieces before using the pastry blender.) Stir in the fruit, then stir in the buttermilk, just until the dough holds together. (I use my bare hands to completely form the dough together after initially stirring it.) Now, you can do this one of two ways: 1) Transfer dough to a silicone baking sheet if you have one. If not make sure you spray your baking surface with some kind of oil. Shape the dough into a 9 inch round making sure it is about 1 1/2 inches high. Use a pizza cutter and cut the dough like a pizza into 8 wedges. Separate the wedges so there is about 1/2 inch between them. Sprinkle with sugar and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 22 - 28 minutes or until golden brown. 2) Use an ice cream scoop to place dough on baking sheet and form into smaller scones. I am able to get 12 servings when I do it this way.

Some other flavor combinations I have tried and liked are: dried blueberries or cranberries and white chocolate chips, or dried cherries and almonds. Use a half cup of fruit and a half cup of chips.

Custard Filled Breakfast Cornbread

When I read this recipe by Marion Cunningham (not Mrs. C from Happy Days), from "The Breakfast Book", I thought it sounded like the perfect foodie version of Mom's "Fried Cornmeal Mush". It's quite a treat, I suggest you try it!

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons butter — melted
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish or 9" round cake pan, and place it in the hot oven while you prepare the batter. Sift or stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and baking soda. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and the melted butter until well-blended. Add the sugar, salt, milk and vinegar and beat well. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture just until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps. Don't be alarmed about how runny the batter is, that's just how it is. Pour the batter into the heated baking dish. Pour the heavy cream into the center of the batter. Do not stir. Check the cornbread after 45 minutes. It is done when the top becomes lightly browned and it's not super jiggly in the middle. It may take 50-60 minutes total. Let stand for 20 minutes. Serve warm with maple syrup and perhaps accompanied by some maple glazed bacon.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Candied Ginger

I've been reading Molly Wizenberg's book, "A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table". Molly is the author of one of my favorite food blogs: Orangette. Each chapter contains a story about her life, accompanied by a recipe. I could not resist trying her Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Candied Ginger. It calls for "small chunks of candied ginger, to taste", I used 1/3 c. and it was perfect. The only other modification I made was to bake it in 3 mini loaves instead of one big loaf. I figured I could freeze one or two to enjoy later. Yeah, not so much. They have all been eaten already.