Sweet Mary

Lemongrass Frozen Yogurt and Coconut Cake

2008-07-24T18:43:26-04:00

You know, I've been meaning to make something out Pichet Ong's Asian inspired The Sweet Spot for quite some time. This book is filled with really interesting recipes and information, as well as beautiful photos. I don't have very much experience cooking Asian food, let alone making Asian desserts...although I've often said I'd love to learn and become more well versed in certain cuisines (like Vietnamese and/or Thai). I also had Mango Coconut Sticky Rice for the first time recently and absolutely loved it. I mean L-O-V-E-D it. I made a commitment right there and then to start working some Asian inspired flavors into my repertoire. Consequently, I made Lemongrass Frozen Yogurt and paired it with a little Coconut Cake.

The Lemongrass Frozen Yogurt was incredibly refreshing and perfect for the seemingly endless humid days we are experiencing. It was light and cool with a great tang from the yogurt. Lemongrass is a perennial that is native to India and used in many cuisines, such as Thai, Vietnamese, and Caribbean. You can typically find it in places like Whole Foods here in the states. I have an Asian market down the street from me where they sell it in wrapped bundles. In soups and curries, lemongrass produces a nice citrus-y undertone. It is a lovely flavor that isn't overwhelming and worked incredibly well for frozen yogurt. In addition, the combination of lemongrass and coconut was fantastic. A great pairing that I highly recommend.

The Coconut Cake is from a Williams & Sonoma book I've had forever (Fruit Desserts) and is a recipe I made once a few years ago. However, I remembered it being a tad dry. I made it anyway just to see how it would turn out this time. Again, it was a tad dry. I even pulled it out of the oven a bit early. I wonder if the coconut flakes pull moisture from the cake somehow. If I made this cake again, I'd try reducing the amount of coconut flakes that go in the cake or increasing the milk a bit. It was still good mind, you. And, the frozen yogurt melting on top made up for any dryness.

Lemongrass Frozen Yogurt

*From The Sweet Spot by Pichet Ong

2 stalks lemongrass

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large egg yolks

1 3/4 cups plain yogurt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Trim, chop, and smash lemongrass. Put in a blender with the milk and blend until the lemongrass is finely chopped. Transfer this mix to a medium saucepan and add the sugar and salt. Warm over medium heat and stir occasionally until just under a boil. Don't let it boil. Remove from the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks in a mixing bowl until they are broken and set aside. Pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the yolks in a slow steady stream and whisk constantly. Transfer this yolk mixture back into the saucepan over low heat. Cook, stir constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon or until it reaches 165 F. This should take about 5 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing all the liquid out of the lemongrass. Cool until it is lukewarm, about 20 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and lemon juice into the milk mix. Set the bowl over a large bowl of ice and water and stir once in a while until it is cool to the touch, about 40 F. You can also just cover it and refrigerate until cold.

Transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and freeze according to the maker's instructions. You can store in a tight container for up to three days.

Coconut Cake

*From Williams & Sonoma - Fruit Dessert

vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract (essence)

1/2 cup whole milk

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted and cooled

Put a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 F. Coat a 5x9x4 loaf pan with vegetable oil spray. Dust the pan with flour and shake off the excess.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium until pale and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat well. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Then, beat in half the flour; then, half the milk. Repeat to add the remaining flour and milk.

Then, reserve 1-2 tablespoons of the coconut for a garnish. Mix the rest into the batter.

Scrape the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until the top is golden and the center is firm to the touch, about 55 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Then, turn out of the pan.

*Note: This cake is great with fresh fruit and/or ice cream.

Rhode Island Food Stuff

2008-07-19T13:04:31-04:00

For those of you in Rhode Island (and elsewhere if you are interested), I have some local food links and info for you this weekend. It's another hot and humid one in the Northeast. I plan on braving the heat and going downtown to an indie arts festival that seems like a win-win all the way around.

OK, now for the links:

A few fellow bloggers (Lydia of Perfect Pantry and Jen of Jen's Dish) recently told me about Providence Palate, a website that provides a space and place for Rhode Islanders interested in food to chat and share. I finally had a chance to check it out. Although I am a little weary of joining groups and sites these days (i.e. techo/blogger overload), I did join this one. There are some interesting conversations going on, as well as some interesting people. If you're in Rhode Island and don't know about the site, give it a try. Members also organize gatherings from time to time, which sounds like a great way to step out from behind the computer and meet some real people who like to eat. I plan on attending the next one.

If you are looking for fun food events to attend, the Charlestown Seafood Festival is coming up the weekend of August 1st. Click on the link for information. This Festival claims to showcase Rhode Island's best seafood. If that's the case, then I'm in.

Another very cool food event coming up is the Rhode Island Local Food Fest which will be on Wednesday, August 6 at Castle Hill in Newport. This fest is a benefit for Farm Fresh Rhode Island and celebrates local farmers and food artisans. There will be great food, tons of information, and a cook-off. Click on the link for more information. I also plan on gathering up some folks for this one.

And, finally, I am not baking this weekend due to the heat; however, will be making another frozen treat for my book/food club later in the week. Look for that recipe in a few days. If your kitchen isn't too hot or you have central air, you may want to check out the absolutely lovely Strawberry Pie on Food Blogga. Don't forget that Susan is from Rhode Island, so her Strawberry Pie post is filled with RI nostalgia.

Perry Pops

2008-07-15T20:36:25-04:00

Perhaps you remember Fondant Mary and my homage to the lovely ladies I worked with in my Advanced Cakes class in culinary school? Who knows, maybe you don't want to remember? Just know that I am giving you fair warning here because this post involves more talk about Steve Perry and Journey.

I can't help it. It's a bit of a silly addiction of mine....listening to music so bad (sorry, all you "real" Journey fans out there) it's good. Or, is it that I just like really good (meaning sometimes kind of silly or, at the very least, a walk down memory lane) car trip sing along songs? I'm not sure. But, really, a little Journey is a perfect tonic when you're down or if you just want to have some fun. And, there's nothing wrong with that.

It all started a few years ago when my sister and I were rummaging through a thrift store in our hometown and Don't Stop Believin' came on over the "sound system" (I'm using that term very loosely because I am pretty sure there was some distortion or static involved). As she was trying some clothes on, I sat in a run down broken rickety rocking chair outside of the dressing room (which, honestly, should have been put out to pasture because it was quite the health hazard) and, literally, started rocking. And, singing. I should mention here that there were all kinds of people wandering around within earshot and, um, well, I can't sing very well at all. Needless to say, all kinds of sisterly hysterics ensued and, by and large, the other customers were entertained, too. Well, I say entertained, but they might have just been annoyed. The sight of me rocking in that wonky chair singing along to Steve Perry certainly was just that..a sight.

Now, I was way too cool to like them back in the day when Journey was HUGE (although, of course, I knew all their songs and was probably singing them in my bedroom every night). Yeah, I was too into my heavy metal, classic rock and punk to listen to such light sensitive rock from such a pretty boy like Steve Perry. I definitely don't care now and I will admit to downloading my favorite Journey songs and listening to them whenever I feel like it...especially in the car.

In fact, after not hearing the song Stone in Love for many many years, I liked it so much I've made it my summer theme song (that's a whole other story unto itself), as well as the kick off for a series of CD's I am making for my friend Jennifer called "Music to Have a Mid-Life Crisis To." That song makes me laugh every time I hear it. Laugh and sing, I should say. I think it's one of the best car trip sing along songs ever. Because, who doesn't believe Steve when he sings out, "Burnin' love comes once in a lifetime." Man, that is deep. So, deep. And, you really gotta sing that line with conviction...I know I do.

I don't mean to beat up on poor Steve. He helped make the band what it was. You can read all about him here, if you care. There are a lot of people out there who do. Journey was never quite what they were after those big albums of the late 70s and early 80s. And, they certainly weren't the Journey we all grew up with without Steve Perry when they replaced him in the late 90s. Wrong, that was just wrong.

What does this have to do with desserts, you ask? Well, this is my second Recipe for a Rockstar. I made some super low-cal refreshing blackberry tea lime popsicles in honor of Steve. Perry pops, if you will. You see, it's been a while since the original Journey performed together. But, hey, if they ever get back together, Steve's gotta look good. Remember how skinny that guy was? He's looking quite different these days and, believe it or not, he's in his late 50's. Since I've been in need of eating healthier lately, I didn't want to make anything loaded with fat and sugar for me or in his honor! These pops were pretty good. You can, of course, make some simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) and add it to some brewed tea to sweeten it up a bit. I encourage anyone making fruit or tea popsicles to just wing it and get inspired. You can't really go wrong.

1 1/3 cups brewed decaf Blackberry tea (I used Trader Joe's)

1/4 cup lime

1/2 cup blackberries, chopped (if you want)

Mix it all up. Pour into molds. Freeze. I have a popsicle mold that only has space for four popsicles and I had some extra.

Peach Blueberry Crisp

2008-07-12T09:05:55-04:00

I haven't been a very adventurous baker lately. Not only do I think I am experiencing a bit of blogger burner out, but during the lazy days of summer, my preference is to truly keep things simple and easy. I tend to stick to fruit based desserts and almost entirely lose my taste for anything too rich or chocolately. I crave crisps, sorbets, fruit salads, pies, and buckles (i.e. a simple cake with fruit in it) made with all the in season summer fruits. The fruit speaks for itself and stands out in such desserts. And, many of these desserts are standards that have stood the test of time. They never go out of style and always receive big kudos from all kinds of dessert lovers.

Consequently, the other night, my intention was to make a peach blueberry cake; however, I made a crisp at the very last minute when I realized the baking time for the intended cake was almost two hours due to the nature of the batter (kind of pastry/biscuit like). My kitchen was still a bit warm and damp from the week's humidity, so two hours of oven time seemed excessive. So, I threw together the crisp and also made some French Vanilla Ice Cream. If you are interested, I always use a fantastic recipe from Simply Recipes for vanilla ice cream.

I brought the Peach Blueberry Crisp to a get together a friend has each summer for a bunch of us at work. Although she lives in Suburbia, Rhode Island, her house is on a small lake and has a wonderful porch and dock. Once you step foot out back, you'd never know you were out in the burbs. We had a blast laughing, telling stories, drinking margaritas, eating, and going out in her little speed boat. A great way to end the week. In fact, I'm thinking we should do it every week! Everyone loved the crisp and felt that homemade ice cream was truly a treat. It was certainly my pleasure to make it for them.

2 pounds of peaches - pitted and sliced or cut up into 1/2 inch chunks

2 cups of blueberries

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons fresh lemon (or lime) juice

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small bits

3/4 cup coarsely chopped, lightly toasted pecans

Get the fruit washed and ready. Then, toss the fruit gently with the cornstarch, lemon juice, and granulated sugar. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir them together. Then, add the butter and blend the mixture until it resembles course meal. You can do this by hand or with a mixer. Then, stir in the pecans.

Spread the fruit mix in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the pecan mix evenly over the top of the fruit. Bake in the middle of the oven until the top is golden, roughly 45-50 minutes.

*This recipe was adapted from a Peach and Blackberry Crisp recipe from Epicurious.

Raspberry Sorbet

2008-07-09T19:25:47-04:00

Hello. Hello. Really, I am here. And, thinking about food. Sort of. Although I will admit to thinking about other things this week and simply wanting to rest. There is something about all this humidity that just makes me feel a bit lazy. The most appealing activity I can think of right now involves crawling into my cool bed in my cool cool bedroom and watching movies in the dark. Now, that sounds nice.

Anyway, over the 4th of July weekend I was able to go raspberry picking in my brother's backyard. He and his family headed out for their annual vacation and, consequently, weren't there to pick all of those luscious berries. I always love visiting his house. It's nicer when he is there, of course; however, it is a big old farm house sitting atop a ridge with a lovely view of (part of) the Hudson Valley. It's a peaceful locale surrounded by apple orchards and farms. On his land, he has a beautiful vegetable and herb garden, as well as berry bushes, peach trees, and a cherry tree. They've put a lot of work into it and are now reaping all the benefits. Think about how expensive berries and fruit are!

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on this trip, so you will just have to use your imagination. The berries were absolutely gorgeous. My Mom and I filled a few containers (and I ate as I picked), headed back to our side of the Hudson River, and made some sorbet. Although I forgot my camera, I did remember my ice cream maker! Lucky for us...

Sorbet is such a wonderful summer dessert...incredibly refreshing and light. The freshly picked raspberries made the sorbet burst with both flavor and color. My Mom and I really enjoyed our dessert that evening. Of course, I had to drive back to Providence, so she's probably been finishing it off all week!

Anyway, here is an easy off the cuff recipe that worked out very well. I wasn't sure about the sugar, but since the berries were so fresh, I thought 2/3 would be enough. A little less would have also worked. I also used lime juice. You can use lemon juice, nothing, or a little liquor like kirsch, Grand Marnier, etc.

6-7 cups fresh raspberries

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup of water

3 tablespoons lime juice

Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan on the stove over medium high heat. Dissolve the sugar. Stir as you go. Once dissolved. Take off heat and cool a bit.

Wash and dry the berries. Put them in a blender with the lime juice and puree. If you don't want seeds, then strain the seeds out. If you don't mind, leave them in.

Then, combine the berry mixture with the sugar/water. Put in a container and chill thoroughly. Once chilled, place in your ice cream maker and mix/churn about 20-25 minutes. Then, freeze it.

Check This Out

2008-07-03T07:19:08-04:00

I am headed out for the weekend and I hope you are, too. As you have probably noticed, I don't blog from the road. I really like to get away from the computer from time to time. You know, rest the eyes and wrists. I encourage you to do the same. That's right. Step away from the computer. In fact, don't even turn it on at all over the weekend. It will still be there on Monday. I promise.

Before you sign off, I leave you with a link to an article on regional hot dog styles on Serious Eats. I really enjoyed it and you may get some new ideas for those diggity dogs you're going to throw on the grill this weekend. Reading this article made me think of Yocco's near Allentown, PA. Yocco's claims to be "the Hot Dog King." I have no idea if that is true; however, I drove by a huge billboard advertising Yocco's so many times on my drive from Baltimore to New York that I finally stopped once to try them out. I was also very attracted to their strange logo....a big Yocco's hot dog eating another hot dog. It was odd and hilarious. I will say that the dogs were pretty darn good and worth a stop if you are in the area and hungry. I loved that billboard so much I attempted to get one of the T-shirts the workers all wear. However, those workers were loyal to their hot dog king and would not, by any means, give or sell me a shirt. I can respect that, but they are missing out on some extra cash I tell you. There's plenty of people out there who love the culture of roadside attractions and restaurants who would love one of those dog eatin' a dog T-shirts.