Coconut Cream Pie

Perfect Pairing:  Chilled bowl and beater

 

Let me just start by saying this is not your standard coconut cream pie made with a box of pudding.  No no no, this is a very special version. 

 

It is so special that people were eating it straight out of the pie plate.

 

This is the kind of pie that got people talking, they were telling friends and family about it.  Ok, so maybe it was my mom telling my cousin…. But still, people were talking.

 

The pre-baked crust (you should use my favorite tried and true press, no-mess crust) is filled with a homemade pastry cream then topped with freshly whipped cream and toasted coconut.  Here is a tip from my mom, chill your mixing bowl and beaters before making the whipped cream.  It will help increase the volume of the whipped cream, and it will whip faster.  Another tip?  Don’t over mix whipped cream…. It will turn to butter. 

 

We found that this pie was even better the day after you make it.  I would suggest keeping it in the refrigerator for a day before serving it. 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  7-Up Biscuits

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Bread

 

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Special, Special K Bars

Perfect Pairing:  Pantry clean-out

Way back when I was in college and living in the sorority we had a very exciting week once a semester called study treat week.  I am not sure study treat week helped us study for finals, but I am pretty sure it helped keep on that college “insulation” that tends to happen.  These were not healthy treats.  They usually included pizza rolls and other frozen novelties as well as our house mom’s famous scotcharoos.  It didn’t help the whole insulation issue when they were put out late at night.  Recipe for trouble, all around.

If you talk to any of my sisters about the food at the house I think ALL of them would mention the scotcharoos.  They would also probably also mention the super weird jalapeño chicken that inexplicably had insane amounts of cream sauce and Fritos.  College was healthy.  Anyway, the scotcharoos.  They were ridiculous.  These Special, Special K Bars remind me of those college treats.  You noticed the extra special in the name right?   These bars are extra special because I added coconut and toasted pecans.  Side note, when I was a little girl I named my cat Special.  Poor cat. 

I was on a mission to clean out the pantry when I made these, so when I ran out of Special K I added some rice cereal.  Feel free to do that as well!  Just another texture in the mix.  If you don't have pecans, use whatever nuts you have in your pantry.  Everything is topped with chocolate and peanut butter.  Theyyyyyy didn’t suck. 

This is a great recipe to use the “sticky ingredient trick” I mentioned on this Payday Bar recipe post.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Burger Sauce

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Chilaquiles

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Morning Glory Muffins

Perfect Pairing: Spring loaded scoop

Last spring I had breakfast at a local diner where instead of toast you could substitute a morning glory muffin.  I thought that sounded nice, so I tried it out.  I absolutely loved it!  I studied it thinking I wanted to try to recreate it at home.  Turns out, morning glory muffins are a real thing and this place did not make them up, and there are many recipes for them online. 

I found a recipe that sounded closest to what I had at the restaurant and gave it a shot.  They were equally delicious!  These muffins are filled with good stuff like shredded carrots, apples, raisins, walnuts, and coconut.  The diner muffins had a crunchy sugar topping so I added that to my version along with some rolled oats on top.

Using a spring loaded scoop is the fastest and most efficient way to get the batter into the tins.  I have talked about my love of these scoops here, here, here…. Oh, and here.  I like them a lot.  

 

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Coconut Curry Hummus

Perfect Pairing:  Coconut milk recipes

One of my favorite memories this summer was an afternoon spent at my friend’s boat in a Lake Michigan harbor.  It was perfection.  We didn’t take the boat out, we just sat in a float chatting, eating, and sipping on champagne.  Oh, and admiring the city skyline.  I can’t believe I have lived in this city for almost 9 years and have never been in the harbor.  Of course, the champagne fit the nautical theme.

To snack on, I brought Pioneer Woman’s Restaurant Style Salsa, which is incredibly easy and delicious, and this Coconut Curry Hummus.  Coconut and curry is one of my favorite flavor combinations, but it is not overpowering in this recipe.  The hummus was great with fresh veggies, pita chips, and crackers.  I think it would be great as a spread on a chicken sandwich as well.

The coconut flavor in the hummus comes from the thick coconut cream found at the top of a can of coconut milk before you stir or shake it.  I have no idea if that is what it is actually called, FYI.  Since you are only using two tablespoons you still have a full can of coconut goodness to use.  Might as well use it in another recipe.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Shrimp and Arugula Pesto Grilled Pizza

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

Tropical Rice

Coconut Curry Grilled Pineapple

Coconut Curry Fish

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing - Turkey Enchiladas

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing - Light Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Click "Read more" for the recipe....

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7-Up Biscuits

Perfect Pairing:  Coconut Jam

Baking recipes kind of fascinate me.  There is so much science involved that I rarely feel like I can play around with baked goods, so I am always impressed when people come up with creative baking recipes.  Who thought of using 7-Up in homemade biscuits?  One time I sautéed green beans with a little Crystal Light Lemonade.  It was not awesome.  I had a lot to learn.  Fortunately, 7-Up as an ingredient in biscuits is amazing! 

These biscuits were light, fluffy, and buttery.  We had them as part of a family dinner but I think they would be great for breakfast as well.  I used a pastry cutter/blender to cut the sour cream into the Bisquick, which worked really well.  I wrote about pastry cutters on this Scottish Oatcake recipe.  If you don’t have a pastry cutter you could use two knives to work everything together.

We topped our biscuits with coconut jam.  It is as good as it sounds.  I spotted this jam at a deli/grocery store in Healdsburg, California called Oakville Grocery.  Healdsburg is a ridiculously adorable town in Sonoma County filled with charming restaurants and shops.  Oakville Grovery is one of my favorite spots when touring wine country.  It is the perfect place to pick up lunch to enjoy at a winery.  Our favorite winery is De Lorimier in Geyserville.  It is exactly what you want from a wine tasting experience.  It is relatively small and has a really friendly staff, and most importantly, great wines. 

On a recent trip we planned on stopping at our old favorite, De Lorimier, for a quick tasting and lunch and then we would move on to another winery.  Well, we ended up spending the day there.  It was perfection.  It was my dad’s birthday and he said it was the best one yet.

I’m ready for another trip to wine country.  It just never gets old sipping good wine among loved ones with beautiful scenery to enjoy.

Back to the coconut jam…. It is so good on toast, ice cream, or 7-Up biscuits.  You can order it here.  In fact, ordering through the website turns out to be a fraction of the price compared to buying it at Oakville Grocery.  Oh well!

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Lake House Chef's Challenge 2010 – Appetizer Course

Perfect Pairing:  Oak Run Slinger Cocktail

Be sure to read the first post about the Lake House Chef's Challenge here.

The appetizer course of the First Annual Lake House Chef's Challenge 2010 was full of great dishes.  The kitchen was in a flurry and everyone was excited to get their first taste of competition grub.  The required ingredient for this course was avocado, and all competitors had to use their “secret ingredient” as well in the dish.   Here is what happened….

Jon served Bacon Wrapped Shrimp in Hoisin Sauce, served with Bacon Guacamole (recipe below)

Did I mention that we were judged on presentation as well?  Jon’s presentation was impromptu and amazing.

He even put an eye on the shrimp.

I made Jalapeno Bacon Sliders with an Avocado and Cilantro Slaw (recipe below)

Julie served up a Mango and Coconut Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette (recipe below)

The Perfect Pairing for the appetizer course was an Oak Run Slinger cocktail.  To earn extra points the competitors could provide a drink pairing for one course.  I was in charge of the appetizer course and came up with the Slinger recipe.  It is a combination of orange juice, lime juice, jalapeno simple syrup and tequila.  It was refreshing and had a little spicy kick.

Be sure to check out these recipes.  They were all fantastic!  Definitely competition material.

Stay tuned for the recap of the next two courses as well as the results.  I know you are all on the edge of your seat.

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Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

Perfect Pairing:  Kitchen shears

I am a huge fan of Thai food.  I love the flavors… peanut, coconut, lime, spicy, cilantro, etc.  The first time I had Tom Yum soup, I was hooked.  I loved the tart lime juice and savory broth.  I also thought the straw mushrooms that are typically served in Tom Yum soup were adorable.  They looked so whimsical, like they should be in a video game or something.  When I saw a can of them at my store I was inspired to make a Thai-style soup.

I am pretty sure this is not “authentic” Thai-style soup, but the flavors are all there.  I was really pleased with the result.  It was spicy but had sweetness from the coconut milk.  If you have not used fish sauce before and are a little freaked out, don’t be, it is harmless.  I don’t think it would taste great if you took a gulp of it but it is great in Thai recipes.  In fact, I know it does not go down well by itself because a friend of mine did that with poor results.  Yucky.  When it is combined in this soup it adds a savory background, not fishy at all.

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is kitchen shears.  The rice stick noodles, or rice vermicelli, are really long and hard to eat if you do not break them up.  Breaking them up when they are dry creates quite the mess so it is better to snip them after they are cooked.  Just pull them out of the soup with tongs and snip away! 

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Coconut Curry Fish

Perfect Pairing:  Caribbean Bean Puree

I am a big fan of curry and coconut, combined or by themselves.  This fish has lots of great flavor and can be made with things you probably already have in your pantry.  The sauce is quick to whip up and can be made right in the baking dish to avoid dirty dishes.  By the way, this sauce is also great as a marinade for chicken.  For this particular recipe I used tilapia but you could definitely use any flaky, white fish.  I always end up buying tilapia because it is so neutral in flavor… and cheap.

The Perfect Pairing for this fish is the Caribbean Bean Puree recipe I featured yesterday.  I love to take a bite of the fish with the bean puree.  The flavors and textures are great together.  You may also want to serve it alongside some rice to soak up the yummy sauce.  Since you only need ½ cup of coconut milk in the fish sauce you can use the leftover to replace some of the water or broth to cook the rice. 

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Spicy Coconut Lentil Soup

Perfect Pairing:  Hand chopper

 

I am a huge fan of soup, especially during fall and winter.  As soon as I feel that first cool breeze of fall I start thinking of simmering pots of chili, soup and stews.  I will be sharing a lot of my favorite fall soup recipes here throughout the season.  This Spicy Coconut Lentil Soup made a great, light, mid-week dinner.  It was easy to make, full of flavor, and it made my house smell quite inviting.  It has some exotic flavors like chile peppers, coconut milk and ginger but was still very comforting.   I will say that it was a hard subject to photograph! 

The Perfect Pairing for this soup recipe is the popular hand chopper.  Mine is from Pampered Chef.  I personally enjoy chopping and dicing but sometimes I am just not in the mood, especially if I just want to move things along.  I used the hand chopper for the fresh ginger, garlic and chiles in this recipe.  I peeled the ginger and garlic and chopped them together.  I seeded the peppers, sliced into chunks, and finished them off with the hand chopper.  Chop chop!

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