Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie (TWD)

After reading through this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe for Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie, I wasn't sure that this would be my cup of tea. Something about food processing together bananas and ice cream didn't whet my appetite.


The crust of this pie calls for butter cookies, a generous amount of butter (1 stick!), and a boatload of coconut. Instead of butter cookies, I used these:

I scaled this recipe down considerably, making enough for one 4 inch mini pie. Here are my notes and adjustments:


- This snack package of Golden Oreos, 1/2 Tspn butter and 1/8 cup of coconut was just enough to make the crust of my mini pie.

- My ice cream concoction consisted of a scoop of Haagen Daz Chocolate Chocolate Chip, 1/2 medium banana, and 2 Tbsn dark rum (yes, I wasn't shy about this). After it takes a quick whirl in my mini food processor, the mixture is poured into the prepared crust over a layer of sliced bananas. My filling was really liquidy, so the pie needed to set in the freezer for a bit.

- After the pie set up, I topped it with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

I was so surprised by how yummy this pie tasted! Since I was a little heavy handed with the rum, this pie totally reminded me of one of those boozey ice cream cocktails. The pureed bananas infused the chocolate filling with great banana flavor without affecting the consistency of the ice cream.

Boy, did I regret scaling this recipe down. Next time, I'm making a whole pie!

Thanks to Spike of Spike Bakes for this great pick this week. Visit Spike's blog for the full recipe.

Chocoblock Cookies (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe for Chocoblock Cookies means serious business with all of these delicious add-ins:
In addition to the above ingredients, this cookie recipe calls for a healthy amount of old-fashioned oats and molasses. As I'm not a big fan of molasses, I substituted an equal amount of Lyle's Golden Syrup, which provides the same consistency as molasses without the strong flavor.

Once all of the ingredients are combined, you end up with a fairly wet sticky dough. To my surprise, the scooped dough didn't spread much as it baked, and it resulted in these hearty, chunky cookies.

I'm usually not a big fan of "everything but the kitchen sink" style cookies, but I really enjoyed noshing on these babies. The cookies had a really nice chew, with the chocolate, coconuts, dried figs, nuts and oats provide a a ton of flavor and textural contrast. I particularly loved the dried figs in combination with the chocolate --- delicious!

Thanks to Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet for a terrific pick this week. Doesn't Mary's blog name make you yearn for summer? :)

I'm sure the TWD bakers got really creative with the cookie ingredients this week, so make sure to peruse the blogroll to some wonderfully yummy creations.

Coconut Lime Tea Cake (TWD)

I totally dropped the ball and didn't get my Tuesdays With Dorie post up on time last week (s0rry Carmen!). I promise that I have a good reason, as you can see here (the poor girl looks completely miserable, doesn't she?):

You would think that just after turning a year old that my dog would become older and slighly wiser...wishful thinking! Siena was tearing through the house like a tazmanian devil and caught her leg on something, which resulted with a massive gash on her leg. Fast forward to a emergency visit to the vet's office, and Siena left with nine stitches and this beautiful lampshade. Today, the stitches have been removed and Siena is back to her mischievous ways.

Back to the baking! Last week's TWD selection for Coconut Tea Cake was one that my coconut lovin' hubs was looking forward to sampling, so I couldn't just skip over the recipe. It's a simple cake recipe with a double dose of coconut with unsweetened coconut milk and shredded coconut.

Dorie provides a number of suggestions to play around with the basic recipe. I was torn - the spice and sesame additions sounded delish, but the yummy sounding coconut-lime variation won me over.

The original recipe calls the cake to be baked in a bundt pan. As I've always associated a tea cake with individual little cakes, I ended up using a square muffin pan. I halved the recipe, which was the perfect amount for a dozen mini cakes.As I had extra lime juice leftover, I combined the juice with some powdered sugar to make a simple glaze.
YUM! These cakes were delicious! The cakes were wonderfully moist and the coconut-lime flavor was well-balanced with a hint of rum.

This recipe is definitely a keeper, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with the other suggested variations.

Thanks to Carmen of Carmen Cooks for a great pick! Make sure to visit Carmen's blog for the complete recipe and make this - I promise you won't regret it.

Coconut Cupcakes

My friend T asked me to make cupcakes for a friend's birthday. Her friend's favorite cake flavors are coconut and chocolate, and I was more than happy to oblige:
Along with a couple dozen cupcakes for the birthday party, I wanted to give the birthday girl her own personal box of goodies - you've gotta indulge youself on your birthday, right? Not to detract from the yummy chocolate cupcakes (made with my favorite chocolate cake recipe), but I wanted to spend a little time fawning over the coconut cupcakes. I am not a huge coconut fan, but there is something about these cupcakes that I cannot resist. I've made these cupcakes countless times over the years, and without fail I am rewarded with pefectly moist and flavorful cupcakes each time.

Coconut Cupcakes
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
makes 12-15 cupcakes

Cupcakes

6 oz (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 oz shredded sweetened coconut
toasted shredded coconut to top the cupcakes

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
6 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 lb powdered sugar, sifted


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Toasted Coconut Custard Tart (TWD)

This is a very tardy Tuesdays With Dorie post, which should have been published two weeks ago. My apologies to the host for that week, Beryl of Cinemon Girl, as I had all of the best intentions of getting this written sooner.

Coconut evokes very strong reaction by people - either you love it or hate it. I like coconut in my drinks (hello pina colada) but am not crazy about having it front and center in my desserts. My hubs is the other extreme and LOVES coconut...one of his all time favorite desserts is coconut cream pie. As you can imagine, the hubs was pretty happy to hear that Beryl selected Toasted Coconut Custard Tart as her TWD pick.

I liked that the recipe called for a good hit of dark rum. My relationship with rum is a complicated one - I like rum, but rum doesn't like me. As you can guess, tiki drinks are off limits for me.

This recipe is basically made up of three components: tart shell, coconut custard, and whipped topping.

Using Dorie's fabulous Sweet Tart Dough recipe, I made individual tart shells.

The coconut custard can be made in advance, as it needs to be chilled before serving. Along with a healthy dose of rum, the custard calls for a pinch of coriander. I didn't really taste the coriander, but I definitely tasted the smoky, spicy flavor of the dark rum. Toasted coconut is also folded into the custard.

The tart is topped with a rum spiked whipped cream,
then the top is sprinkled with more toasted coconut.

The hubs couldn't wait to dig in. He couldn't speak, as he was too busy devouring the tart, but gave this recipe an enthusiastic thumbs up. I also really enjoyed the flavor of the tart, but didn't enjoy the texture of the shredded coconut in the custard. Next time, I will save all of the toasted coconut for the topping, as the crunchy coconut topping is a nice contrast to the smooth creamy custard and whipped cream topping.
For the complete recipe, please visit Beryl's blog, Cinemon Girl.

Coconut Butter Thins (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe is Coconut Butter Thins. The foundation of this cookie is a shortbread dough, which is embellished with coconut, macadamia, and lime zest. These components are not necessarily in my top 10 list of favorite ingredients/flavors, and I confess that I wasn't excited about making these cookies.
The instructions for this cookie are pretty straightforward, and for the most part I followed the recipe as written. My only minor adjustment was finely grinding the coconut along with the macadamias.

In the book, Dorie Greenspan describes these cookies as wafery and lacey. Even with that knowledge, I was surprised that my cookie dough squares spread like crazy in the oven! Either the spreading is intended, or else the overnight rest in the fridge and freezing the cut cookie dough didn't help the cookies retain its shape. Now, I'm curious to see how everyone else's cookies turned out.
So much for how they look...more importantly, how do they taste? After taking one bite of this cookie, I realized that I should keep an open mind --- these cookies are unbelievably flavorful and delicious!!!! The texture is a perfect balance of crispy and tender, and the coconut, macadamia and lime flavors are really wonderful together (I think next time I will increase the amount of lime zest --- loved the flavor). I will say that this gem is one of my favorite TWD recipes to date (and that's saying something, as the group has made some pretty terrific treats).

Thanks Jayne of The Barefoot Kitchen Witch for selecting this divine cookie! If you want to make this delicious cookie yourself, head over to Jayne's blog for the recipe. For more delicious cookies, check out the TWD blogroll.

The BAKED Bar

Lately, I've been really getting into the recipes of Baked: New Frontiers In Baking. I love how they've put their own modern spin to familiar, classic desserts, but even more I enjoyed reading about the authors' journey to create and perfect their recipes and to open their storefront --- it's a real inspiration to an aspiring bakery owner like me.

I've baked a few recipes out of the book including their famous brownies (which I previous posted on here), and so far every dessert has turned out wonderfully! If you have a passion for unfussy but delicious baking (myself included), this book is for you.
I was drawn to this bar recipe, as it had it had its namesake in the title (just like the BAKED Brownie)...if they're stamping their name on this recipe, it must be good, right?

Chock-full of chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chunks and walnuts that are enveloped in an obscene amount of sweetened condensed milk, this bar will send the biggest sweet tooth into sugar coma. Still, in small portions, this is a wonderful afternoon treat with a big cuppa joe... or with a big scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BAKED BARS
from Baked: New Frontiers In Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
makes 24 bars

For the crust:
2 C (about 6 oz) sweetened shredded coconut
2 1/2 C finely ground graham cracker crumbs (about 20 crackers)
1 C unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
1 1/3 C walnut halves, toasted and chopped
1 1/2 C (9 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 C white chocolate coarsely chopped
3/4 C butterscotch chips
3 1/4 C (26 oz) sweetened condensed milk


Make the Baked Bar crust:
Preheat the oven t0 300 degrees F.

Butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray (I lined my pan with foil before buttering- makes it easier to remove from the pan)

On a parchment-linedbaking sheet, spread out the coconut. Put the baking sheet inthe oven and toast the coconut until itstarts to turn golden brown, 7-10 minutes. Remove from th oven, toss the coconut, and return it to the oven for 3 more minutes.

Put the graham cracker crumbs in a large bowl, add the toasted coconut, and toss with your handsuntil combined. Add the butter. Use your hands to combine the mixture, then turn it out into the prepared pan. Using your hands, press the crust into an even layer on th bottom and up the sides of the pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to create a prefectly even crust.

Refreigerate the crust for 15 minutes, then bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool completely.

Make the Baked Bar filling:
Increase the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Evenly spread the nuts in the bottom of the crust.

Spread the chocolate chips over the walnuts, followed by the white chocolate, followed by the buttersotch chips.

In a steady stream, pour the sweetened condensed milk evenlyover the filling. Shake the pan very gently to make sure the sweetened condensed milk is evenly distributed.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, roating the pan evey 10 minutes, until golden borwn and bubbly. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.

Baked Bars will keep, wrapped tightly and at room temperature, for up to 4 days.

Southern Coconut Cake (The Cake Slice)

This month's installment of The Cake Slice features Southern Coconut Cake. So far, every recipe that I've made out of Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes has exceeded my expectations, and I highly recommend that you go out and treat yourself to this cookbook.

Impossibly moist white cake layers are subtly flavored with unsweetened coconut milk, enveloped by a cream cheese buttercream frosting (I gained 5 pounds just typing those words) and covered with sweetened flaked coconut (oops, another 5 pounds).

With all of the cake making happening in my kitchen this month, I cut the recipe in half and baked the cake layers in two 6" round pans. The instructions for the cake were pretty straightforward, and the layers were baked without a hitch.

The cream cheese buttercream frosting is a bit more involved to coordinate the whipping of the egg whites and heating of the sugar, but the efforts will be rewarded with a frosting that has all the flavor of your traditional cream cheese frosting but with a lighter, fluffier consistency. Good grief, I could have eaten an entire batch this frosting right out of the bowl!

The assembled cake is really beautiful, and I thought the coconut flavor in the cake was nice and subtle. Again, the frosting was out of this world delicious and it wasn't coyingly sweet or rich...perfect!!
This recipe is on my short list for my friends J&T. You see, they are getting married this September, and I've been honored with the responsibility for their wedding cupcakes and dessert display. Am I just a bit panicked? --- absolutely!!! Aside from the nervousness, I'm really excited about the opportunity to create something delicious for people that I adore. I'm going to try this recipe out in cupcake form and see how it turns out... wish me luck!

Southern Coconut Cake
Makes an 8-inch triple layer cake

For the cake:
5 large egg whites
½ cup of milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3 cups of cake flour
2 and 1/3 cup sugar
4 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter (8oz.) at warm room temperature
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 ½ cups of sweetened flaked coconut for garnishing cake

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a parchment circle and butter the circle.

Put the egg whites in a bowl and whisk slightly. Add the ½ cup of milk and the vanilla and whisk to mix thoroughly; set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, beat dry ingredients well in order to break up any lumps. Add the butter and coconut milk on low speed and beat just to combine. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy about 2 minutes.

Add the egg white mixture in 2 or 3 additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Divide the batter among the pans.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake taster inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Then turn the cakes out and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

To assemble the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on an 8-inch cake round. Cover this layer with 1 cup of the buttercream frosting. Spread it evenly all the way to edge of the cake. Then sprinkle ½ cup of shredded coconut on top. Add the second layer and repeat the process. Top with the final layer of cake and frost the top and sides of the cake.

Place the remaining 1 ½ cups shredded coconut on a large baking tray. Pick up the cake and hold it on the palm of one hand over the tray. Using the other hand scoop up the coconut and press it to the sides of the cake. Continue with this process until the sides of the cake are covered. Set the cake on a serving plate and sprinkle any remaining coconut on top of cake. Chill cake for at least one hour to allow frosting to firm up a bit.

Cream cheese buttercream frosting

12 ounces of cream cheese, slightly chilled
1 stick of butter plus 6 tablespoons of butter (7 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup of confectioners sugar, sifted after measuring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup of water
3 egg whites

Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium speed until slightly fluffy and smooth. Add the butter 1-2 tablespoons at a time, mixing until smooth. Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and mix until fluffy. Set aside at room temperature while buttercream is made.

Combine the granulated sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Continue to cook without stirring until the syrup reaches the softball stage 228 degrees F on a candy thermometer.

Meanwhile, place the egg whites in mixer bowl and have the mixer ready to go. When the syrup is ready, turn the mixer on med-low and begin mixing the egg whites. Slowly add the hot syrup to the whites taking care not to pour onto the beaters, it may splash. When all the syrup is incorporated, raise the speed on the mixer to med-high and beat the egg whites until mixture has cooled and stiff meringue forms.

With the mixer on low, begin adding the cream cheese mixture by the spoonful. When all is incorporated, raise the speed to medium and whip until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Florida Pie (TWD)

I've been looking forward all week to get my hands on this week's Tuesday's With Dorie recipe, Florida Pie, which was selected by Diane at Dianne's Dishes. I've never tasted key lime pie, so this will be a first for me!

Although Dorie mentions the use of a ready made crust, I couldn't resist making a graham cracker crust (which came together in minutes, thanks to my trusty food processor).





The modifications made to the original recipe were:
- futher grinding down the coconut in the food processor, which gave the coconut layer a thick, creamy texture.
- omitting the coconut in the meringue
Also, freezing was an essential step for me, as it helps the custard hold it's shape, as cut slices.

I did overbeat the meringue, so the quick fix was to pipe it to hide the mistake!


Overall, I like the combination of key lime and coconut, but these great flavors were overwhelmed by a cloying sweetness coming from the sweetened condensed milk (I used the Nestle brand, perhaps another brand would make a difference?).

I plan on experimenting with the recipe (i.e. replacing the sweetened condensed milk with a homemade custard) to dial down the sweetness. Also, will try topping this with whipped cream instead of the meringue.


If you want to see more, check out the gorgeous creations of my fellow baking bloggers at Tuesday's With Dorie!





Florida Pie
Baking From My Home To Yours - By Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:
1 9-inch graham cracker crust, fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
4 large eggs, seperated
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)
1/4 cup of sugar

Getting Ready:
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat.
- Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thickened. Scrape the coconut cream into a bowl and set it aside while you prepare the lime filling.
- Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the reaming juice, again mixing until it is blended.
- Spread the coconut cream in the bottom of the graham cracker crust, and pour over the lime filling.
- Bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then freeze the pie for at least 1 hour.

To Finish the Pie with Meringue:
- Put the 4 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking all the while, until the whites are hot to the touch.
- Transfer the whites to a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer in a large bowl, and beat the whites at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 1/2 cup coconut into the meringue.
- Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the broiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Or, if you've got a blowtorch, you can use it to brown the meringue.)
- Return the pie to the freezer for another 30 minutes or for up to 3 hours before serving.