Rhubarb Strawberry Coconut Cream Tart

Ever since I attempted the herringbone lattice pie crust a few months ago, I've been wanting another shot at getting it right.  So when I saw rhubarb being sold at my local grocery story, I figured I'd try to make a tart and top it with a herringbone lattice made of poached rhubarb strips!

When buying the rhubarb for this, try to get ones of equal width so the lattice will look nice and neat.  I pretty much followed the instructions for poaching the rhubarb from Baking a Moment's beautiful post on making a rhubarb tart with a (regular) lattice top.  Instead of using a mandolin, I used my vegetable peeler which, honestly, was a labor of love.  I probably had to ditch a third of my attempts at getting nice long thin ribbons.  Luckily, I bought a couple more rhubarbs that I thought I'd need exactly for this reason.

For the tart crust, I used the recipe for a sweet tart crust from Mark Bittman's How to Bake Everything.  I also followed his suggestion to use sweetened whipped coconut cream as the base.  I originally wasn't going to add the layer of strawberries, but my friends Celine and Alex were over this weekend and left me some beautiful strawberries.  I'm so glad I added them because they have a natural sweet-tartness which perfectly complements the flavor of the rhubarb.  The nice thing about this recipe is that if you use a vegan and/or gluten-free tart crust, the rest of the pie is also vegan and gluten-free!

Rhubarb Strawberry Coconut Cream Tart
makes a 9" tart

Your favorite 9" sweet tart crust, blind baked and cooled
14 oz. can of coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sliced strawberries
6-8 rhubarb stalks of equal width
1/2 cup sugar

Before you fit the tart dough into your tart pan, remove the bottom and trace it on a large piece of parchment paper.  Then proceed to line the pan with the dough, chill, and blind bake until golden brown all over.

Place the can of coconut milk, a large bowl, and the metal beaters of your electric beater in the fridge overnight.  The next morning, open the can and spoon out the solid white coconut cream into the chilled bowl.  You can discard the leftover liquid or save it to add to smoothies or overnight oats.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl and use the chilled beaters to beat the cream until it is light and fluffy.  Spread it evenly across the bottom of the tart crust and chill in the refrigerator while you wash and slice the strawberries.

Arrange the strawberries on top of the coconut cream in an even layer.  Cover and return to the fridge to chill while you prepare the rhubarb.

Use a vegetable peeler or mandolin to peel long, thin strips from the rhubarb stalks.  Roughly chop any leftover red parts and add to a large pot along with any leftover strawberry pieces.  Add a cup of water and the sugar and bring to a simmer.

Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with a couple layers of paper towels.  Poach the strips of rhubarb in batches for about a minute or so until softened.  Remove with a slotted spoon to the paper towels to drain.  Reserve the poaching liquid.

Use the parchment paper with the outline of the tart pan to lay out half the rhubarb strips vertically.  Then, fold the first strip halfway down, skip 3, then fold down the next 3, and skip the next 3, following this pattern until you reach the end.

Lay a long strip down horizontally across the middle, then, leaving the 1st vertical strip folded over, fold down the 2nd vertical strip over the horizontal strip you just laid down, skip the next 2, fold the 5th strip back up, leave the next 2 as is, and fold down the one after that, etc.  Lay another strip down horizontally above the first one you laid down.  Continue to repeat this pattern until you've covered the outlined 9" circle.  This post from Serious Eats is also a great resource (with pictures!) on how to create the herringbone lattice top.  You can also just do a plain checkered lattice crust which would still look very nice.

Remove the tart from the fridge and carefully flip the woven rhubarb lattice onto the tart (it will seem quite scary but because the strips are still wet, they will adhere to the parchment paper pretty well).  Peel the parchment paper away and re-adjust the lattice as needed.  Use a sharp pair of kitchen shears or paring knife to cut away any extra rhubarb.  Brush some of the poaching liquid on top, being careful not to disturb the herringbone pattern.  Chill until ready to serve.

Next:  3-28 Slab Pie
Previously:  Rainbow Crepe Cake
Last Year:  Will It Puffle?
Two Years Ago:  Gordon Ramsay's Sublime Scrambled Eggs - Two Ways
Three Years Ago:  Nutella Mini Crepe Cakes
Seven Years Ago:  The Best Scones in the World
Eight Years Ago:  Bacon and Egg Bunny Buns

Burmese Coconut Noodles with Tofu

I'm going to admit right off that I've never been to Burma, and I don't think I've even had these noodles at a restaurant before so I'm not entirely sure what it's supposed to taste like, but when I saw this recipe for Burmese Noodle Bowl on Food52, I knew I had to try it.  From my one experience with Burmese noodles (made by my friend Alvin), the flavor profile seems pretty authentic:  lots of aromatics like onions and a mineral earthiness from turmeric.

The first step to making the curry sauce is to make a paste with onions, garlic, and ginger.  I used my food processor to do this since I didn't want my precious Vitamix smelling like onions.  The food processor worked pretty well, but every time I opened the lid to scrape down the sides, a pungent flume of onion vapors would be released.  So if you're the type of person that cries easily when cutting onions, you're probably going to have a bad time with this.

Since I try not to cook too much meat anymore, I decided to use tofu as the protein and add some of the chicken flavor back in with chicken broth.  You can buy fried tofu from a Asian grocery store or just slice and pan fry firm tofu yourself.  You can also buy fried shallots (red onions) from an Asian grocery story or slice and fry them up yourself.  Since I didn't have any shrimp paste, I substituted a tablespoon of fish sauce and some chickpea flour to thicken the sauce.  I decided to use yellow Chinese noodles instead of rice noodles, but I think you could also use ramen noodles or even udon noodles if you wanted.  Lastly, I omitted the cilantro topping since I consider it the devil's weed, but if you like that sort of thing, you should definitely add it.

Burmese Coconut Noodles with Tofu (adapted from Food52)
serves 3-4

2 medium onions
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
14 oz. chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
1 tablespoon chickpea flour (optional)
14 oz. can coconut milk
12 oz. noodles
Fried tofu
Fried shallots
3 eggs, boiled and chopped
Kosher salt and chili powder, to taste
1 lime, quartered

Peel and roughly chop the onions and garlic.  Add the onions, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce to a food processor and process into a paste.

Add the canola and sesame oil to a large pot and heat over medium heat.  Add the paste and cook for several minutes until it starts to get dry and the rawness of the onion is gone.  Add the turmeric and chili powder and mix.

Whisk the chickpea flour, if using, into the chicken broth.  Add the broth and coconut milk to the pot and mix.  Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the noodles according to the manufacturer's instructions, and prepare the rest of the toppings.  Taste the curry sauce and add salt and/or chili powder, to taste.

Divide the noodles into 3 bowls, ladle the curry sauce over the noodles, and top with tofu, fried shallots, and the egg.  Serve with the lime slices, cilantro, and additional fish sauce and chili powder, if you like.

Next:  Matcha White Hot Chocolate
Previously:  San Bei (Taiwanese Three Cup) Tofu and Ramen
Last Year:  Homemade Tagliatelle with Shaved Truffles
Two Years Ago:  Vanilla and Cinnamon Marshmallows
Five Years Ago:  Lemon Pudding Cake
Six Years Ago:  Toasted Coconut Ice Cream with Sesame Brittle and Crystallized Ginger

Indonesian Avocado Milkshake

I don't usually see avocados used in sweet applications, but it's pretty popular to treat avocados as the fruit that they are in Asian countries.  For instance, take the Indonesian avocado milkshake, which adds chocolate syrup down the sides of the serving glass for an extra special touch.

I had some leftover coconut milk from making the ginger beer sherbet, so I decided to try using some in the milkshake, and the result was incredible.  The milkshake is already really creamy from the addition of the avocado, but adding coconut milk just brings the creaminess to a whole new level!

Indonesian Avocado Milkshake
makes 1 large shake or 2 smaller shakes

For the chocolate syrup:
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder

For the milkshake:
1 ripe avocado
1 cup milk (or 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup coconut milk for extra creaminess)
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup ice cubes

Whisk together the water, sugar, and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir until the sugar has all dissolved and allow to cool.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit.  Scoop out the flesh and add to a blender along with the coconut milk, milk, sweetened condensed milk, and ice cubes.  Blend until smooth and frothy.

Pour the chocolate syrup around the inside of a glass and then add the avocado milkshake.  Enjoy!

This recipe makes about a cup of chocolate syrup, way more than you need for the milkshake.  You can use the rest for making chocolate milk, drizzling over ice cream, whatever you want!

Next:  Jeni's Salty Vanilla Frozen Custard
Previously: Concord Grape Sorbet
Last Year:  Bahian Style Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)
Two Years Ago:  Crispy Kale Pizza

Coconut Ice Cream with Mango Passion Caramel Swirl

When I messed up my first batch of mango passion caramels by making something more akin to caramel sauce, I knew I didn't want to waste it so I poured it into a jar and left it in my fridge until I could figure out what to do with it.  Since it didn't turn hard when frozen, it seemed ideal to swirl into an ice cream...a white ice cream would be good to showcase the color...what would go well with mango and passion fruit...coconut ice cream!

I've made a few coconut ice creams before, but this time I wanted to try making one using Jeni's ice cream base as a template.  Her Bangkok Peanut ice cream used some coconut milk, but I decided to amp up the coconut flavor by using a whole can of coconut milk and cutting back on the whole milk and heavy cream.  The result is unbelievably creamy and a perfect balance for the tart mango passion caramel swirl.  Eating this ice cream is like a free trip to a tropical island!

Coconut Ice Cream with Mango Passion Caramel Swirl
makes about 1 quart

3/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
13.5 oz. can coconut milk (not light)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Mango Passion Caramel Sauce*

Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.  Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

Combine the remaining milk, the coconut milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan.  Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat and boil for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.

Return the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth.  Chill the mixture thoroughly.  Churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

Pack the ice cream into a storage container, alternating it with layers of the mango passion caramel sauce and ending with a spoonful of sauce; do not mix.  Freeze until hard, at least 4 hours.

*Make the mango passion caramel sauce by following the directions for making mango passion caramels, double the amount of corn syrup, and only heat the caramel to 230°F.  Allow the caramel sauce to cool to room temperature before using.  The recipe will make more than you need for this ice cream recipe; you can use the rest for topping pancakes, pouring over other ice creams, etc.

Next:  Citrus Cured Salmon
Previously:  Sea Salt Cold Cream Coffee
Last Year:  Almond Pesto Pizza

Ginger Beer Sherbet

How do you pronounce the word "sherbet"?  I think I've always thought it was "sher-bert" but one day I realized there's only one "r" in the word.  Anyways, I think this is the first sherbet I've ever made, and it's not even what I would call a real sherbet.  To me, a sherbet is just a sorbet with milk.

This is a ginger beer sorbet made with some coconut milk added, and guys, it's amazing.  I started off meaning to make a Dark and Stormy sorbet based on this recipe from Serious Eats, but then I forgot about adding the rum at the end.  I also didn't add the freshly grated ginger or the lime zest, and it's still awesome.  The frozen ginger beer is zippy and refreshing, and the coconut milk just rounds it out slightly with a light creaminess and nuttiness.  I served this after the New England clambake, and it was kind of just the best thing ever.  ^_^

Ginger Beer Sherbet (adapted from Serious Eats)
makes a generous quart

24 oz. ginger beer
1/2 cup turbinado or natural sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup coconut milk

Whisk all the ingredients together until the sugar dissolves.  Transfer to the refrigerator and chill thoroughly for several hours.

Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Transfer to an airtight container and freeze in the freezer until hard.

Next:  Strawberry Pop Tart Slab Pie
Previously:  New England Clambake at Home
Last Year:  Oven-Fried Mac 'n' Cheese, Backyard Mint Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Freckles, Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing

Vegan Almond Joy Ice Cream and Bon Bons

I've made coconut ice creams and coconut sorbets before, but when I saw this recipe on The Kitchn for a vegan coconut milk-based ice cream, I was pretty excited.  As someone who loves making ice cream but has a lot of lactose intolerant friends, it would be awesome to have a dairy-free homemade ice cream base to work with.

Since the recipe included chocolate and almonds, I decided to go full Almond Joy and amplify the coconut and almond flavors by adding in some coconut and almond extract and toasting the almonds.  I found the end product to be quite delicious and refreshing.  It's lighter and not as creamy as regular ice cream, but it's not icy, either.  Toasting the almonds really makes a huge difference, too!

I also decided to try making bon bons out of some of the coconut ice cream I saved before mixing in the chocolate and almonds.  Topped with an almond and enrobed in homemade magic shell, it kind of looks like a fun-size Almond Joy!  I especially like how the texture of the ice cream almost looks like the coconut filling in an actual Almond Joy.

Vegan Almond Joy Ice Cream (adapted from The Kitchn)
makes about 1 quart

2 (15-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup honey or agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 ounces (85 grams) raw almonds (about 1/2 cup)
4 ounces vegan chocolate chunks or chips

Shake the cans of coconut milk thoroughly before opening.  Pour the coconut milk into a medium saucepan, leaving about 1/2 cup in one of the cans.  Add the agave or honey and salt to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat until the sweetener thins and is easily mixed into the coconut milk, about 2 minutes.

Whisk the cornstarch in the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut milk until well combined. Stir into the warm coconut milk base and cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken — enough so that it coats the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Do not to allow the mixture to boil.

Remove from the heat and pour the coconut base into a separate bowl. Allow to cool on the counter for 30 minutes, then stir in the coconut and almond extract.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours; you need the base to be very cold before you process it in the ice cream machine.

While the ice cream base is chilling, toast the almonds for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.  Coarsely chop and store in the freezer until it is time to mix it in to the ice cream.  Put the chocolate in the freezer, too.

Churn the mixture in your ice cream machine following the manufacturer’s instructions.  (If you want to make the bon bons, skip the next step.)  Add the chopped almonds and chocolate chunks at the very end. When thickened to an soft-serve ice cream consistency, pack the ice cream into a storage container.  Seal with an airtight lid and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Almond Joy Ice Cream Bon Bons

Coconut ice cream
Whole almonds
Homemade magic shell

Line a tray with parchment paper and chill in the freezer.

After the ice cream has hardened, scoop out small balls of the ice cream onto the parchment-lined tray, making sure to pack in the ice cream tightly so there won't be any holes in the bon bons.

Place an almond on top of each scoop.  Inset a toothpick at an angle right next to the almond.  Return the tray to the freezer and allow the ice cream balls to harden for at least 30 minutes.

Working quickly, carefully lift the ice cream balls off the parchment paper using the toothpicks and coat with the magic shell.  I used a spoon to pour the magic shell over the ice cream, but you may have better luck dipping it.  Return the bon bon to the tray, remove the toothpick, and drizzle a little more magic shell over the hole where the toothpick was.  After you are done coating all the bon bons, return the tray to the freezer and allow to harden for at least an hour.

I wish I had let the ice cream balls harden longer in the freezer before I tried to dip them because of the 7 I scooped out, only these 5 made it intact.  And looking back, I think it would have looked nicer if I had taken the time to re-dip the bon bons again to smooth out the inconsistencies and produce a thicker coat of chocolate.  C'est la vie, they were still freaking delicious.  =)

Next:  Sesame-Crusted Tofu
Previously:  Overnight Oats in a Jar
Last Year:  Spaghetti Carbonara for One
Five Years Ago:  Kale Chips

Overnight Oats in a Jar

I recently started a new job where I no longer work from home but have to go into an office every day when I'm not traveling.  Unfortunately, the office is too small to have a great cafeteria so I've had to figure out how to bring breakfast and lunch to work for pretty much the first time in my life.  (I know, I've been spoiled.)

Now that I'm not able to make myself candied bacon chocolate chip pancakes every morning (just kidding!), I was kind of lost with what to do until I remembered the wonder that is overnight oats.  Basically, you just soak dry oats in any kind of liquid overnight in the refrigerator.  For regular rolled oats, you can use a 1:1 ratio of oats to liquid.  For something thicker like steel cut oats, the ratio should be closer to 1:2 oats to liquid.  In the morning, the oats have softened enough to eat as is.  It sounds kind of boring, but the fun comes in customizing your oats!

To make what I call New England Morning Overnight Oats, I added real maple syrup and freeze-dried blueberries (available from Trader Joe's) to 1/3 cup of steel cut oats in a small Mason jar and filled it up to the top with vanilla soy milk.  Put the lid on, shake it up to make sure everything is mixed, and let it sit overnight in the fridge.  That's it!  The next morning, I just grab the jar on the way to work and eat the oats straight from the jar at my desk.

I've also made Almond Joy Overnight Oats (not pictured) by adding cocoa powder, sliced almonds, and shredded coconut to the oatmeal.  Other ideas for toppings include raisins, dried cranberries, sliced bananas, fruit purees or preserves, yogurt, other nuts, cinnamon, honey, and nut butters.  I prefer to use either soy, almond, or coconut milk for the liquid.

My current favorite combination is to use Trader Joe's Quick Cook Steel Cut Oats and add freeze-dried strawberries (also available from Trader Joe's), sliced almonds, shredded coconut, and chia seeds.  The quick cook steel cut oats are not as chewy as regular steel cut oats (sometimes my jaw would hurt from having to chew so much!) but not as mushy as regular rolled oats.  And the chia seeds give the overnight oats a thicker, more pudding-like consistency (they're also packed with omega-3s!).

It doesn't look very photogenic, but it's super yummy and only takes a minute to make the night before.  I've pretty much been packing this every day for breakfast whenever I have to go into the office, along with a travel mug full of magical cold brew coffee, which I also prepare the night before.  Just two less things to think about every morning!

Next:  Vegan Almond Joy Ice Cream and Bon Bons
Previously:  Homemade Ginger Beer
Last Year:  Rosemary Honey and Lemon Frozen Yogurt

Thai Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango

Trader Joe's used to carry this dessert, and I loved it:  chewy sticky rice infused with coconut milk and topped with mangoes and even more coconut goodness.  It had the sweet and salty flavor profile that makes you keep coming back for bite after bite.  I've been missing this dessert ever since it was discontinued, but when I saw that mangoes were on sale at my local grocery store, I decided to learn how to make it myself.

I followed this recipe from The Kitchn, but since I didn't have a steamer basket, I improvised with some parchment paper and the pasta strainer insert for my stock pot.  You could also maybe try using cheesecloth with a metal colander or strainer in a large enough pot with a lid--anything with holes in which you could steam the rice in.  I also suggest chilling the can of coconut milk in the fridge before opening because I find that it makes it easier to scoop the coconut cream from the top off if it's more solid. 

Thai Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango
serves 2-4

1 cup sweet rice
1 can coconut milk, unshaken and chilled in the refrigerator
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 ripe mangos
Toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

Soak the sweet rice in room temperature water for 1-2 hours.  Cut a piece of parchment paper out about 3 inches wider in diameter than the bottom of the pasta strainer insert for a stockpot.  Tuck the paper into the insert so it fits in the bottom like a bowl.

Drain the rice and rinse thoroughly.  Pour about 1 cup of water into the stockpot and place the rice in the parchment paper "bowl" and place the pasta strainer insert in the pot. Cover tightly and steam over low to medium heat for 20 minutes.

While the rice is steaming, open the can of coconut milk and spoon out the thick cream on top into a small bowl.

Pour the thinner, lighter coconut milk left in the can into a small saucepan.  Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar and 3/4 teaspoon salt.  Warm over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Do not let the sauce boil.

When the rice is done, transfer it to a mixing bowl (it will be clumpy).  Slowly pour the warm coconut milk over the rice in the bowl, stirring frequently. You want the milk to coat the rice but not leave puddles. Keep stirring, and stop pouring in coconut milk when it looks like the rice is saturated. You may not use all of the milk.  Set the rice aside to finish absorbing the coconut milk; after 15 minutes or so it should have soaked up any milk that is still liquid.

While the rice is standing, make the coconut topping sauce. Rinse out the coconut milk saucepan and pour in the coconut cream that you took off the top of the can. Stir in 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together a few teaspoons of water and the cornstarch.

Whisk this cornstarch slurry into the coconut cream and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes, or until the mixture thickens considerably. Set aside.

Peel the mangoes and then slice the flesh into 1 inch wide strips.

To serve, place about 1/3 cup cooked sticky rice on each plate, and arrange mango slices around it. Drizzle with the coconut topping sauce and sprinkle with a few toasted sesame seeds.

Next:  Miso Pumpkin Soup
Previously:  Cheese Fondue Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin
Last Year:  Mashed Potato Pizza with Roasted Garlic and Bacon
Four Years Ago:  Kettle Corn
Five Years Ago:  Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream

Bahian Style Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)

A few years ago, I visited Rio de Janeiro with my friend Ellen, a fellow foodie.  Our second night there, we had planned to walk from our hotel in Copacabana to Azul Arinho, a restaurant on Ipanema known for their moqueca.  Along the way, we found a cute gelato shop, Beijo Carioca, and, upon realizing that they would be closed by the time we would be done with dinner, we had to stop and get a pre-dinner treat.  The gelato was so good that on our last day in Rio, with only an hour left before we had to head to the airport, we made a mad dash back for a last taste of paradise.

Continuing on to dinner, we passed by a Koni Store, and since I had read about this trendy new restaurant, we just had to stop and try a salmon hand roll.  Then there was the churro cart around the corner...but we decided that we absolutely could not eat anything else before we got to dinner (and hoped that the churro cart would still be there on the way home).

Despite not being the last bit hungry due to all the pre-dinner snacking, I found myself absolutely loving the moqueca.  We got ours Bahian style, which means it's cooked with coconut milk, palm oil, and cilantro and served with white rice, pirão (a gravy made from fish broth and cassava flour), and dendê farofa (cassava flour cooked in palm oil).

I haven't been able to find palm oil, but this recipe from The Perfect Pantry uses annatto seeds simmered in canola oil to make a similarly bright orange oil.  If you can't find annatto seeds, you can just use sweet paprika instead.  When a recipe calls for adding salt at the end to taste, I've started using adobo seasoning instead of just plain salt, especially for Latin-inspired dishes, for even more flavor.  Other than that I pretty much followed this recipe from Simply Recipes to make the rice and stew.  I've made the stew with haddock and cod and had a slight preference for the haddock version.  I can only imagine how good it would taste with sea bass instead.

Bahian Style Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)
serves 4

For the annatto oil:
1/2 teaspoon annatto seeds
1/4 cup canola oil

For the rice:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups white rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the stew:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. of fillets of firm white fish such as haddock, cod, or sea bass, rinsed in cold water, pin bones removed, cut into large portions
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons lime juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded, de-stemmed, and chopped (or sliced)
1 tablespoon paprika (optional)
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 cups sliced plum tomatoes
1/4 cup green onion greens, chopped
1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped with some set aside for garnish
14-ounce can coconut milk
Adobo seasoning, to taste (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine the annatto seeds and canola oil. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the oil turns orange. Remove from heat, strain out the seeds (and discard), and set the oil aside to cool. This can be done far in advance.

To make the rice, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium high heat. Add the chopped 1/2 onion and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the raw white rice and salt and stir to coat completely with the oil, onions, and garlic.  Transfer to a rice cooker and add the recommended amount of water (mine uses 2 cups water for 1 1/2 cups of rice).  Cook the rice in the rice cooker while you make the stew.

Place the fish in a bowl and add the minced garlic and lime juice so that the pieces are well coated. Sprinkle generously all over with salt and pepper. Keep chilled while preparing the rest of the soup.

In a large covered pan (such as a Dutch oven), coat the bottom with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add the onion and cook a few minutes until softened. Add the bell pepper, paprika (if using), and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Cook for a few minutes longer, until the bell pepper begins to soften. Stir in the tomatoes and green onion. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the chopped cilantro.

Use a large spoon to remove about half of the vegetables (you'll put them right back in). Spread the remaining vegetables over the bottom of the pan to create a bed for the fish. Arrange the fish pieces on the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then add back the previously removed vegetables, covering the fish. Pour the coconut milk and annatto oil over the fish and vegetables.

Bring soup to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. You may need to add more salt or adobo seasoning, lime juice, paprika, pepper, or chili flakes to get the soup to the desired seasoning for your taste.  Garnish with cilantro and serve with the rice.

I was actually pretty surprised at how close to the real thing this tasted considering how exotic the flavors are to me.  As with most stews, this tastes even better the next day and the day after that, when the flavors have had a chance to meld together more.

Next:  Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)
Previously:  Pluot Lambic Sorbet
Last year:  Crispy Kale Pizza

Mango Coconut Rice Pudding Pops and Ice Cream

I've had this recipe bookmarked for a while now, but it wasn't until I found some cute, cheap popsicle molds at Ikea that I was able to make them.   The original recipe made 12 large popsicles, so I adapted the recipe for 6, but even that was way too much for my tiny popsicle molds.  So I decided to add some cream and throw it into my ice cream maker to see how that would turn out.

Considering how much water there is in the mixture, the ice cream came out surprisingly well.  It freezes a little harder than I'm used to, but I was more than satisfied with the taste.  If I were to make this as an ice cream again, I'd try switching out the water for whole milk or half and half.  And I'd probably add a little sugar to the coconut milk so that the rice absorbs some sweetness, and it'd probably also help the rice stay a little softer once frozen, too.

As a popsicle, it's perfect. The creamy coconut milk and bright mango bits complement each other, and the rice gives it a nice chewiness.  My favorite part, though, is the sweetened condensed milk that kind of floats to the top of the mold (and therefore ends up at the bottom of the popsicle) giving it the perfect ending. 

Mango Coconut Rice Pudding Pops and Ice Cream (adapted from The Kitchn)
makes six 2 oz. popsicles and about a quart of ice cream

One 15-ounce can coconut milk, shaken
1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup short-grain or arborio rice
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh or frozen mango, diced
1/4 cup heavy cream (for the ice cream)

Add the contents of the can of coconut milk into a large saucepan. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean and stir in. Stir in the rice, and bring the whole mixture to a simmer over medium heat.

Turn the heat down to low and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the rice is tender.  Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk, water, vanilla extract, coconut extract (if using), and salt. 

Fold the mango into the rice mixture.

Transfer the rice and mango mixture to six 2-ounce popsicle molds. Insert sticks and freeze until solid — 3 to 4 hours.  To release the pops from the molds, run the molds briefly under warm water.

Add the rest of the mixture to an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's directions.  Transfer the ice cream to an air-tight container and freeze for at least 4 hours to harden.

Next:  Passion Fruit Macarons
Previously:   Homemade Cronuts
Three years ago:  World Peace Cookies