Whipped Coconut Cream?!

  There has been a new obsession with "Whipped Coconut Cream" making the rounds on Pinterest lately. Of course, I was immediately intrigued. 

  Whipped coconut cream is simply canned coconut milk that is whipped with sugar. You simply refrigerated for the can of coconut milk for a few hours, skim the thick white portion off the top and whip it until it holds shape. Super simple! And SUPER delicious!

  I recently came across a recipe for Profiteroles with Whipped Coconut Cream and Caramelized Bananas; the perfect opportunity to try my hand at whipped coconut cream. Here's my recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's.

Profiteroles with Whipped Coconut Cream and Caramelized Bananas

Profiteroles (adapted from Bon Appetit)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour

3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk

  Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

  Bring water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to boil in a large saucepan. Stir in flour; cook over medium-high heat, stirring vigorously, until dough is smooth and pulls away from sides of pan, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a standing mixer. Beat dough with paddle attachment at medium speed until slightly cool, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in egg yolk until blended.
  Spoon batter (about the size of small oranges) onto prepared sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.

  Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 375°F. Continue baking until puffed and dark golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer to rack to cool completely. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container in freezer. Remove from freezer a few hours before continuing.)

Whipped Coconut Cream

1 can coconut milk, chilled at least 2 hours

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

   Place a large bowl and whisk in the freezer for 10 minutes. Open the chilled coconut-milk can, and skim cream from top (make sure not to get the thin liquid from bottom of can, or cream will not become stiff when whipped). Place cream and sugar in bowl; whisk until thick and stiff. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.

Caramelized Bananas

5 medium, just-ripe bananas

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
6 Tbsp. packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

  Slice bananas in half lengthwise; cut each half into thirds. 

  Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 4 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons brown sugar. When butter/sugar mixture has melted and is sizzling, add the bananas; brown them, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer bananas to a large shallow container to cool in a single layer. 

  To make the sauce, add orange juice, remaining 3 tablespoons brown sugar, and two pieces caramelized banana to empty pan. Whisk mixture over medium heat until thick and banana dissolves, about 1-3 minutes.
  Slice tops of profiteroles, leaving a small hinge. Insert two or three pieces of banana. Spoon 2 tablespoons whipped coconut cream onto banana. Serve with sauce.

  Absolutely FANTASTIC!

When in France...

  I have recently become fascinated by French Macarons (no that's not a typo). Meringue is not one of those things I find myself dreaming about, but the idea of using ground almonds in a cookie and having the results come out a mixture of crispy and chewy intrigues me. I'm also intrigued by the numerous possibilities a basic macaron recipe invokes. After tons of research I decided to use a Martha Stewart recipe for my first attempt (everything I had read about making the "perfect macaron" led me to believe I would not be successful my first time around). 

  I also came across a blog entry on "How to make Macarons" on "Serious Eats", which helped me out immensely. Here are a few of their key tips which I used when making my macarons:

-Sift your ingredients, multiple times if necessary. You want your ground nuts to be powdery. No lumps! Almond and icing sugar mixture may be pulsed in a food processor to make finer.

-Use old egg whites. No really, leave them out for three days at room temperature if you don't mind waiting for that long. Using fresh egg whites is more likely to result in macarons that are too fragile and flat. Read Veronica's Test Kitchen for more info.

-If the cookies form peaks on their tops after piping, flatten them with a wet fingertip.

-Let the macarons rest for a day before you eat them. They're supposed to taste better with a bit of rest. This might be the hardest rule to follow.

  I decided to go with a basic, traditional macaron cookie with a Salted Buttercream Filling (remember my favored recipe from the Whoopie Pies?) Use Martha Stewart's recipe for the cookies (I did not go as far as to use "superfine sugar". My regular granulated sugar worked just fine.)

 

  Pulse confectioner's sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift twice.

 Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny.

  Using a cookie scoop, scoop batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Let rest on counter at least 30 minutes. Bake.

  While cookies cool, make Salted Buttercream Filling.

  Place filling on flat half of one cookie and top with a second cookie. Place macarons in an airtight container with the lid cracked slightly. Eat the next day...if you can wait that long!

Want to REALLY impress him on V-Day?

  I have been trying all sorts of new things over the last few days, so prepare yourself for a slew of fantastic recipes! The first recipe I want to share with you is for Petits Fours. Petits Fours have always fascinated me and are something I've always wanted to try making on my own. So last Thursday in preparation for a couples date night at a friend's home, I did! I'm very surprised at how easy these impressive little treats are to make. That being said, they are also quite time-consuming. I encourage you to make them, but give yourself two days to do it.

  Make the Chiffon Cake. As a side note, I will be making Chiffon Cake all the time now. This is such a fantastic cake, and the history behind it is intriguing. Chiffon Cake is similar to Angel Food Cake, but more buttery-tasting.

 First, whisk together the flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder and salt in a very large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

 In a clean bowl beat egg yolks; add vegetable oil, milk and vanilla and beat to combine. Pour wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. With mixer on low, slowly pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Turn mixer up to high and beat until stiff peaks form when whisk is lifted (be careful not to over-beat as white will dry out).

 Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into batter mixture, being careful not to deflate the egg whites-The egg whites lighten the batter and are largely responsible for the cake's ability to rise as it bakes. Gently fold half the remaining whites into the batter. Add remaining egg whites to batter and fold just until no white streaks remain.

 Divide batter onto 3 parchment-lined baking sheets.

 

Bake at 325 degrees 10-15 minutes, until cake is golden brown. Let cakes cool completely on the counter, then place cakes in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

 Frost one layer of cake with Custard Buttercream.

 Top with raspberry preserves and another layer of cake. Spread the remaining buttercream over the second cake layer and top with the third cake layer.

 

Cover the entire 3-layer cake with parchment and plastic wrap. Place in the freezer over-night.

 The next morning, trim the unsightly edges from the cake. Snack on the scraps as you work; it will keep you motivated. Cut the cake in half, then each half in half and so on until you have a cake that is 6 slices by 8 slices (or 48 little cakes).

  Working in small batches (while the remaining cakes continue to stay chilled in the freezer), insert a toothpick into the center of one of the cakes and plunge it into melted chocolate (I added 1-2 tablespoons shortening to each 12 ounces of chocolate to make the cakes easier to dip); allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place dipped cake on a foil-lined baking sheet. Use a second toothpick to free the cake from the original toothpick. Allow chocolate to set (which shouldn't take long because of the frozen cake).

 Add a couple drops of red food color to a small amount of white chocolate; stir to combine. Pour chocolate into a piping bag (I constructed one from parchment paper so I wouldn't have to clean chocolate out of my piping bag). Pipe small hearts over the holes left from the toothpick. Petits Fours will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks (but trust me, they won't last that long).

Valentine Petits Fours

2 c. (8 oz.) cake flour

1 1/2 c. sugar, divided

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

7 eggs, separated, plus 2 egg whites (all at room temperature)

1/2 c. vegetable oil

3/4 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 recipe Custard Buttercream

1/2 c. raspberry preserves

about 48 ounces chocolate, melted

shortening for thinning chocolate

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

  Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

  Whisk together the flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder and salt in a very large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

 In a clean bowl beat egg yolks; add vegetable oil, milk and vanilla and beat to combine. Pour wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

 In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. With mixer on low, slowly pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Turn mixer up to high and beat until stiff peaks form when whisk is lifted (be careful not to over-beat as white will dry out). 

  Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into batter mixture, being careful not to deflate the egg whites-The egg whites lighten the batter and are largely responsible for the cake's ability to rise as it bakes. Gently fold half the remaining whites into the batter. Add remaining egg whites to batter and fold just until no white streaks remain.

   Divide batter onto 3 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees 10-15 minutes, until cake is golden brown. Let cakes cool completely on the counter, then place cakes in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

 Frost one layer of cake with Custard Buttercream. Top with raspberry preserves and another layer of cake. Spread the remaining buttercream over the second cake layer and top with the third cake layer. Cover the entire 3-layer cake with parchment and plastic wrap. Place in the freezer over-night.

  The next morning, trim the unsightly edges from the cake. Snack on the scraps as you work; it will keep you motivated. Cut the cake in half, then each half in half and so on until you have a cake that is 6 slices by 8 slices (or 48 little cakes).

  Working in small batches (while the remaining cakes continue to stay chilled in the freezer), insert a toothpick into the center of one of the cakes and plunge it into melted chocolate (I added 1-2 tablespoons shortening to each 12 ounces of chocolate to make the cakes easier to dip); allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place dipped cake on a foil-lined baking sheet. Use a second toothpick to free the cake from the original toothpick. Allow chocolate to set (which shouldn't take long because of the frozen cake).

    Add a couple drops of red food color to a small amount of white chocolate; stir to combine. Pour chocolate into a piping bag (I constructed one from parchment paper so I wouldn't have to clean chocolate out of my piping bag). Pipe small hearts over the holes left from the toothpick. Petits Fours will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks (but trust me, they won't last that long).

Something Decadent, Yet Light

  After coming across this fabulous mascarpone cheese recipe, I have been trying every recipe I can find that uses mascarpone. My most recent find is a Blueberry Mascarpone Sherbet. This recipe is fantastic, but could be even stronger on the blueberry flavor. The next time I make this, I will cut the water and use only 1/2 cup (maybe even 1/4 cup) water to bring the blueberries to a boil.

  I served my sherbet with these delicious Brown Butter Almond Shortbread Cookies (just swap the pecans for almonds). I would have made the recipe as-is because I love pecans, except I realized I was out of them.

  

  You could very easily make this with raspberries and have a red sherbet for Valentine's Day and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter for your shortbread.

 

A Valentine's Day Dinner Idea

  If you work, as I do (even though I work from home), often times it is hard to get dinner ready by a reasonable time. With Valentine's Day on a weeknight this year, if you plan to spend the evening at home, you may be left wondering what to do about dinner. My recipe for Chicken Pot Pies is a perfect solution. The thing I love about this recipe is that you can customize it to your tastes, bake the pies in individual ramekins for more eye-appeal, and prepare them as far in advance as you'd like. 

  So, if you're planning to have these for dinner one night, but know you won't have the prep time, prepare them in advance and bake them when you want them. I like to make a lot of these, put them in foil casserole dishes, cover with plastic wrap and foil and freeze them. Just write the name of the dish, the date it went in the pan and the cooking instructions on the foil.

Chicken Pot Pies

extra virgin olive oil                                              2 Tbsp. flour

2 large chicken breasts, diced                              1 can (2 cups) chicken stock

3 carrots, peeled and sliced thick                         1 c. milk

1 celery stalk, diced small                                    4 potatoes, diced and boiled 15 minutes or until tender

1/2 onion, diced                                                  1 c. peas

3 Tbsp. butter                                                     1 recipe Cream Cheese Crust

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  Heat a very large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and chicken; sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken until no longer pink (about 5 minutes). Add carrots, celery and onion to the pan and saute until tender (about 6-8 minutes). Transfer chicken/veggie mixture to a bowl.

  Return pan to heat and add butter; melt. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly until flour mixture is bubbly and golden (1 minute). Gradually whisk in chicken stock and milk. Bring to a soft boil; cook until thick. Return chicken/veggie mixture to the pan. Add potatoes and peas; salt and pepper to taste.

  Pour mixture into a casserole dish or individual ramekins. Top with cream cheese crust. Cut slits in the crust to vent steam and brush with egg wash (1 egg & 1/2 tsp. water whisked together). Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until crust in golden brown.

  Note: To bake frozen pies, remove foil and plastic wrap and bake 15-25 minutes longer (1- 1 1/2 hours).

Love is in the air!

  Each year as Valentine's Day draws near plans for a romantic evening begin formulating in my brain. With three young children around I find it hard to spend the money to go out. By the time we pay a babysitter and the dinner check, a good portion of the month's dining budget is shot. I thought I would start sharing some ideas for a romantic evening in, just in case you're in the same position I am. Being the kind of girl I am, I thought I'd begin with dessert. 

  My sister-in-law has the most delicious recipe for Red Velvet Cake; it's moist and flavorful, everything you want your Red Velvet Cake to be. I divided her original recipe in half to have just the right amount for 6 people (my version is what follows), and increased the amount of cocoa because I like mine a little more chocolaty. This dessert is really more of an elegant cupcake than a souffle (since it has no attributes of a souffle except that I baked them in ramekins), but souffle sounds more romantic. I used 8-oz. ramekins, but you could use a cupcake pan and bake enough for a crowd.

Chocolate-filled Red Velvet Souffles with Vanilla Ice Cream and Raspberry Preserves

Chocolate Centers (adapted from a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens):

1 c. milk chocolate pieces

1/4 c. whipping cream

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Cake:

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour                          1/2 c. buttermilk, at room temperature

3/4 c. sugar                                             1 medium egg, at room temperature

1/2 tsp. baking soda                                 1 Tbsp. red food color

1/2 tsp. salt                                             1/2 tsp. white vinegar

1 Tbsp. cocoa powder                              1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 c. vegetable oil                                  raspberry preserves

   In a small saucepan combine chocolate, cream and butter. Stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Let chocolate cool 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze 30 minutes to 1 hour, until a fudge-like consistency.

  Divide filling into 6 portions. Working quickly, use yours hands to roll each portion into a ball. Return balls to freezer.

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 6 8-oz. ramekins (alternately: line muffin tins with cupcake liners).

   In a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.

  In the bowl of a mixer, whisk oil, buttermilk, egg, food color, vinegar and vanilla.

  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing just until combined and a smooth batter forms.

  Divide half the batter between the ramekins. Place a previously-made chocolate center in the middle of each ramekin. Spoon the remaining batter over each ball of chocolate, dividing the batter evenly again between the 6 ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven and bake 25-30 minutes (rotating pans about halfway through) or until the tops spring back when gently touched.

  Remove pan from oven. Invert cakes onto serving plates, add a scoop of ice cream and drizzle with raspberry preserves.

Chili

  Looking for a fantastic Chili recipe? I just posted one on my THRIVE blog that can be ready in as little as 20 minutes!