Tagged:  coconut

ENTER OUR KITCHEN, WATCH & LEARN

Every year in December, my thoughts return to Montreal where I spent my early childhood. In Canada, the holiday season was synonymous with my cousins and me enjoying those great snowball fights.

Here in Los Angeles, these delicious Snowballs are made with bananas that are cut into chunks, rolled in sour cream and then in coconut. Rather than throwing these Snowballs at anyone, it’s best to serve them on a festive platter, surrounded by lush, fresh strawberries.

While Snowballs are fun to make, if anyone’s around during the process, these treats will never make it to your holiday table. But if they do, they’ll be the hit of the party – guaranteed!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Makes: 15 snowballs (or pieces)
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
Juice of one lemon or lime
8 ounces sour cream
2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
3 cups Baker’s Angel Flake Coconut®
1 quart fresh, whole strawberries

1. Peel and cut the bananas into one-inch chunks (approximately 5 chunks per banana).

2. Place bananas in a shallow bowl and gently toss in the lemon or lime juice.

3. In a separate, shallow 10-inch bowl, gently stir together the sour cream and Amaretto liqueur; set aside.

4. Place coconut in a separate 10 or 12-inch shallow bowl and set aside.

5. Using two forks, lightly coat each banana chunk with the sour cream mixture followed by the coconut (roll each banana chunk in the coconut until it is thoroughly coated and looks like a snowball).

6. Place snowball on a serving platter. Repeat with remaining banana chunks and arrange in a mound on the serving platter.

7. Fan each strawberry by making two vertical cuts into it. Arrange strawberries in a circle around the Snowballs.

8. Refrigerate Snowballs up to three hours (covered in plastic wrap) or serve immediately.

Text & Photograph ©2011 Nancy DeLucia Real

Recently, I’ve been preparing to teach a culinary course related to the J. Paul Getty Museum’s exhibition on Cambodian sculptures. When I first viewed the small-scale, bronze sculptures of Hindu and Buddhist deities (hailing from Angkor, the ancient capital of Cambodia), I was captured by their refined elegance.

I’ve also quite impressed with the cuisine of Cambodia. Eternally possessed by a sweet tooth, I decided to share this  pudding made with fresh corn and coconut sauce – B’baw Poat. Enjoy it as a quick breakfast, snack or dessert.

Active prep time: 25 to 30 minutes
Inactive prep time: 10 minutes (for cooling)
Makes: Six to eight 1/2 cup Servings

MAKE THE PUDDING:
3 ears of fresh corn, kernels sliced off with a knife (yield 3 cups)
-OR-
3 cups frozen yellow corn kernels (slightly under 16 ounces)
3 tablespoons pearl tapioca
2-1/2 cups cold water
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a 4 or 5-quart saucepot, combine all ingredients and stir.

2. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, and cook on lowest heat setting for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (pudding should gently simmer as it cooks). For a thinner consistency, stir in a small amount of water.

3. Cook an additional 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. The pudding is done when you can see the white centers or dots of the tapioca pearls.

4. Cover saucepot and remove from heat; let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Transfer pudding to six 1/2-cup glass bowls or porcelain ramekins.

6. Immediately cover with plastic wrap and set aside to cool to room temperature; then refrigerate.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE COCONUT SAUCE:
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (for topping)

1. In a 1-quart saucepot, combine all ingredients except for the sesame seeds. Mix well until mixture is smooth.

2. Bring mixture to a boil, uncovered. Boil and stir 1 minute over medium-low heat, until mixture thickens slightly.

3. Strain the sauce into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to cool.

4. At serving time, spoon a little sauce over individual puddings and top with some sesame seeds.

Note: B’baw Poat can be served lukewarm or cold. It will keep in refrigerator 3 to 5 days.

Text and Photographs ©2011 Nancy DeLucia Real

While lounging under a palm tree at the beach last week, I was suddenly overcome by the memory of a trip to Thailand. In my mind I was comparing the fruitless palms of Santa Monica to those bursting with coconuts on the shores of North Pattaya Beach. One of our meals on the beach had included a side of rice containing coconut and my favorite fruit, mango. Here’s the recipe that I recreated upon my return to Los Angeles.

Prep time: 30 to 40 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 green onions, white parts finely sliced (green tips discarded)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup Jasmine rice, uncooked
2-1/2 cups coconut water
2 tablespoons shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala spice or curry powder
1/4 cup coconut milk combined with 1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup finely minced fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mango (cut into 1/4-inch pieces)
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
4 to 6 purple cabbage leaves (for garnish)

1. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Stir-fry the onions, bell pepper and rice on medium-low heat for 2 minutes.

2. Stir in the coconut water, shredded coconut, salt, Garam Masala or curry powder.

3. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 12 to 15 minutes or until rice looks dry.

4. Pour the coconut-water mixture evenly over the rice. Cover and continue cooking on low for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until rice has absorbed most of the liquid.

5. After 3 to 5 minutes, uncover and gently stir in the cilantro, mango and red pepper flakes.

6. Divide rice evenly among cabbage leaves and serve as a side to poultry, seafood or meats.

Note: Garam Masala is an Indian spice blend and can be found in ethnic grocery stores or online.

Text and Photographs ©2010 Nancy DeLucia Real