Whipped coconut cream

July 21, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

I am posting this because whipped coconut cream is a far superior replacement to whipped cream and it’s non-dairy.

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You have to be careful which brand of coconut milk or cream you use as some just don’t whip up very well.
Here are the top 4 brands;
Savoy Coconut Cream,
Nature’s Charm Coco whipping cream
365 Whole Foods Organic coconut milk
Native Forest organic coconut milk classic
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Tips for perfect coconut whipped cream
Select a good quality brand of coconut milk (see recommendations above).
Chill overnight, not in the freezer for best results.
Chilling overnight is key or the coconut cream won’t harden and will likely be too soft to whip.
Before whipping, chill a large mixing bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes!
If your coconut whipped cream is too stiff when whipping, add some of the reserved liquid from the can to help it blend smoother and create more air!
See clumps? Keep whipping and scraping down sides, and add some of the reserved liquid from the can to soften the mixture and create more air!
Use immediately, OR (my preferred) make ahead and chill for 4 hours + where it will firm up even more!
Keep it sugar free by adding a little stevia to taste!

Makes 6 (1/4 cup) servings:
Keeps 1-2 weeks in the fridge

1 14-ounce can coconut cream or full fat coconut milk* (Savoy Coconut Cream, Aroy-D Coconut Milk, and Nature’s Charm Coconut Whipping Cream work best!)
1/4 – 3/4 cup icing/powdered sugar (use organic to ensure vegan friendliness)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Chill your coconut cream or coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight being sure not to shake or tip the can to encourage separation of the cream and liquid.
The next day, chill a large mixing bowl 10 minutes before whipping.
Remove the coconut cream or milk from the fridge without tipping or shaking and remove the lid. Scrape out the top, thickened cream and leave the liquid behind (reserve for use in smoothies).

Note: if your coconut milk didn’t harden, you probably just got a dud can without the right fat content. In that case, you can try to salvage it with a bit of tapioca flour – 1 to 4 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size)- during the whipping process. That has worked for me several times.

Place hardened cream in your chilled mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds with a mixer until creamy. Then add vanilla (optional) and powdered sugar (or stevia) and mix until creamy and smooth – about 1 minute. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.

Use immediately or refrigerate – it will harden and set in the fridge the longer it’s chilled. Will keep for up to 1 – 2 weeks!
Coconut whipped cream is perfect for topping desserts like pie, hot cocoa and ice cream.
It’s also ideal for french toast, pie fillings, mousse, and even no-churn ice cream!

Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Soup

Chilled corn and coconut soup with crab garnish

July 17, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is a super soup for the hot summer months and makes a welcome change to gazpacho. It is also vegan if you leave off the crab topping, as in this photo.

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Serves 6

4 tbsp Grapeseed Oil
1 White Onion, medium dice
1 Fennel Bulb, medium dice
1 Carrot, peeled and sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, rough chopped
1 Serrano Pepper, seeded and rough chopped
4 cups Sweet Corn Kernels
16 oz Coconut Milk
16 oz Vegetable Stock
1 Star Anise
2 sprigs fresh Tarragon
3 Tbsp Lime Juice
Salt, to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

For Garnish:
6 oz Jumbo Lump Crab Meat, picked
1 tbsp Shallot, minced
1 tsp Serrano Pepper, minced
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lime Juice, to taste
Salt, to taste

Heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat.
Sweat the onion until translucent, add the carrot and fennel, continue to sweat until they begin to soften.
Add the garlic and serrano pepper, sweat until fragrant.
Add the corn kernels and cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to caramelize.
Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock, whisk together and bring to a simmer. Add the star anise and tarragon.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the corn is tender – about 20-30 minutes.

Transfer the soup to a blender, not filling more than halfway at a time.
Cover the top with a kitchen towel and start blending slowly, gradually increasing to high speed.
Puree until smooth, adjust the seasoning to taste.
Continue to puree soup in batches.
Strain through a fine sieve into clean pot or bowl, using the back of a ladle to help push it through.
Discard the solids.
Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Chill the soup for 6 hours to overnight.
Stir in the lime juice when ready to serve.

Garnish

Toss the crab, shallot, and serrano peppers in extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, and salt.
Divide the soup into 6 bowls.
Garnish each serving crab salad and serve immediately.

Do-ahead · Poultry

Chicken egg pastia

July 13, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

One of my favorite Middle Eastern uses for ground chicken or turkey.

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1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2lbs ground chicken (or turkey)
3 red onions, 2 finely chopped, 1 thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp ras el hanout (Moroccan spice mix)
1 pinch saffron threads
2 cups chicken stock
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4oz pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup Craisins (or substitute with currants)
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 bunch mint, leaves picked, finely chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, finely chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
20 sheets filo pastry
5oz unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease
1 tbsp nigella seeds

Heat half the oil in a wide, deep-sided frypan over high heat.
In 2 batches, add the ground meat and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, for 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Repeat with remaining meat.

Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in the same frypan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add ras el hanout and saffron, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Return the meat to the frypan with the stock, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Pour the eggs over chicken mixture and gently simmer, without stirring, for 2 minutes or until eggs start to set.
Add the pistachios, craisins, lemon and orange zest, and chopped herbs, and stir until combined.

Transfer to a heatproof bowl, stand for 20 minutes to cool slightly, then chill for 1-2 hours or until completely cooled.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a deep 11″ by 15″ roasting pan.
Lightly brush 5 filo sheets with melted butter and stack on top of one another. Cover with a baking paper and a damp tea towel, and set aside. Repeat with the remaining filo to make four 5-sheet filo stacks. Place the prepared pan with a short side facing you.

Place a pastry stack in bottom half of pan, short side facing you, allowing half the stack to overhang bottom edge of pan. Place a second stack in top half of pan, short side facing you and bottom edge slightly overlapping first stack, with excess overhanging top edge of pan. Place a third stack in pan with a long side of stack slightly overlapping long side of first stack and excess overhanging edge of pan. Repeat with fourth stack to completely cover pan.

Pour in the meat mixture and fold excess pastry over to enclose, scrunching corners slightly. Brush with butter and scatter with nigella seeds.
Bake the pastia for 1 hour or until golden. Stand for 15 minutes to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, toss the sliced onion and lemon juice in a bowl. Set aside to pickle slightly.

Scatter the pastia with the pickled onion and extra mint and parsley leaves to serve.

Asian flavors · Baking · Do-ahead

Lime & coconut tres leche cake

July 12, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

This cake has all my favorite things, coconut, lime and tres leche all in one!!

Recipe by Phoebe Wood from “Delicious” Magazine, a wonderful Australian food magazine I adore.

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7oz unsalted butter, chopped, softened
1 1/3 cups caster sugar, or superfine
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
Finely grated zest of 3 limes
6 eggs
3 cups self-raising flour, sifted
20 fl oz buttermilk
13 fl oz can evaporated milk
2 cups coconut milk
Coconut flakes, to serve

LIME AND COCONUT CREAM CHEESE ICING

7oz pure icing sugar, sifted
5oz unsalted butter, softened
17.5oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup coconut cream
Finely grated zest of 2 limes

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the base and side of a 8-9″ round springform cake pan and line with baking paper.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and caster sugar until pale. Add 2 tsp vanilla and the zest of 2 limes, and beat to combine. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In 2 batches, fold in the flour and 12 fl oz to the buttermilk, then spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Stand for 20 minutes, then prick the top all over with a thin skewer.

Combine the evaporated milk, coconut milk and remaining buttermilk in a pitcher with the remaining 2 tsp vanilla bean paste, then pour half over the cake.
Stand to soak for 15 minutes, then pour over remaining milk mixture.
Chill for 4 hours or overnight until cold.

For the icing, beat the icing sugar and butter together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until pale. Beat in the cream cheese, coconut cream and lime zest until combined and smooth.

Spread over the cake using a palette knife. Scatter with coconut flakes and remaining lime zest, and cut into slices to serve.

Do-ahead · Meat

Lebanese beef skewers

July 12, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

These skewers are best enjoyed when laid on a bed of hummus or flatbread.
This is an edited extract from “Saffron in the Souks” by John Gregory-Smith.

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1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp sumac, plus extra to serve
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus extra leaves, to serve
12 oz hummus, to serve
Extra virgin olive oil plus flatbreads, to serve

KEBABS

1 lb ground beef (20% fat)
3/4 onion, grated
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Baharat spice (Middle Eastern spice mix)
1 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
2 oz toasted pine nuts, plus extra to serve
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Place the onion into a large bowl with the lemon juice. Season to taste and mix to combine. Stand for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat a chargrill pan or barbecue to high heat.
For the kebabs, place all the ingredients in a large bowl, season and mix well to combine.
Divide the mixture into 8 portions and roll each into a sausage shape. Thread the meat onto metal skewers. Chargrill or barbecue for 3-4 minutes each side until charred and juicy.

Stir the sumac and parsley into the onions until well combined. To serve, spread the hummus onto a serving dish. Lay the kebabs on top and pile the onions on top.
Sprinkle with extra sumac and pine nuts, and drizzle with oil.
Serve immediately with warmed flatbreads.

Baking · Chocolate · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Chocolate-ginger refrigerator squares

July 12, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

Don’t you just love cookies you don’t have to “cook”?
We are living with an upstairs temporary kitchen and only a toaster oven for 6 months while our kitchen/dining room is being remodeled, so this recipe is a real winner. Aside from the ease of “cooking” I am a ginger freak.
Recipe c/o the great BBC Good Food website.

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11 oz ginger cookies, roughly crushed
8 oz crystallized stem ginger, finely chopped or the stem ginger in syrup, drained and finely chopped. The more gingery you like it, the more you can add!
11 oz plain 70% to 85% chocolate of a good quality like Lindt.
3.5 oz butter, diced
3.5 oz golden syrup ( I get this on Amazon, but you can probably substitute with honey or corn syrup)

Line a 8″ by 11.5″ tin with baking parchment.
Mix the cookies with most of the ginger, then set aside.
Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth and glossy.
Pour this over the cookie and ginger mixture and mix together well.

Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle over the reserved ginger (whether you’re using crystallized or drained ginger), then flatten the top lightly – it doesn’t need to be completely smooth.
Chill for at least 2 hrs, or overnight, before cutting into small squares.

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Fish · Gluten Free

Miso marinated black cod

June 8, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is my most favorite dish to have in a Japanese restaurant. The fish is rich, buttery and just falls apart. This recipe from the great chef, Nobu, is all you will ever need. Please note the length of time for the marinade!

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SERVES 4

1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
4 tablespoons white miso paste
3 tablespoons sugar
4 black cod fillets, about 1/2 pound each

2 to 3 days beforehand, make the miso marinade and marinate the fish.

Bring the sake and mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol. Turn the heat down to low, add the miso paste, and whisk.
When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar, whisking constantly to ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
Pat the black cod fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels.
Slather the fish with the miso marinade and place in a non-reactive dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

To cook the fish:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat an oven-proof skillet over high heat on the stovetop. Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets, but don’t rinse it off.
Film the pan with a little oil, then place the fish skin-side-up on the pan and cook until the bottom of the fish browns and blackens in spots, about 3 minutes.
Flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily.

Accompaniments · Breakfast · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Homemade pasture-raised butter

June 1, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

There’s nothing like fresh butter made with high-quality ingredients. It’s so smooth and rich, that straight out of the churn it tastes just like ice cream. It really is that good. Nothing better!

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All butter is great, but some butter is truly extraordinary. What gives it superior status? It’s got to be fresh, and it must be from pasture-raised cows. Because butter is a product of cream, the quality of the milk matters. Cows that have been happily munching grass produce richer, sweeter tasting milk and cream—which translates into better butter. If you’ve ever followed a pastured dairy through the seasons, you’ll probably notice a difference in the product: Butter is paler in color and less rich in the winter months, when the cows eat hay (a.k.a. dried grass). Once the fields turn green and the cows get to eat fresh grass, the butter becomes daffodil-yellow and has a vegetal sweetness.

The first thing you’ll need is room-temperature really good quality cream from pasture-raised cows. Being room temperature it will process faster and will be easier to work with.
Once it’s ready, place the cream in the bowl of your food processor, being sure to leave enough room for it to agitate without splashing out the top or sides. Keeping it below the halfway line is a good rule of thumb.

I have a 12-cup food processor at home, and find that a quart of cream is just the right amount.

Make sure that the top is securely locked in place, then let ‘er rip. The cream will whirr around the bowl, thickening and transitioning to whipped cream (feel free to stop the machine at this point and sneak a taste), then “breaking” before finally separating into milk solids and buttermilk. The butter will look like delightful little yellow clouds swimming in a cloudy sea.
The whole process takes five minutes or less with a small batch.
Set a fine mesh sieve over a mixing bowl or glass measuring cup and pour the milk solids and buttermilk into the sieve. The bowl or measuring cup will catch the buttermilk.
Save it and use it for pancakes or scones.

Rinse It Out

To finish the butter, rinse it under cool water, gently moving it around the sieve with a mixing spoon.
You’re rinsing off the residual buttermilk, and this is important because the more thoroughly you rinse, the longer your butter will last. Continue rinsing until the water runs clear, then let the butter drain in the sieve. You can also use a spoon or clean hands to work out any excess liquid, which, if left in, could also turn the butter rancid quicker. Commercially-produced butter is washed with either a chlorinated rinse or lactic acid to help preserve it. That means your homemade batch will never keep as long as the store-bought version, but making sure it’s squeaky-clean helps.

Take It With a Grain (or More) of Salt

If you choose not to salt your butter, know that it will turn faster. (It’s essentially just more concentrated heavy cream. Salt helps preserve it.)
If you are salting, add a little bit at a time and taste as you go. You can always add more, but it’s impossible to fix a too-salty butter.
A fine-grain salt will incorporate into the butter better, but a flaky sea salt will impart intense bursts of salinity. I’m a fan of both; it just depends on my mood.

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