Chocolate Coconut Shell for Ice Cream

This is an incredibly easy and delicious recipe I got from Aunt Becky.  I got the coconut oil from Aunt Gina, who got it at Costco.  

You really won't believe how simple this is.  After it is melted together, you just pack ice cream onto a cone and dip it carefully!  Or you can spoon it over ice cream in a bowl.  Or just eat it with a spoon.  There's no judgement here at all.  You can see I used just the right amount of chocolate, it's pooling at the bottom of my very precariously top-heavy cone.

I made 1 batch, covered 4 ice cream cones with it, ate a couple spoonfuls, and still had almost a whole pint of chocolate leftover!  Don't forget to store this in the refrigerator and reheat as necessary.  

Becky uses a microwave, I used a saucepan, it's all good.  I had some Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Chips in the cupboard, so that's what I used.  Becky told me she uses fancy chocolate sometimes, but usually semi-sweet or dark chips.  I was dreaming of that 11 pounds of gianduja I had once upon a time...might be time to order that again!  (and follow the link, if only to read my story!  Don't worry, I have an email in to the company, asking how I can get more since it didn't come up on a search)

Chocolate Coconut Shell

1/2 cup coconut oil

1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cup chocolate chips (guess which one I used?) 

Gently melt and stir together in microwave or saucepan.  Cool slightly, then dip solidly formed ice cream cones or spoon over ice cream.

Store in a jar in the refrigerator, if you can make it last that long.

Spicy Coconut Custard with Candied Coconut

It's so fun entering these contests from Marx Foods! In the most recent Marx Foods recipe contest I entered, I came in third with my Chile-Spiced Chocolate Tarts with Crème Pâtissière and Red Wine and Chile-Infused Strawberry Sauce!! They were so delicious! And honestly, without Marx Foods providing the dried chile peppers, the inspiration to create those tarts may never have arrived!

So when you enter a Marx Foods contest, you may have an idea of what you're going to get, but it still somehow is a surprise. This particular contest was a complete surprise--RANDOM Recipes! I had no idea what would be in the box, and was pleasantly surprised to find:

Tomato Couscous
Puya Chiles
Chanterelle Mushrooms
De Arbol Chiles
Coconut Sugar

Hurray, and thank you!! Now, I love mushrooms, but the ideas just weren't flowing. So I turned to the Coconut Sugar. It's actually coconut sap sugar; I had no idea they even made that! (Did I ever tell you I love coconut?) Still being in love with the chiles from the last challenge, I chose to use those as well. And by now it's no surprise I made dessert!


The custard is smooth and creamy and cool, with a hint of heat on the back of your tongue. It picks up its yellow hue from both the pureed chiles and the fresh-laid-today chicken eggs! The chiles also provide some nice orangey flecks in the custard.

The candied coconut adds just the right sort of caramely-coconutty crunch, nice texture contrast, and has a unique flavor. The family loved it!



I did some experimenting until I got enough heat in the coconut milk (even throwing some extra Puya seeds out of the package into the pot!) I used the methods my husband and I developed with the tart filling to get all the delicious flavor of those Puyas. If you like more heat, you can use one or two more chiles. The possibilities are endless!

The coconut sugar reminds me of jaggery (an Indian sugar) in the way it behaves when heated...in other words, not normally! So the Candied Coconut is a little tricky, but it's tasty if you stick with it!


Spicy Coconut Custard with Candied Coconut
Serves 4

Custard:
1 can (approx. 14 ounces) coconut milk
2 whole dried Puya chile peppers
3 eggs, beaten gently
1/4 cup sugar

Heat coconut milk and Puya chiles in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Gently bring to boiling, stirring, then turn off heat. Let milk steep for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. I rested my wooden spoon right on top of the chile pepper to keep it submerged during the steeping. After 10 minutes, remove stems from chiles and place them in a small food processor (I used the bowl attachment with my Cuisinart stick blender), along with about 1/4 cup of the coconut milk. Process chiles and milk until chiles are relatively small, then return mixture to remaining coconut milk in the saucepan. Stir, and let entire mixture sit and steep until completely cool.

Place a glass bowl in a pan of ice water.

Add eggs and sugar to coconut milk mixture in the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture coats a metal spoon. (much longer than that and your eggs will start to "scramble," take my word for it!) Immediately pour custard into prepared glass bowl, and stir constantly to cool, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour custard into 4 individual custard dishes (or pretty glasses). Cover custard surface with plastic wrap (to prevent a skin from forming), and chill dishes in refrigerator for at least one hour.

Just before serving, remove from refrigerator, remove plastic wrap (of course), sprinkle with candied coconut, and enjoy!



Candied Coconut:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 coconut sugar
1 cup raw dried coconut (not sweetened)

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper on the counter.

Melt butter over medium heat and spread around pan; sprinkle coconut sugar on top. Let melt a minute or two before mixing. This will not look like you may expect it to, the sugar won't really melt or dissolve, it'll just look sort of greasy but will start to spread out a bit. Mix it in with the butter using a wooden spoon. When it is mixed together, turn heat to low and sprinkle in the coconut and quickly stir.

To mix the coconut with the sugar mixture, you'll have to sort of "chop" the coconut into the sugar with your wooden spoon to separate it and break up the clumps, otherwise you'll end up with big brown clumps of coconut sugar and the coconut itself won't have much coating. So, mix and "chop" over low until the coconut is turning golden (both from the sugar and from the hot pan), being careful not to burn it.

Turn coconut onto the prepared baking sheet, breaking up any large clumps with the wooden spoon, then let cool before using.

Braised Chicken in Yellow Curry

In an effort to clear my sinuses, and because I was really hungry, I turned to my Quick & Easy Thai cookbook. I couldn't find the boneless chicken breasts I swear I bought, so Yellow Curry Chicken was out. I debated improvising--with a cuisine I don't know much about--and decided against it. I was intrigued by a recipe called Son-in-Law Eggs with Crispy Shallots, in which you fry hard-boiled eggs and top them with a savory tamarind sauce, but I'll save that for another time.

I chose Braised Chicken in Yellow Curry. While I was reading the recipe, I thought to myself, 3 tablespoons of red curry is a lot! But then I forgot I had thought that, and stirred in 3 tablespoons when the time was right. You know, 3 tablespoons is a LOT of red curry! If you like it extra spicy, go ahead and add that much. Next time I'll cut it down by half. I had to stir in some yogurt (as usual) and it still cleared my sinuses!

But, the dish is tasty and not too hard to throw together. Try it and see!



Braised Chicken in Yellow Curry
gai goh-lae

2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds chicken thighs or any combination of chicken pieces (we used some legs)
3 tablespoons yellow curry paste, OR 3 tablespoons red curry paste plus 1 tablespoon curry powder
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, OR 2 tablespoons white vinegar plus 2 teaspoons sugar (we used lime)
1 tablespoon palm sugar OR brown sugar (we used palm)

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces in two batches, turning once or twice until golden and then transferring the browned pieces to a medium bowl.

Reduce heat to medium and add the curry paste to the saucepan. Cook, stirring and mashing, until the paste is fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken and its juices to the pan and add the coconut milk and chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil, adjust heat to maintain a lively simmer, and cook 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is tender and cooked through. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar and remove from heat. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot or warm.

Blender Coconut Pie

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe before! But when I wanted to track it down to share with someone, it wasn't here! So now I'll share it with all of you!

This pie comes from a cookbook called The One-Armed Cook, a spiral-bound book which includes "Quick and easy recipes, smart meal plans, and savvy advice for new (and not-so-new) moms." I got the book sometime after the birth of my second son, and have made several delicious recipes from it.

When my oldest son was about three, he helped me make this pie. It is sooooo easy, whipped up in a blender, and it even makes its own crust! (don't ask me how, it just works!) And it's custardy and yummy too! This pie is so good and simple, I made one right away so I could show you a picture!


Yum! I made one! I had forgotten how scrumptious this pie is--like a creamy egg custard, topped with perfectly toasted coconut! You should make one too!


Blender Coconut Pie
Servings: 8
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Start to Finish time: 55 minutes

4 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 (3 1/2-ounce) can sweetened shredded coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Coat a 9-inch glass pie dish with cooking spray.

3. Place all the ingedients except for the coconut in a blender container, blend for 1 minute, until well mixed. Pour this mixture into the prepared pie dish. Sprinkle with the coconut.

4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is set and the top is toasted golden brown.

5. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving.

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

This weekend we went to a resort and spa with Number One's father and stepmother-in-law, and Number One's brother and sister-in-law and our niece met up with us halfway through. Since our sister-in-law's birthday is coming up, I decided it would be a nice idea to take some cupcakes with us to celebrate.

I got this recipe from Stef of Cupcake Project, my partner from last month's Taste & Create. She got the recipe from Garrett of Vanilla Garlic. Stef changed Garrett's recipe by baking Garrett's key lime filling right into the cake, and that sounded perfect to me.

Once I got it together to make these, they're actually quite easy. I finally figured out the best way to get the soupy batter into the liners: a small gravy ladle and a spoon for scraping! This batter is tasty, and I ended up with 30 cupcakes!

Stef used lime frosting on her cupcakes. I didn't have lime extract, and I thought lime frosting on a lime cupcake sounded too, well, limey, so I changed the frosting into a coconut frosting. I also topped each cupcake with some lovely toasted natural coconut. (that means raw, unsweetened. I toasted it in my toaster oven at about 350 degrees F for just a few minutes, keeping a close eye on it)

Very beautiful and very delicious, the cupcakes were a big hit, two nights in a row. I'm so glad I stuck the extras in the refrigerator, now we'll have a few more to eat this week!

These cupcakes are sweet and tangy, and the coconut frosting + toasted coconut was the perfect topping! I will be making these again, exactly the same way.

*Robot cupcake liners, chosen by H-Bomb

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
from Stef of Cupcake Project

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 - 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup lime or key lime juice

1. Beat the butter for about 30 seconds until creamed.
2. Add the sugar and mix for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, being sure to beat for 30 seconds for each egg.
4. Use food processor or a potato masher or whatever you have on hand to grind the graham crackers into tiny crumbs and powder.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and powder, and salt.
   
6. Add about 1/4 of the mixture to the butter mixture.
7. Add some of the milk.
8. Continue to add the ingredients in a dry - wet - dry method, ending with the dry.
9. Mix until just combined.
10. In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and lime juice. (FYI - If you want to make an amazing key lime pie, just mix the ingredients in this step, dump it into a pie shell and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. It's the easiest recipe ever! The pie won't be green and it shouldn't be. Lime juice isn't green.)
11. Dump the key lime mixture into the graham batter and lightly stir. Do NOT fully integrate the key lime and graham batter. You should have clumps of batter in a key lime soup.
12. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Make sure each liner has a nice distribution of key lime liquid and graham clumps.
13. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until top bounces back when touched.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 - 8oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  

1. Mix the cream cheese and butter.
2. Add the coconut extract and powdered sugar, mix well.
3. Frost cupcakes, top with toasted coconut. I put my cooled, toasted coconut in a cereal bowl, then after frosting a cupcake, I dipped it upside down in the coconut. Worked like a charm and looked great!

Cowboy Cookies

I was looking for a good new cookie recipe, when this one appeared in my mailbox in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. As luck would have it, they have coconut in them, and are appropriately-named for serving on a ranch, or anywhere. Delicious!

Cowboy Cookies
Makes about 5 dozen The origin and original ingredients of this popular cookie may be unclear, but there's no doubt it'll spur a stampede. This version relies on oats, coconut, pecans, and chocolate for just the right chewiness and gooeyness.

Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks (1 cup)~I used 1 heaping cup chocolate chips
3 ounces (3/4 cup) pecan halves
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray, line with parchment, and spray parchment. Sift flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder into a medium bowl.

2 Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

3. Reduce speed to low, and slowly add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in oats, chocolate, pecans and coconut until combined. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days).

4. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a small spoon, drop dough onto baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.

5. Bake until edges of cookies begin to brown, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire rack, and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks. Let cool. (Cookies can be stored up to 3 days)

Aussie Bites

**Updated with lower fat version below!**

This recipe came about when I was hooked on Costco's Aussie Bites--mini muffins with coconut, dried fruit and sunflower seeds in them. Although I had a huge container of them, I RAN OUT. (yes, I pretty much ate all of them myself) Since the nearest Costco is a four hour drive, I couldn't justify it, no matter how much I really wanted more.

I searched and searched on the Internet for a recipe, found one that sounded close, and made it. It wasn't even close. They were dry and crumbly, and the larger ingredients were just too large for a mini muffin. I made some changes, baked another batch, and they turned out better. I made more changes, baked another batch, and they were great--Number One says they are better than the Costco ones, but I'd have to get another container to do taste test...yes, that's exactly the reason! This batch I sent to preschool with H-Bomb for snack. And this is the recipe I'm sharing with you. I am baking a batch of these for us to take on our trip to Michigan next week. A yummy road trip snack--or breakfast if we're desperate!

Aussie Bites

Makes about 50 mini muffins.

Ingredients:
2 cups Regular or Toasted Oats
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2/3 cup Brown sugar
1 3½oz can of coconut (unsweetened) OR 1-1/4 cup flaked
½ cup sunflower kernels
1 cup finely chopped dried fruit (apricots, raisins, dates, figs, cranberries, etc)—I use a mixture of apricots, raisins and cranberries
¼ cup honey
2 sticks unsalted butter**
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons hot water
3 eggs, beaten

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix first six ingredients in a bowl.

3. Melt honey and butter together in microwave.

4. Mix baking soda with hot water and add to butter mixture.

5. Pour butter mixture into dry ingredients, add eggs and mix well.

6. Place tablespoons of mixture into non-stick mini-muffin pans (lightly greased) and flatten mixture slightly. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

**For a lower fat version, reduce butter to one stick. Mix in 1/2 cup applesauce with eggs. You will have to grease your muffin pan, and bake the muffins a couple more minutes, but the muffins will be healthier and still delicious!

We Have A Winner!

At long last! Sorry it's taken me so long, but in the middle of the Coconut Contest decision making we took a trip to Washington, I had decided to participate in the Taste & Create event...and life just happens sometimes!

Today, Number One and I made the final decision. The winner is...Cheryl! For the Italian Cream Cake. It's really not as complicated as a three-layer cake may seem (as long as you have three 9-inch cake pans!) and it is delicious! In fact, I ate some for dinner last night.

Thanks to everyone for the great recipes! All the other entries, White Chocolate Coconut Truffles, Coconut Peanut Dipping Sauce, and Granola, are delicious as well, and this was a very difficult call. I encourage you to try them all!

In the end, the Italian Cream Cake takes the cake!

Congratulations, Cheryl!

Italian Cream Cake

Frosting & Filling:

Combine 1c sugar & 1/4c flour in saucepan. Gradually stir in 1c milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened; about 10 min. Chill.

Combine 1/2c butter, 1tsp vanilla, 2oz unsweetened chocolate in pan & heat and stir until creamy. Gradually blend in chilled mixture. Add 1c nuts & 1 c coconut to this mixture. Add more of each to thicken consistency of filling, if necessary.


Cake batter:

1/2 c butter
1/2 c Crisco
2 c sugar
5 egg yolks
2 c flour
1 tsp soda
1 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 c coconut
2 c chopped nuts**
5 eggs whites - beaten to soft peaks

Line bottoms of 3 9" pans w/waxed paper, then butter sides & bottom.

Cream butter, Crisco & sugar; beat well. Add egg yolks, vanilla & dry ingredients, mix well. Add buttermilk, coconut & nuts**, mix well. Fold in egg whites. Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans and carefully remove waxed paper. Let cool.

When cakes are cool, layer with filling, using about 1/3 of the filling between each layer. Spread the rest of the filling on top of the cake.


** I use walnuts but I'm sure any nuts would work as well.

Enjoy!

White Chocolate Coconut Truffle

4 ounces heavy cream

1 vanilla bean

1 lb white chocolate

1/2 ounce cognac

Toasted coconut

Powdered sugar

Dipping white chocolate

Ganache: Bring cream and vanilla bean to a slow boil. Remove pot from heat, add chocolate directly into pot. Stir! You may need to return to heat, but try not to let it get too hot. Add cognac (if you are using vanilla extract instead of beans, add now). Let mixture cool 24 hours in a sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap.

Next either pipe or scoop out ganache into balls (not bigger then 1/2 ounce each). Coat ganache in powdered sugar. Dip in white chocolate, let dry. Dip a second time, then roll in coconut.

Yummy.

Sorry I don't have a better picture.

Granola (for coconut contest!)

The ONLY thing i make that has coconut in it, is my grandma's granola recipe...and its SO YUMMY! So, that's what I'm posting for my contest entry!!!! I'll post what her original recipe is and add my own adjustments to the side! It's good either way!!!

6 cups quick oats (or you can do 3 cups quick, 3 cups regular oats)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I started taking this OUT of the recipe, to cut down on sugar)

3/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup flaked coconut (unsweetened)

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (i have always used walnuts)

1/2 cup nonfat dry milk

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (HAS to be raw, salted is disgusting in this recipe!)

2/3 cup honey

2/3 cup vegetable oil (i started using grapeseed oil and use just about 1/2 cup)

2 tbsp water

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup raisins

In large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, coconut, sesame seeds, nuts, sunflower seeds and nonfat dry milk. Stir until mixed well. In another bowl, combine honey, oil, water and vanilla. (i usually will use a wire whisk to get this part mixed together good) Add to oat mixture and stir to coat ingredients well.

Turn into two large shallow baking pans. Heat in 300 degree oven for20-25 minutes or until LIGHTLY toasted. (ovens vary, i usually only need to cook mine for 15-18 minutes) Stir twice during heating. Once cooled, crumble into pieces and add raisins if desired.

For the contest!!! COCONUT PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE

Okay... I really want the parrot but I'm playing with a handicap. My husband HATES coconut, therefore I haven't made anything with coconut in oh... over 7 years. I remember this recipe from an old friend who brought it to a party. He pretended that he made it from scratch, etc.... then I asked him for the recipe and he had to admit that it was a peanut sauce mix packet from A Taste of Thai and a can of coconut milk... both items easily found in the asian section of the "ethnic food aisle" of your local grocery store.

What you will need:

A Taste of Thai Peanut Sauce Mix packet

1 15oz can of coconut milk (any brand)

Warm up the milk in a small saucepan and add the sauce mix.

THAT'S IT.

This sauce can be served warm or cold with pita to dip.

You can also stir fry some chicken strips, cut into bite sized pieces, skewer with toothpicks and serve as a hot appetizer with the dipping sauce... kinda like Chicken Satay.

You can also use the sauce to make a Chicken Thai pizza. Spread on a ready-made crust, top with stir fried chicken pieces, blanched bean sprouts, scallions, fresh cilantro or parsley, pepper and shredded monterey jack cheese.

There ya go! 3 recipes in one!

Kelly's Island Chocolate Coconut Rum Pie

This is what my sweet husband made for my birthday dessert. Rich and decadent, it is a mixture of several of my favorite things: coconut, chocolate, and oh yes, rum. Come to Mama.

It's from Celebrate With Chocolate by Marcel Desaulniers. Yes, Number One even made the pie crust too! And whipped the cream and rum for the topping. He is talented!

Note: This recipe does need to chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, so be sure to plan ahead.

Flaky Pie Crust Dough

1/3 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-ounce pieces

Chocolate Coconut Rum Filling

1 1/2 cups dried unsweetened coconut flakes
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
3 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-ounce pieces
1/4 cup Myer's dark rum
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
5 large eggs

MAKE THE FLAKY PIE CRUST DOUGH:
Place the milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a small bowl. Use a fork to stir the egg and milk mixture until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Place 1 3/4 cups of the flour and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix on the lowest speed (stir) for 1 1/2 minutes, until the butter is cut into the flour and the mixture develops a very coarse texture (some small chunks of butter should be visible; if not, you probably have overmixed). Gradually add the milk and egg mixture while mixing on low until the dough comes together, 15 to 20 seconds. Remove the dough from the mixer and form it into a smooth round ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, then press into a 1-inch-thick disk (this makes rolling the dough real easy, especially with a soft dough like this one). Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and remove and discard the plastic wrap. Place the dough on a clean, dry, lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough with a rolling pin that has been dusted with flour (use the remaining 1/4 cup of flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking) into a circle about 16 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Line a 9 x 1 1/2-inch nonstick pie pan with the dough, gently pressing the dough around the bottom and sides of the pan. Use a paring knife or scissors to trim the dough, leaving a 2 inch border. Fold a 3- to 4-inch section of the border at a time, over and into the sides of the dough in the pan, and press gently into place. The folded border should stand about 1 inch from the top edge of the pan. Continue to fold and press the remaining dough border into the pan, a 3- to 4-inch section at a time, until all of the border has been folded into the pan (this creates an impressive-looking wavelike edge). Set aside at room temperature while preparing the filling.

PREPARE THE CHOCOLATE COCONUT RUM FILLING:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Toast the coconut flakes on a baking sheet in the oven until golden brown (they will also be crispy after a few seconds out of the oven), about 5 minutes.

Heat the sugar, corn syrup, butter, rum, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently while the mixture is heating. Reduce the heat to low and cook the mixture for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; immediately add the semisweet chocolate, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth (be careful while stirring not to splash the scorching-hot mixture out of the bowl). Set aside until needed in a minute or so.

Place the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Whisk on medium speed for 1 minute until combined. Operate the mixer on medium while gradually adding the hot chocolate mixture. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute until incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in the coconut flakes until evenly distributed.

Pour the chocolate and coconut mixture into the prepared pie shell. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet on the center rack in the oven and bake for 1 hour, until the crust is golden brown and the chocolate center is domed and shiny. Remove the pie from the oven and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Refrigerate the pie for 8 hours before cutting and serving.

After assembly, you may keep the pie in the refrigerator for 2 days before serving. To avoid permeating the pie with refrigerator odors, place it in a large, tightly sealed plastic container.

TO SERVE:
Heat the blade of a serrated knife with a rounded tip under hot running water and wipe the blade dry before cutting each slice. Consider serving the pie with rum-flavored unsweetened whipping cream.

Coconut Lime Cake

This picture and recipe come from the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen. It would have been an excellent cake to make for Easter, but I just thought of it today, being Easter Sunday it's a bit late! I have made it before though, once when my parents were visiting, and it is amazing.

This cake is known as a butter cake, made by creaming butter with sugar until the mixture is soft, smooth and pale yellow in color. When adding the flour, eggs and other ingredients to the mixture, do not overwork it or you may destroy the air bubbles and the lightening effect of the creaming.

Serves 12

Ingredients

For the cake:
3 1/4 cups cake flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups milk
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1 Tbs. finely chopped lime zest
4 eggs


For the frosting:
4 egg whites
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans; tap out excess flour.

To make the cake, over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vanilla; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar and lime zest and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, spreading the batter evenly. Bake until the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto the rack and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer, using a handheld whisk, beat together the egg whites, sugar, corn syrup and salt just until combined, about 30 seconds. Place the bowl over but not touching simmering water in a saucepan and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot, 2 to 3 minutes.

Set the bowl on the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat until the outside of the bowl is cool and medium-firm peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 1 cup of the coconut just until incorporated.

Place one cake layer, top side down, on a serving plate. Using an icing spatula or a knife, spread some of the frosting evenly on top. Place a second layer, top side down, on the first layer and spread some of the frosting evenly on top. Place the remaining layer, top side down, on the second layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Press the remaining 1 1/2 cups coconut onto the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before serving to set the frosting.

Homemade Granola

This is an excellent granola recipe, I don't remember where I got it. It's quite simple, delicious, and it really lasts for a long time.

Makes about 8 cups.

1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup golden raisins (I have also substituted dried blueberries for this, delicious)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread shredded coconut onto a baking pan, and bake until toasted, about 5 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool.

2. Reduce oven temperature to 300. Line two baking pans with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, canola oil and honey. Stir together until well combined. Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheets; bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool.

3. Break up cooled granola; sprinkle with raisins and toasted coconut. Stir to combine. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.

Banana Date Coffee Cake

This is a recipe I used to make all the time in college. At the time, I was doing a lot of work with Native Americans, and it seemed like most of them were diabetics. For some reason, unbeknownst to me at this present time, we had a lot of potluck-type things. The Native Americans were sooooooo excited that this recipe has no sugar (other than the minimal amount on the coconut and dates). I used to place a stack of recipe print-outs right next to the pan of coffee cake. I lost the recipe, but found a very similar one online, which I then fixed--the guy had added sugar! No!! He ruined the very essence of it!!--So, I brought it back to its former healthful, delicious, sugar free glory. Enjoy.

P.S. Preschool snack, here we come!

• 1/2 cup butter - softened
• 2 medium bananas
• 3 large eggs
• 1 and 1/4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 and 1/2 cups chopped dates
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• For Topping:
• 1/2 cup (heaping) chopped dates
• 1/2 cup (heaping) flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup (heaping) chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 13x9 baking pan with a generous coating of cooking spray.

Cream butter and bananas in a mixing bowl. Add eggs, water and vanilla extract and mix well.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix well. Add chopped dates and mix well.

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out evenly with the back of a spoon.

Combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl or cup and sprinkle topping evenly over batter.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Min's Coconut Fruit Smoothies

This will make about 4 servings (if 2 are for little kids). We love these smoothies because they are refreshing and flavorful, and healthy! If you have strawberries or other fruit that are on the verge of going bad, just stick them in the freezer for when you will make these smoothies...

In a blender, place 1 or 2 whole bananas and 1 can coconut milk (preferably organic for best flavor). Turn on blender, blend coconut and banana until smooth, then while blender is still running add a variety of frozen fruit: strawberries, peaches, whatever you're in the mood for. Or just add one type of fruit. (we like strawberry. They also sometimes have a "smoothie combo" of fruit that is quite good.)

Add as much frozen fruit as your blender can handle: it will either fill up or thicken up to desired consistency. Spoon into cups and enjoy!

Leftover Lamb Curry

This is a recipe I used to "woo" my husband. I did a lot of cooking for him back then. This is one of our favorites, and although it is called "leftover" lamb curry, most of the time we make it with raw lamb, because we love it too much to wait! We recently butchered one of our lambs, so I am looking forward to several batches of lamb curry!

This is from the cookbook, Sunset Recipe Annual 1999, and the recipe itself is attributed to Will Bucklin of Oregon. It looks like you can pick up a paperback copy on amazon fairly cheap. I have doubled the spices to suit our tastes; I will note my changes in italics below.

The most significant and delicious change: substitute organic coconut milk for the chicken broth. See below; it is fantastic!

Prep and cook time: About 30 minutes

Notes: cooked chicken can be substituted for the lamb; increase total broth to 2-1/2 cups.

Makes: 4 servings

1-1/2 cups long-grain white rice (or Minute Rice, whatev)

1 pound cooked lamb, fat-trimmed (or 1 pound raw lamb, just cut it into strips and cook it up first)

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons curry powder (we use 4 Tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (we use 1 teaspoon)

1-3/4 cups chicken broth (just use the whole can! Or, this is our favorite substitute: 1 can organic coconut milk--you must try this.)

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Salt and cayenne

Optional condiments: (we usually just serve with yogurt and cucumber)

1 firm-ripe banana, diced

1 cup plain yogurt

2/3 cup chutney

1 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup dried currants

1. In a 2- to 3-quart pan, combine rice and 2-3/4 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until most of the water is absorbed, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until rice is tender to bite, 10 to 15 minutes longer. (OR, just follow the instructions on whatever rice you're using!)

2. Cut the lamb into strips about 1/4 inch thick.

3. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium heat, combine oil, onion and garlic; stir often until onion begins to brown lightly, 6 to 7 minutes.

4. Add curry powder and cumin and stir until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.

5. Stir in meat. Add 1-1/2 cups broth or coconut milk and bring to a boil over high heat. Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cup broth. Stir into pan and stir until boiling resumes. Add salt and cayenne to taste. Spoon curry into a bowl.

6. Place condiments in small bowls. Serve curry with rice and condiments to add to taste.

Min's Pina Coladas

This will make about 4 servings, or less if you are thirsty.

2 cups organic (or good quality) pineapple juice
3/4 cup cream of coconut (in a can--sometimes found near the drink mixin's)
3 cups crushed ice

Blend.

Now is the time you give some to the kids. Kids LOVE pina coladas; H-Bomb calls them "Coconut Drinks." Take that kid to Florida and he will DOWN these.

After the kids have theirs, add 1 cup light rum (or to taste) and blend.

Pour into fancy glasses and garnish with paper umbrellas. Pineapples slices, cherries, whatever, if you want to waste your time garnishing when you should be drinking.

Sit back, relax and enjoy.