Hawaiian Chocolate Elvis

In college I used to frequent a place called Planet Smoothie.  My favorite was the Chocolate Elvis- a chocolate, peanut butter, banana confection that I swore I wouldn't finish but always did.  Although I graduated some time ago, (ahem, "waaay back when you were in school" as it was phrased by a certain alumni fundraising whippersnapper who might be wise to ask for money before making one feel ancient)  I never met a chocolate banana treat I didn't like, especially when coconut is added to the mix.  This week's TWD, Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie, was right up my alley.  It all starts with a shortbread coconut crust layered with banana, covered in a rich chocolate ice cream and banana combo, then topped with more banana.  For my mini tarts, I mixed Haagen Daas milk chocolate ice cream with creme de cacao and added an some toasted coconut for extra crunch but you could go a lot of different directions with this pie.  Did I hear someone say banana caramel? 

Satisfy your chocolate banana craving and head over to Spike Bakes for the recipe.

Coconut Tea Cake, Take 2

Some bakers have issues with pie dough, yeast, or pastry cream but my kitchen achilles heel has always been cake. After years of therapy, err I mean practice, my track record has improved but some days my mojo is still off. My first attempt at this week's TWD, Coconut Tea Cake...epic fail. Looked ok coming out of the oven but 20 minutes later devolved into a sunken, gummy mess. If I weren't such a coconut fan I might have thrown in the towel but today I gave it another go.
It did deflate a bit initially but held up well over all and smelled fantastic. I made half the recipe in a loaf pan (a kitchen full of stuff but still no bundt pan) and added lime zest, coriander and Malibu rum. I had plans for lime curd to spread on top but I just booked set work for the next 3 days so that will have to wait.
If you want to try your hand at this cake, go visit Carmen. And for even more coconut fun, check out the blogroll.

Feelin' Tiki

The smell of coconut always reminds me of summer. For many of you, especially those victims of Snowpocalypse, or whatever they are calling this new rash of winter storms, summer must feel a long way off. That's why for this week's Tuesdays With Dorie I chose Toasted Coconut Custard Tart. Sweet tart crust filled satiny pastry cream studded with toasted coconut and topped with a rummy whipped cream, it's a heck of a lot more tangible reminder of summer than bathing suits showing up at Target- and a lot less stressful.

Of course reminding you that bathing suit season is coming may be counter productive here. Heck, you got a few more months to worry about that right?
Umm, yeah so anyway this tart rocks! I used low fat milk and Malibu instead of dark rum but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter.

I highly recommend trying this fabulous Toasted Coconut Custard Tart for yourself. Crank up the heat, maybe a little Jimmy Buffet, and get into a tiki state of mind. Here's the recipe...grass skirt not included.

Toasted Coconut Custard Tart
adapted from Baking From My Home To Yours
For the Custard
2 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup sugar
6 large egg yolks
1/3 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt
pinch or coriander
1 tbsp Malibu rum
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted

1 9-inch sweet tart shell, baked and cooled

For the topping
1 cup cold heavy cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp Malibu rum
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Bring milk to a boil. In a large saucepan, whisk together sugar, yolks, cornstarch, salt and coriander until well blended. Whisk in 1/4 cup of hot milk to temper the yolks, then whisk in the rest of the milk. Continue whisking over medium heat and bring to a boil. Whisk an additional 1 or 2 minutes then remove from heat. Whisk in rum and vanilla and let sit for 5 minutes. Then whisk in the butter, stirring until custard is smooth. Stir in the toasted coconut. Transfer to a container, cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
To make the topping, use a stand mixture with whisk attachment or a hand mixer to whip the cream to medium peaks. Add the powdered sugar and beat to firm peaks. Whip in rum and vanilla.
To assemble the tart, whisk the custard vigorously to loosen it then scrape into the crust. Spoon the whipped cream over the tart and spread evenly to the edge of the custard. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

TWD- Oh The Humidity

Flying cross country from LA to West Palm Beach can be grueling, unless of course you get upgraded to first class (thanks Continental!), but it's worth the for the hugs. The first and best one coming from Mom, and next the embrace of the soft, humid Florida air. Yes, I love humidity. It makes my skin glow, my hair curl, it makes me happy. That old SoCal excuse, well sure it's 9o degrees but it's a dry heat, just doesn't do it for me. However, it is hell on baking. Whenever I go to Florida I try to recreate the desserts I make in my own kitchen, often to less than stellar results. Mushy eclairs, tart dough that keeps cracking apart- I blame my friend humidity. It's a good thing I waited until I got home to attempt this week's TWD, Coconut-Roasted Pineapple Dacquoise.
Getting those meringue layers to the crisp stage, and keeping them there, was quite an adventure. Unsure of whether or not I would enjoy this, I halved the recipe and made the meringue layers 6x3. Plus I was hoping it would cut down on the 3 hour baking time. 2 1/2 hours in they were still sticky and I was running late for a tennis lesson. I shut the oven off and left them in there while I was gone. One hour later they were perfect so I took them out and left them on the counter but by the end of the day they had started sticking to the parchment paper. I put them back in the oven for 20 minutes then shut off the heat and left them in there overnight. Even after all that, just sitting on the counter this morning while roasting the pineapple and whipping the ganache, the meringue had already begun to soften. I quickly assembled the Dacquoise and put it in the fridge. From the cook's treat I left my self (a spare piece of meringe dredged through ganache and coconut scraps) I can tell this is going to be swoon-worthy and well worth the effort.
For more Dacquoise fun, check out the TWD blogroll.

Southern Comfort

West Palm Beach Florida isn't exactly the south, what with the massive amounts of transplanted New Yorkers living there- my family included. Since we left Long Island when I was 6 months old, I consider myself a Floridian and identify with being a southern girl, if just a little on the Jimmy Buffet side. Now that I live in California I sometimes need to listen to the Margaritaville station on satellite radio so I can feel a little closer to my roots. And sometimes I bake pie.
Banana Cream Pie is this week's Tuesdays With Dorie and the perfect remedy for Southern Withdrawal (drawl?). I made tarlettes and gave them a sprinkling of toasted coconut for that added Florida/tiki vibe.


They are so good, you might just blow out a flip flop.

You Put The Lime In The Coconut

I not a fan of rushing the season, seeing Christmas decorations going up the day after Halloween drives me crazy, however I always make an exception when it comes to Spring. I get so impatient for baseball season, warm(er) weather, looking at my jasmine every day thinking hurry up and bloom already! Once Spring has sprung it goes by fast so perhaps it would be better slow down, stop and smell the roses, the freesia, orange blossoms, honeysuckle, (my neighbors must think I'm crazy always sniffing around their yard) and definitely take time to appreciate this week's Tuesdays With Dorie-Coconut Butter Thins.
Think Lorna Doones on vacation and you'll get the gist of these cookies. The comforting, buttery taste of shortbread with a little tropical hint of lime, coconut, macadamia nuts, and (in my case) curry powder. They are the perfect way to welcome, and appreciate the season.


For more on these cookies, check out the TWD blogroll.