Sunday Nite Dinner » coconut

Veal Chops with Morel Mushrooms

Chuck — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:22:13 +0000

The SND kitchen is officially open again. We just cooked our first big meal in the new digs. To christen the place, Hungry Bear and I wanted to make a decadent multi-course dinner to celebrate the end of our moving process. We tossed around a few ideas for the main course, including braised pork belly, but went with veal chops with morel mushrooms. I couldn't pass up making the fantastic morel sauce. So, we created the menu as...

Chicken and Duck Mousse with Peppercorns
with a sweet French baguette and cornichons

Red Butter Lettuce with Baby Vegetables
carrots, radishes, cherry tomatoes, avocados and lemon Dijon vinaigrette

Veal Chops with Morel Mushrooms
served with roasted parsnips purée and sautéed asparagus

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
topped with mini M&Ms, chocolate nibs or crushed pistachios

We picked up the liver mousse last week at the Serramonte Farmers' Market and saved it for this occasion. And this past Saturday, we bought the baby vegetables and some fresh morels at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market. In our first SND post, we made the chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, so I thought it was fitting to make the dessert again.

The veal chops on their own are really good, but they're even better with a morel sauce made with cognac, dijon mustard and coconut cream. Yes, I ~~said~~ wrote coconut cream. Eric Ripert's recipe calls for crème fraîche, but we substituted coconut cream for two reasons. First, we have many cans of coconut milk in our pantry. Second, one of the SNDsters is a little lactose intolerant, so we try to minimize dairy products whenever possible.

Dinner was fabulous and fun. The liver mousse was a great starter and the salad with baby vegetables was much needed with this heavy meal. The veal chops and morels were delicious and no one missed the crème fraîche. The sweet parsnips purée paired well with the rich morel sauce. All in all, it was a very successful Sunday nite dinner. However, we're still getting a feel for the new stove and figuring out where the the best lighting is for photos.

Next up on SND is the recipe for these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.

SNDsters: Garry, Karen, Jane, Mark, Hungry Bear, Chuck

Veal Chops with Morel Sauce Recipe

SND Note: The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of crème fraîche. We substituted it with coconut cream because our pantry was full of cans of coconut milk. Coconut cream is the thicker top layer when the cream and coconut liquid separates in the can. In the original recipe, the veal was also served with an herb butter sauce. We felt the morel sauce was rich enough for the dish.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons of canola oil
1 pound morel mushrooms, cleaned, halved if large
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped
6 thick-cut veal chops
1/2 cup Cognac
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3-4 tablespoons unsweetened coconut cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the morels and sauté until they are tender and give up their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and parsley and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Generously season veal chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in two large ovenproof sauté pans over high heat. Add 3 chops to each pan and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Place the pans into the oven to finish cooking the veal, about 5-6 minutes, or until desired doneness. Transfer the chops to a plate.
Deglaze the pans with Cognac, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, then combine the liquid into one pan. Add Dijon mustard and stir to incorporate. Add the coconut cream, mushrooms, and any juices from the resting chops and bring to a boil. Adjust seasons to taste. To serve, place one chop on each plate and spoon the morels over the veal chops.

Makes 6 servings

[Adapted from A Return to Cooking by Eric Ripert | Michael Ruhlman]

Tags: beef, chops, coconut, cognac, dijon, morels, mushrooms, mustard, veal

Light Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chuck — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 06:55:32 +0000

Carrot cake again? I know, I know, how much carrot cake can someone eat? Well, I've eaten entirely too much of it in the last two weeks. After Hungry Bear made her fantastic carrot cake, I wanted to make a light version while her normal, full-fat version was still fresh on our minds.

The light carrot cake recipe was adapted from Cook's Illustrated (CI). I used all the CI fat reducing steps...

Reduced the amount of oil from 1 1/2 cups to 1/2 cup
Reduced the number of eggs from 4 to 3
Used Philadelphia Neufchatel reduced-fat cream cheese
Lowered the sugar quantity in the frosting

Then, I kept the majority of the normal cake's other ingredients to keep the flavors similar, which means pineapples and coconut flakes were included.

Cook's Illustrated's light cream cheese frosting recipe uses 12 oz of reduced fat cream cheese and no butter. I didn't like the idea of buying two 8 oz boxes of low fat cream cheese and not use 4 oz. So, I modified the recipe to use 8 oz of cheese and added a little butter.

The light carrot cake was pretty good. We thought the cake tasted similar to the full-fat version, but Hungry Bear's cake had a superior, more tender texture. The light cake was a little too moist and dense, which was a surprise given only half a cup of oil was used. It was probably due to the moisture of the carrots (3 cups) and pineapples. I actually preferred the light cream cheese frosting over the full-fat version because it was less sweet and rich.

Here's a breakdown of calories and fat per serving for the two cakes...

Carrot Cake	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Cholesterol (mg)
Normal	564	33	7	80
Light	406	17	5	61

As you can see, the light carrot cake is not a low fat dessert, but with half the fat of the normal recipe, it still tastes great. If someone were to serve me this cake, I wouldn't know it was a light version. If you love carrot cake, eat it regularly, and want a lighter recipe, definitely give this one a try. When I'm craving carrot cake again (it will be awhile), I'll stick with Hungry Bear's carrot cake.

Light Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

SND Note: The batter is quite thick before the carrots and pineapples are added, so don't worry. The next time I make this recipe, I would reduce the carrots by 1/2 to 3/4 cup to get a lighter crumb when using pineapples. 3 cups of carrots with pineapples has too much moisture. To reduce calories and fat further, skip the pineapple and coconut flakes (37 calories and 2 g of fat per serving).

Light Carrot Cake Ingredients

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
1 cup packed light brown sugar (7 ounces)
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), peeled and grated (3 cups)
8 ounces canned crushed pineapple, drained (optional)
3 1/2 ounces coconut flakes (optional)

Light Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

8 ounces Philadelphia Neufchatel (1/3 less fat) cream cheese, softened but still cool
3 tablespoons butter, softened but still cool
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 ounces confectioners' sugar

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking pan with vegetable oil. Line bottom of pan with parchment.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.
Shred carrots using a box grater; set aside. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in large bowl and using hand-held mixer), beat eggs, granulated and brown sugars on medium-high until they turn thick and creamy, 1 to 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the oil until thoroughly combined and emulsified, 30 to 60 seconds.
On low speed, add half the flour mixture over the batter and gently mix in. Repeat once more with the remaining flour mixture and continue to mix the batter gently until most of the lumps are gone (do not overmix). By hand stir in the carrots, pineapple and coconut until well combined. Pour into cake pan and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack and remove the parchment paper. Flip the cake right-side up, and cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours, before frosting.
Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium high speed in clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment ( or in large bowl using handheld mixer) until well combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix until fluffy, about 1 minute. Using icing spatula, spread frosting evenly over surface of cake. Cut into squares and serve.

Makes one 13 by 9-inch cake and 16 servings

[Adapted from The Best Light Recipe by Cook's Illustrated]

Tags: cake, carrot, cinnamon, coconut, cream cheese, frosting, light, lower fat, nutmeg pineapple

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chuck — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:06:29 +0000

I love carrot cake. Of all the non-chocolate cakes, it's probably my favorite one. When Hungry Bear gave me the choice between carrot cake and chocolate turtle cake, I still chose the carrot cake. I wanted to keep it uncomplicated this past Sunday night, and what's better than a simple carrot cake with cream cheese frosting?

Hungry Bear used a recipe from an old roommate, Roz. You know, the kind of recipe that's written on an index card and handed down. The cake contains pineapples and coconut flakes, which we both enjoy in our carrot cake. Hungry Bear mentioned Cook's Illustrated (CI) pooh poohed the use of canned crushed pineapples, toasted coconut and wheat germ in The New Best Recipes. In fact, they were "unanimously voted out", but CI approved raisins and nuts as options... um, no thanks. I love Cook's Illustrated, but sometimes their decisions seem completely arbitrary. With all due respect to CI, Hungry Bear and I unanimously voted pineapples and coconut flakes back in!

The carrot cake was fantastic. It was relatively light, tender and moist, but not soggy. And then there's the cream cheese frosting. I think it speaks for itself. I knew the cake was good when our friend, Jane, had two servings of dessert, which she never does. Or it just could be, she's eating for two now, congrats Jane and Mark! We like to believe the cake was really good.

Since the carrot cake is fresh on our minds and palates, I'm going to make a light carrot cake based on a Cook's Illustrated recipe this weekend. We'll see how it compares to the full fat version. And yes, crushed pineapples and coconut flakes will be included!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

SND Note: The parchment paper in step 1 is optional. It will make it easier to remove from the pan and the presentation may be a bit nicer. If you're fine with icing the cake in the pan just skip the parchment and greasing. The frosting is on the sweet side, so reduce the amount of confectioners' sugar to taste. When the cake is frosted only on top, we use only half the frosting. The recipe calls for 8 ounces of crushed pineapple, but Hungry Bear used 12 ounces, which she thinks is a better amount.

Carrot Cake Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
4 large eggs
2 cups carrots (4-5 medium carrots), peeled
8 ounces crushed pineapple, lightly drained
3 1/2 ounces coconut flakes

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, softened but still cool
4 ounces (1 stick) butter, softened but still cool
1 teaspoon vanilla
16 ounces confectioners' sugar

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking pan with vegetable oil. Line bottom of pan with parchment and oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.
Shred carrots using small holes of box grater; set aside. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in large bowl and using hand-held mixer), beat eggs, granulated and brown sugars on medium-high until thoroughly combined, about 45 seconds. Reduce speed to low; with mixer running, add oil in slow, steady stream. Increase speed to high and mix until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 45 to 60 seconds longer.
On low speed, add the dry ingredients until just combined. By hand stir in the carrots, pineapple and coconut until well combined. Pour into cake pan and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. On a wire rack, cool cake to room temperature in pan, about 1-2 hours.
Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium high speed in clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment ( or in large bowl using handheld mixer) until well combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix until very fluffy, about 1 minute.
Run paring knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Invert cake onto wire rack, peel off parchment, then invert again onto serving platter. Using icing spatula, spread frosting evenly over surface of cake. Cut into squares and serve.

Makes one 13 by 9-inch cake

[Directions adapted from Cook's Illustrated]

Tags: cake, carrot, cinnamon, coconut, cream cheese, frosting, nutmeg, pineapple

Vietnamese at Chez Deb

Chuck — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 04:28:06 +0000

Our friend, Deb, recently took a "Venture to Vietnam" cooking class that was offered by First Class Cooking in San Francisco. Deb loved the class and was looking for volunteers to test out her new cooking skills and recipes, so she invited Hungry Bear and me over for dinner this past Saturday.

Deb and her husband, Brennan, are our eating partners in crime when we go to Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc, which is my absolute favorite restaurant in the Bay Area. We even get the Ad Hoc menu emailed to us on a daily basis to drool over, and we sometimes take a last minute trip for dinner in Napa.

Using the Ad Hoc menu template, Deb surprised us and emailed the dinner menu to us on Saturday morning. The menu read...

Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Cold shrimp, carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, cilantro and mint served
with a crushed peanut lime vinaigrette

Lemongrass Beef Skewers
Tri tip beef marinated in a lemongrass garlic mixture

Ca Kho To
Catfish simmered in a ginger, chili and caramel sauce

Coconut Ice Cream/Mango Pudding
TBA - depending on chef’s mood later today.

Needless to say, we were very excited about dinner. When we arrived at Deb and Brennan's place, Deb had the spring rolls prepared, the beef skewers marinating and was in the process of making the caramel sauce for the fish. There was also a bottle of 2004 Quivira Zinfandel - Anderson Ranch decanting on the table.

Since Vietnamese food is my peep's food, I was impressed that Deb wanted to cook Vietnamese for me. Brennan was actually a little nervous for her, but she wasn't concerned at all.

Deb was right to be confident, as dinner was excellent. All the dishes were tasty and were easy to prepare with fresh, simple ingredients. They were also healthy (very minimal oil/fat) without sacrificing flavor. And the Zinfandel paired well with the lemongrass beef and ca kho.

Deb did make a homemade coconut ice cream mixture, but the ice cream maker had to chill for another 12 hours. So, dessert was MaggieMudd ice cream (toasty coconut, vegan coconut pineapple and mint chocolate chip) with toasted coconut shavings and chocolate chip cookies. My favorite MaggieMudd flavor was the mint chocolate chip. After we finished dessert, Hungry Bear proclaimed, "Hungry Bear is no longer hungry."

Deb was gracious enough to send us home with leftover ca kho. For dinner on Sunday, Hungry Bear and I stir fried some water spinach and had the catfish on a bed of jasmine rice... yummy! The caramel sauce soaked rice was simply delicious.

Now I have to reciprocate a Vietnamese dinner and pull out my mom's secret recipes!

Tags: ad hoc, beef skewers, ca kho, chocolate chip, coconut, cookies, ice cream, lemongrass, spring rolls, vietnamese