I thought I was being terribly clever by using the uneaten coconut macaroons as a crust for the bottom of this pudding. Alas, the principles of physics were working against me. I really thought that a heavy "cookie" would stay at the bottom, but alas, the broken bits of the macaroons started floating everywhere in the thickened pudding when I poured it into a glass serving bowl.
You'll note that the ingredient ratio is awfully similar to the quick and easy stovetop method for making vanilla pudding. That is because the only ingredient swapped out is the extract, using almond extract instead of vanilla extract. Maybe the recipe's title really should be Coconut Almond Pudding. Even that is a misnomer since there are no almonds in the dessert and there is, by weight, more coconut than almond extract in it.
Ingredients
2 c. whole milk
1/2 c. unbleached granuated sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp unsalted butter
6 coconut macaroons, crumbled
Directions
1. In a pot, bring milk to a near simmer over medium heat where bubbles start to form at the edges.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Gradually add dry ingredients to the milk and whisk to keep clumps from forming.
3. Cook pudding until it has thickened. It should be able to coat the back of a spoon and not drip off that quickly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and almond extract.
4. Add crumbled coconut macaroons to the bottom of a serving dish (I used a 1-qt glass serving bowl for this). Pour pudding on top. Let cool in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
The pudding by itself tastes like I had imagined it to taste like.. a milk-based pudding with the flavor of almond. It'll be interesting when the pudding has cooled to see what the addition of another dessert component tastes like.
Bay Scallops with Garlic Basil
Unless you live in a tropical place, like Hawaii or Florida, everywhere else it's the dead of Winter. I suppose that the basil aroma would be fantastic if fresh basil were available, but it is a vibrant spring to summer-time herb. Using dried basil doesn't make the dish all that colorific and even after cooking, the dried basil just barely looks like bits of dark green. This is a two-part dish and noodle complement is prepared separately. I don't think scallops taste as good with steamed brown rice, so, I used soba (buckwheat) noodles.
Even after the scallops are drained before cooking, they release a lot of liquid. I'd estimate that half the volume of a scallop is water since that's the size they come out to be after cooking. In retrospect, I added the garlic-basil sauce during the cooking stage and it could very well have been mixed in after the scallops were removed from the skillet. I use the word skillet loosely since the cookware used for this dish isn't a skillet at all but a casserole baking dish
. I like Cuisinart for its all stainless-steel construction and it can go stove top to oven without much consideration. Anyhow, back to the recipe
Ingredients
1 lb medium bay scallops, drained
1 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Garlic Basil Sauce
1 tbsp EVOO
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried basil
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in skillet until the oil begins to spread fluidly. Add scallops and fry until they are no longer pink, no more than 2-3 minutes per side. Scallops shouldn't be overcooked. Use a slotted spoon to remove scallops to a plate or bowl.
2. Mix cooked scallops with garlic basil sauce until combined.
3. In the same skillet, add enough water to accommodate noodle servings. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Add soba noodles and cook according to package directions.
4. Remove noodles from cooking liquid and toss with a serving of scallops.
At this point, the dish is done. I reserved the cooking liquid to do something else, perhaps as the base for brown rice congee.
Even after the scallops are drained before cooking, they release a lot of liquid. I'd estimate that half the volume of a scallop is water since that's the size they come out to be after cooking. In retrospect, I added the garlic-basil sauce during the cooking stage and it could very well have been mixed in after the scallops were removed from the skillet. I use the word skillet loosely since the cookware used for this dish isn't a skillet at all but a casserole baking dish
. I like Cuisinart for its all stainless-steel construction and it can go stove top to oven without much consideration. Anyhow, back to the recipe |
| Bay scallops and buckwheat noodles |
Ingredients
1 lb medium bay scallops, drained
1 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Garlic Basil Sauce
1 tbsp EVOO
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried basil
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in skillet until the oil begins to spread fluidly. Add scallops and fry until they are no longer pink, no more than 2-3 minutes per side. Scallops shouldn't be overcooked. Use a slotted spoon to remove scallops to a plate or bowl.
2. Mix cooked scallops with garlic basil sauce until combined.
3. In the same skillet, add enough water to accommodate noodle servings. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Add soba noodles and cook according to package directions.
4. Remove noodles from cooking liquid and toss with a serving of scallops.
At this point, the dish is done. I reserved the cooking liquid to do something else, perhaps as the base for brown rice congee.
Coconut Macaroons
Wikipedia says that the English word macaroon and French macaron come from the Italian maccarone or maccherone. This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. Most recipes call for egg whites (usually whipped to stiff peaks), with ground or powdered nuts, generally almond or coconut.
This is one of my favorite confections that I have always enjoyed, usually around Passover when supermarkets tend to carry them fresh and kosher. I suppose that the eggs and coconut were humanely slaughtered and/or blessed before being processed into ingredients. This is not a gluten-free food, if all-purpose flour or matzo cake meal is used to firm up the cookie. I like my macaroons to have substance, so this recipe uses flour.
Ingredients
1 c. egg whites (about 4 large eggs, reserve yolks for another recipe)
1/2 c. unbleached granulated sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch of salt (no more than 1/8 or 1/4 tsp)
14 oz (1 bag) of sweetened shredded coconut
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
1. Carefully separate the egg whites from egg yolks. I used two prep bowls for this step.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form and add almond extract. Whisk to incorporate flour mixture until a "dough" forms.
4. Stir in shredded coconut until it's even distributed.
5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (makes approx 2 dozen) or rounded tablespoonfuls (makes 18-20) onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
6. Bake for 20 minutes until the edges of the macaroons are lightly browned. Let cookies cool on a wire rack.
This is one of my favorite confections that I have always enjoyed, usually around Passover when supermarkets tend to carry them fresh and kosher. I suppose that the eggs and coconut were humanely slaughtered and/or blessed before being processed into ingredients. This is not a gluten-free food, if all-purpose flour or matzo cake meal is used to firm up the cookie. I like my macaroons to have substance, so this recipe uses flour.
Ingredients
1 c. egg whites (about 4 large eggs, reserve yolks for another recipe)
1/2 c. unbleached granulated sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch of salt (no more than 1/8 or 1/4 tsp)
14 oz (1 bag) of sweetened shredded coconut
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
1. Carefully separate the egg whites from egg yolks. I used two prep bowls for this step.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form and add almond extract. Whisk to incorporate flour mixture until a "dough" forms.
4. Stir in shredded coconut until it's even distributed.
5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (makes approx 2 dozen) or rounded tablespoonfuls (makes 18-20) onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
6. Bake for 20 minutes until the edges of the macaroons are lightly browned. Let cookies cool on a wire rack.
Kitchen Note: Squid
Here's a first for the year. I prepared and made a squid dish. No seriously, I never made squid before today. It was the random shopping ingredient for December.
The quality of fresh squid, like most seafood, is easy to tell from visual and olfactory cues. It shouldn't have a strong nor fishy smell, be firm and shiny, and its outer membrane should be gray in color, not pink or purple. That is, of course, if you are using fresh squid. I suppose that at some point my squid was fresh. Since I didn't use it the same day I bought it, the squid had characteristics of not-so-fresh squid, as in I left it in the freezer for about a month then thawed it before preparation.
Preparing whole squid is a lot like shelling sunflower seeds: lots of effort, little reward. To put it bluntly, the only parts of the squid that is used in cooking are the tentacles and mantle (the skin, aka the tube). Just about everything else (head, guts, the hard beak, ink sack, cuttlebone) is removed and discarded. I didn't notice the ink sack when I prepared the squid. Squid ink is edible and is often used to add color to pasta, such as black linguini.
To make the calamari-shaped rings, cut the squid body into bite-sized pieces, horizontally. Here are other ways of preparing squid.
Squid can get tough if it's overcooked, so if you plan to fry it, do so on high heat with the pan already warmed up. I used 2 tbsp of olive oil for frying and added the squid just as the oil was able to spread across the pan easily. Probably no more than 5 mins for frying. Then remove it from the heat and plate it up.
The best tasting fried squid is how my folks make it--with chopped chives from their garden.
The quality of fresh squid, like most seafood, is easy to tell from visual and olfactory cues. It shouldn't have a strong nor fishy smell, be firm and shiny, and its outer membrane should be gray in color, not pink or purple. That is, of course, if you are using fresh squid. I suppose that at some point my squid was fresh. Since I didn't use it the same day I bought it, the squid had characteristics of not-so-fresh squid, as in I left it in the freezer for about a month then thawed it before preparation.
Preparing whole squid is a lot like shelling sunflower seeds: lots of effort, little reward. To put it bluntly, the only parts of the squid that is used in cooking are the tentacles and mantle (the skin, aka the tube). Just about everything else (head, guts, the hard beak, ink sack, cuttlebone) is removed and discarded. I didn't notice the ink sack when I prepared the squid. Squid ink is edible and is often used to add color to pasta, such as black linguini.
To make the calamari-shaped rings, cut the squid body into bite-sized pieces, horizontally. Here are other ways of preparing squid.
Squid can get tough if it's overcooked, so if you plan to fry it, do so on high heat with the pan already warmed up. I used 2 tbsp of olive oil for frying and added the squid just as the oil was able to spread across the pan easily. Probably no more than 5 mins for frying. Then remove it from the heat and plate it up.
The best tasting fried squid is how my folks make it--with chopped chives from their garden.
Kitchen Note: Canned Tuna
Canned tuna is pretty cheap and you're better off paying a bit more for Tongol. Not all canned tuna is the same. And according to an article on Epicurious.com, "canned tuna meat should be firm and flaky, but never mushy. It should be moist but not watery (and certainly not dry). And it has to look appetizing before it's dressed up with seductive ingredients."
I use no salt added and packed in water for my cooking recipes to have better control over the salt and fat in the dish being prepared. I don't eat canned tuna that often, maybe 2-3 cans a year. That's mostly because I really enjoy raw tuna as sushi or sashimi.
The usual additive options are:
no salt added
salt added
vegetable oil added, usually safflower
olive oil added
The amount of vegetable or olive oil added to a can of tuna is trivial. You're better off buying the tuna that's been canned in water, drain it, and add one teaspoon of olive oil. That's the caloric difference between tuna canned in water vs tuna canned in olive oil. One tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories, or roughly 40 calories per teaspoon.
Depending on the species, tuna is used in different product forms:
• albacore is primarily sold as white canned tuna
• skipjack is primarily sold as light canned tuna
• tongol is primarily sold as light canned tuna
• yellowfin is sold both as light canned tuna and as ahi
• bigeye is primarily used in sushi/sashimi, but also is sold as canned light
Recipes using canned Tongol:
Tuna Casserole
Tuna Salad Sandwich
Read more:
Seafood Watch: Sourcing Sustainable Canned Tuna
Epicurious Taste Test: Canned Tuna
Download a regional Seafood Watch guide
NRDC List of How Often to Eat Tuna
I use no salt added and packed in water for my cooking recipes to have better control over the salt and fat in the dish being prepared. I don't eat canned tuna that often, maybe 2-3 cans a year. That's mostly because I really enjoy raw tuna as sushi or sashimi.
The usual additive options are:
no salt added
salt added
vegetable oil added, usually safflower
olive oil added
The amount of vegetable or olive oil added to a can of tuna is trivial. You're better off buying the tuna that's been canned in water, drain it, and add one teaspoon of olive oil. That's the caloric difference between tuna canned in water vs tuna canned in olive oil. One tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories, or roughly 40 calories per teaspoon.
Depending on the species, tuna is used in different product forms:
• albacore is primarily sold as white canned tuna
• skipjack is primarily sold as light canned tuna
• tongol is primarily sold as light canned tuna
• yellowfin is sold both as light canned tuna and as ahi
• bigeye is primarily used in sushi/sashimi, but also is sold as canned light
Recipes using canned Tongol:
Tuna Casserole
Tuna Salad Sandwich
Read more:
Seafood Watch: Sourcing Sustainable Canned Tuna
Epicurious Taste Test: Canned Tuna
Download a regional Seafood Watch guide
NRDC List of How Often to Eat Tuna
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