Tonight I was supposed to be cooking snails. Or spot prawns. Or rabbit. Or one of many other dishes that I can’t quite tell you about yet. What I can tell you is that there is a lot going on. And this recipe isn’t supposed to be one of them.

See, sometime back March, I started getting busy. So busy, in fact, that I didn’t want to say anything for fear that I would jinx it. Good things were happening… things like shooting photos for cookbooks and hearing back from clients that I hadn’t heard from in a while. And, now, I’m in the midst of shooting my third and fourth cookbook (only the photos are mine), I have a 3 page spread in the most recent Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom, loads of shots in the new Edible Seattle, and a bunch of new photos coming soon to Epicurious, to name a few. Oh, and did I tell you, I have to get all that done before the 25th? Because (drumroll please), we are going on vacation. A real vacation. An unbelievable vacation. Italy. For 5 weeks. Yes. 5 weeks. That’s 35 days. 840 hours. 50,400 minutes.

Anyway, I’ve spent the day shooting (with the help of my new friend and assistant, Claire Bloomberg ) to try to get cookbook #3 finished up before I turn into a zucca, and really should have been testing one of the other recipes this evening. But then it occurred to me that well, some of you still might be out there wondering what had happened to me and if I got swept away with the tumbleweeds that have been blowing around here. So, instead, I took a break. Which is to say, I cooked something and took photos of it for myself instead of someone else. And, for me, I decided to make a little breakfast for dinner. Or, perhaps a little desert for dinner, depending on how you look at it.

My mom used to make dutch babies, and we’d have them with freshly sliced peaches. This recipe, isn’t hers, but my guess is that it is pretty darn close. I found it on the Whole Foods website after 15 minute flipping through indexes of my cookbooks didn’t give me what I was looking for. The batter is about as simple as it gets… equal parts flour and milk with eggs, whipped smooth but not too fluffy. Poured into a cast iron skillet over melted butter and stuck into a hot oven and you have a show that is more entertaining than 90% of what is on TV these days. Seriously, I was so mesmerized watching the batter puff up… like someone was blowing into it in little spurts. Every few seconds, another quick puff. I even had to go grab my camera and take a shot of the magic… of course, like all good magic, it stops as soon as you try to record it. Or, in my case, as soon as I opened the oven door. Luckily, it was just about done puffing anyway.

You can top a dutch baby with any kind of fresh or stewed fruit. Or even just a little squeeze of lemon. But, I’ve been craving a vanilla apricot sauce since I had a vanilla apricot jam a few weeks ago. And, of course, it’s apricot season here in Seattle.

PS: I am so excited about our Italy trip and we already have probably more than 5 weeks of stuff to do… but I’d love to hear suggestions if you have them! We will mostly be in Umbria.

Dutch Baby Pancakes with Vanilla Apricot Sauce

This recipe makes a mini dutch baby, perfect for one for breakfast or two for dessert.

2 eggs
pinch of salt
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
1 T unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Whisk the eggs with the pinch of salt until they just begin to get a little fluffy. Gradually whisk in the milk and flour and continue to whisk until smooth.

Melt the butter in a 5-inch cast iron pan. Then, pour the egg mixture over the butter. Move the pan immediately to the hot oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it puffs up over the edges of the pan and is a rich golden brown on the edges.

To serve, top with the vanilla apricot sauce and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Vanilla Apricot Sauce

This sauce is fruity and light, but not very sweet. If you like yours a bit sweeter, you can add some sugar into the apricot sauce. It makes just enough for the mini dutch baby pancake.

4 apricots
1 vanilla bean
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup Sauterne or other dessert wine

Blanch the apricots and peel off the skins. Slice into quarters, discarding the pit.

Place in a small pot, on medium low heat, with the lemon juice and wine. Slice the vanilla bean open and scrape out some of the seeds into the pot. Then throw the whole bean into the pot. Give it a stir. Cook until the sauce thickens, but not so long that the pieces of apricot loose their shape. Remove the vanilla bean before serving.

It’s ok if you think I’m a bit crazy. Everyone else around me does too, because I’ve been excited– even to the point of giddy– about making up a batch of ice cream inspired by a recent trip to Il Laboratorio del Gelato. No one would begrudge me the ice cream part, certainly. It’s the kind of ice cream. Beet ice cream. See, there’s that look. Why would I go and ruin perfectly good cream and sugar with something as well, dirty-tasting, as beet? Maybe I am a bit nuts.

But then again, consider. Beet sugar is a highly used sugar in all kinds of sweets. And, even unrefined, I think it’s hard to go wrong with a salad of roasted sliced beets and juicy sweet mandarin oranges. I’ve also done wacky things to great effect with beets before. Is it that much of a stretch to go to ice cream?

Anyway, let’s back up a bit. Il Laboratorio del Gelato is in New York. Not Seattle. So how did that happen? Last weekend, we wrapped up the last vestiges of my birthday (which was back in April) with a trip to NYC for some eating, shopping, and well, more eating. We stayed in the lower eastside, at the Hotel on Rivington, which shoots up through blocks of vintage walk-ups and shops like bolted arugala. The entry way is a sculpted birth canal, which leads to a sleek, modern interior to match the shiny steely blue exterior. Rooms are minimalistic with crazy views if you get one of the upper rooms. Our room had a peak-a-boo view of the Manhattan bridge and a not-so peak-a-boo view of apartments, including from our shower.

The hotel is right across from a place called Economy Candy. It’s like candyland meets one of those old hardware stores. Shelves floor to ceiling with candy piled everywhere. Old classics like pop rocks and candy cigarettes. Fancy new chocolates. 3 feet long Twizzlers. Mints and gum and candy coated ants. I may be joking about that last one, but I’m really not sure. The smell from all the candy was pretty overwhelming, and the line was pretty long… so we moved on.

Since we arrived on Friday early evening, we kept it pretty simple. Dinner at Lupa, one of our favorites, with hand-made pasta followed by a couple of fantastic desserts… the tartufo (a huge chocolate covered ice cream ball with espresso poured over the top) for him and a black pepper panna cotta with rhubarb for me. It’s not the panna cotta everyone would want, but it was fantastic… strong black pepper with perfect creamy finish.

We spent the better part of Saturday in Williamsburg, Brooklyn wandering our way down Bedford after a fantastic brunch at Bonita of huevos (with bacon!) for me and chiliquiles for Cam. We were on vacation, so sangria at 11 seemed like a good idea.

Then it was wandering the streets and people watching and enjoying the spring weather, until beer-o-clock.

Saturday night, after a trip back to the Lower East Side wtih beers and yummy herby popcorn down the block from the hotel at Spitzer’s Corner, we hopped back over the bridge to dinner in Williamsburg where we really loved the casual vibe. We were supposed to eat at Sweetwater that night, but based on a last minute recommendation, we stopped into Aurora, a packed Italian bistro tucked a few blocks away, and ate at the bar. I had one of the best raviolios I’ve ever had… fresh buffalo mozzerella, fava beans covered with razor thin slices of summer truffles. Cam’s wild boar ragu was good, but not quite as appealing to him as the Amatraciana at Lupa the night before.

The next day, after a bit of a lie-in, we got up and walked down the street to Katz’s deli, another of our regular stops when we visit NYC. It’s touristy and completely chaotic, but you can’t argue that their sandwiches are amazing. After lunch, there was more shopping in Soho. It was a gorgeous day of a holiday weekend, so the crowds were insane, but we managed to find a few side streets to wander that were a bit less crazy with some fascinating shops like Shoe which sells beautiful handmade shoes by Cydwoq (sidewalk) and relaxed and had an espresso at Gimme coffee on Mott St.

For dinner, we decided to just wander around to see what we saw. We thought about trying to get a table at WD-50 which was right around the corner from the hotel, but ended up popping into Tapeo 29 for some yummy tapas. I highly recommend the boquerones. The bistec was wonderfully flavorful, but a bit tough. After noshing there for a bit, Cam decided he was still hungry… so of all things, we headed back to Lupa for a little pasta and salad dessert.

The real dessert had come earlier in the day with the stop at Il Laboratorio del Gelato. I’ve written about this place before, but it’s still as good as ever. And, this time, I got a bit more adveturesome in my flavors. I couldn’t resist a taster spoon of the beet gelato. I wasn’t sure what to expect, whether the beet would be subtle almost unidentifiable or not. Turns out, it’s not. It’s fresh and vibrant and packed with earthy beet flavor. I was intrigued, but not ready for a whole bowlful, so I got the olive oil gelato instead. But I almost immediately told Cam that I’d be making some beet ice cream when I got home. I wanted to play with this flavor… the cold beet was good, but I thought it really could use more flavors to fill it out. I started throwing out flavor combinations as we walked around… beet and chocolate chip, beet and cardamom, Meyer lemon beet. I would not be daunted by eye-rolls.

I was a bit daunted though at figuring out how to start. There were sadly no beet ice cream recipes in David’s Perfect Scoop. I thought for sure he’d have done it already. And the only reference I found online was to an article about Il Laboratorio del Gelato. I’d be winging it.

I headed to the market to get my beets, picking up a bunch of golden and a bunch of red. The golden beet flavor I had already figured out… I wanted it to be bright and fresh with orange and honey. For the red beets, I knew I’d be playing with flavors. I dotted a plate with little blobs of beet puree like a painters palette and started tasting. Most of the flavors worked… beet and vanilla was lovely, as was beet and cardamom and beet and cinnamon. Beet and anise, however, was terrible. Finally, I decided on cinnamon with a hint of citrus.

As my beets roasted, I searched through Perfect Scoop to find the closest thing I could… a sweet potato ice cream that I’m also dying to try. The recipe is simple… basically adding the cream to the puree and seasoning, and then freezing. No eggs to bother with, and a bit more control of adding ingredients a bit at a time to find the right balance of sweet to bright to creamy and trying to keep the beet flavor intact, but not quite so aggressive.

One thing to know is that as flavors get cold, they change. Sweet isn’t quite so sweet when frozen. My golden beets started out less sweet than their red cousins, and the beet flavor really shines through kicking the orange and honey out the door. It starts great and has a certain charm, but it is definitely not for everyone.

The crimson beet ice cream with cinnamon and lemon zest is almost otherworldly. The cinnamon jumps up and bites you in the nose as you open the tub. The color is startlingly fuscia. As the cream starts to melt in your mouth, the beet perks up and announces a big hello and how do you do. The earthy flavor lingers (maybe asking for a bit more sugar and lemon zest), but in a pleasant, “well, how about that” kind of way. Even still, it’s not for every palate and even adventuresome mouths may only want small portions.

Beet Ice Cream
(a very rough recipe… you’ll need to adjust based on the flavors of your beets. Just consider this a rough guideline).

Peel and chop the beets, and roast at 375F with a splash of olive oil for an hour or two until the beets are nice and soft. Puree the beets in a blender with a bit of liquid (orange juice works well… but red wine or port would be a nice touch with the red beets too) until very smooth, and then push through a fine sieve. You should end up with quite smooth puree that either looks a lot like ketchup or mustard, depending on your beet color. I was very tempted to forgo the whole ice cream project and just turn them into beet ketchups and mustards!

You’ll end up with a lot of left over pulp. I saved mine and plan on making some beet-stuffed raviolis with it. Three large beets yielded about 1 cup of beet puree for me, with about the same amount of leftover pulp. That turned into enough ice cream for small servings for 4 people.

Let the beet puree cool to room temperature. Add your spices (cinnamon and zest from 1 lemon in my case for the red, the zest of two oranges and a splash of vanilla for my golden) and a healthy pinch of salt. Mix in honey or simple syrup until it seems a bit sweeter than you think it should be. Then, add your cream, a little at a time, stirring to incorporate. Taste it as you go along and adjust your sweetener accordingly. I used about 2 to 1 cream to sweetner ratio, and my ice cream was not too sweet. Then load the mixture up into your ice cream maker. Freeze overnight.

Let the ice cream sit at room temp for about 10 minutes or so before trying to serve it. I don’t know if I got lucky or it has something to do with the texture of the beets, but not only the color of the ice cream was gorgeous, it also scooped like a dream.

Really, do I need to say more?

My cupboards are about to explode with little bags of this and little half canisters of that left over from my April shoots. I have chocolates chips in an array of shapes and colors. I have candied dried fruits and just about any nut you can name. I’m not sure what to do with it all… I shutter at the idea of throwing it away (even things, like banana chips that no one in my family likes), but I really don’t have the room for it. So, when I started craving cookies today, I decided it was time to make a dent in at least some of it. Today’s lucky remnants included a bag of Trader Joe’s dried valencia oranges, a little can of Ginger People’s candied ginger chips, some Dagoba choco-drops and some oats thrown in for good measure. The resulting cookies look deceptively like plain old Toll House, but the ginger gives each nibble a lingering little zing.

PS: A piece on sour cherries that I worked on last summer with Matthew and Dana is now on Gourmet.com, along with one of my photos. It’s so exciting to seem my photo up there!

Everything Out Of the Cupboard Cookies
Makes about 24

1/2 c unsalted butter
1/2 c golden brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 egg
2 t orange juice
1/2 t vanilla
1 c all purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 c oats
1/2 c dried orange pulp
1 t dried citrus zest
1/4 c candied ginger chips
1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and both sugars until they are lightly fluffy, stopping the mixer a few times to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

In a separate bowl lightly mix the egg, orange juice and vanilla. Add, all at once, to the creamed butter and beat until it is pale and creamy.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until just combined.

Stir in the oats, orange pulp, citrus zest, ginger chips and chocolate chips.

Scoop little balls of dough, about 1/2 inch in diameter onto the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.

Let the cookies cool on a wire rack, if you can stand to wait.

If I could only have one type of dessert for the rest of my life, it would probably be bread pudding. Of course, just saying that implies all sorts of dessert loop holes. There are a million different ways to make a bread pudding resulting in practically a new flavor and texture combination that would do me fine the rest of my days. You can change out the bread type, making your pudding pillowy soft or densely grainy. You can make single servings or a deep dish to alter your crusty to creamy ratio. And, of course, you can play around with almost any fruit or spice combination… which is what I decided to do with my sadly stale, leftover loaf of Macrina Bakery Brioche.

Last weekend, I trekked up to Swanson’s nursery for a little spring gardening fix. Since we moved, I no longer have a yard with fresh raspberries, strawberries and rhubarb shooting up… I really should have done something about that last fall, but never quite got around to it. Now, that is remedied with a couple of blueberry bushes thrown in the mix for good measure, along with a new garden star that I have never thought of before: Sweet Bay. Apparently, bay leaf is quite easily grown around here (I think it is pretty easy to grow it almost anywhere), so I’m quite excited to see how my little shrub grows. It’s already pretty bushy with bright green, shiny leaves which seem worlds away from their dried cousins that I’ve always used in the past. Since the flavor of bay is quite strong, I went ahead and plucked off a few leaves to see how it compared to the dried variety.

My initial thought was for some bay infused ice cream. I remember a few posts that had me intrigued in blogs over the years. However, that loaf of Brioche was staring at me, telling me a pudding was in order. It didn’t take me along to decide that if bay was wonderful in ice cream, it would be equally delicious in a custardy bread pudding, adding a hint of slightly green, earthy spiciness.

For a starter recipe, I found a lovely, simple brioche pudding on Food & Wine, and altered it slightly to add in the bay and skip the healthy dose of berries that would have overwhelmed the bay essence. Of course, me resisting berries is like a cat resisting a mouse… so I ended up drizzling on a quickly made strawberry syrup in the end.

This pudding is a lovely thick and moist, subtly sweet treat… and great for either breakfast or dessert. The bay came through, although it was quite subtle. However, after preparing the dish, I realized that it’s best to use more mature, leathery bay leaves rather than the softer new leaves, so patience with my bay bush is definitely going to be called for.

These are muffins that don’t want to be blogged about. I’ve made them now six or seven times, each batch very much destined for the blog. But this or that got in the way… I’d run out of time before scooping them up into a bag and heading out of town, or they’d simply all disappear by the time I got around to snapping a few shots. Finally, I managed to get some nice photos of the last batch I made a few weeks ago… only to draw a blank when I sat down to write about them. I was quite tempted to simply post the recipe and the photos and say nothing, I was getting so frustrated, but then I ate one of the little fruity buggers and got my revenge.

The thing is, it’s hardly fair to call these mixed berry muffins “muffins“. They are really more fruit than crumb, which is just the glue to hold all the juicy berry goodness together. I think they really should be called muffin mixed berries. And they were the first recipe I made from Seasonal Kitchen by Michele Cranston, a book I’ve really grown to adore. The beauty is that they are even seasonal in winter (in fact, that’s the section they appear in the book) because they use frozen berries. I’ve started keeping a huge bag of mixed frozen berries in the freezer, and whenever I need a quick idea for breakfast or a road trip, these muffins have become the answer. The only thing I don’t love about the recipe is the oil… it calls for vegetable oil and I think that’s just missing an opportunity for adding flavor. Instead, I’ve started using coconut oil which adds just the teaniest tiniest hint of coconut… not enough that coconut-haters will notice, but enough to give them a little something-something.

Now, quickly, before something comes up again and I don’t finish this post, here is the recipe:

It was supposed to be a good day today. April is looking to be jam packed, but here at the edge of winter, today was supposed to be a quiet one. I had nothing to do but whatever I wanted. How often does that happen?

Then, I got some really crap news and everything went all topsy turvy. Stuff that I’m hoping, like the weather that has just rolled in after a lovely blue sky morning, will simply blow over after a good night sleep. Stuff I’m hoping that I’ll never really be at a point that I’ll have to tell you about it. Stuff that I’ve at least for a little while pushed aside and to bake these lovely little raspberry upside down tea-cakes that I saw in my latest Donna Hay acquisition, Off The Shelf: Cooking From the Pantry. I really kind of bought the book for this recipe. It’s one of those things you look at and say, now, why didn’t I think of that?!? This book is simply full of recipes like that… quick, delicious things you can make from stuff you probably have on hand in the pantry or in the freezer.

Anyway, so I made these cakes to take my mind off the crap news. And, then, I got to eat the yummy tea cakes to take my mind off the crap news. And then, I had to go and spin for 2 hours to work off the crazy crap news cakes. So, here I am. Still pretty topsy turvy. But, at least I still have some upside down cakes to keep me company.

Raspberry Upside Down Cakes
Makes about 20 small cakes

8oz unsalted butter
1 c caster sugar
1 t vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 c flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
about 10oz frozen or fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 325F.

I used silicone cupcakes cups for this so I didn’t need to grease the cups, but if you are using a metal pan, you should. Or, you could line them each with parchment.

Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and pale yellow. Then, beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth. Sift the flour and baking soda together and then fold into the batter. The batter will get fairly thick.

Line the bottom of each cup with a layer of whole raspberries (don’t defrost the frozen ones… just put them in the cups frozen). Then, top with batter, filling to the top of the cups.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cakes puff up and turn a light golden brown. Cool them on a rack in the cups for about 5 minutes, then remove from the cups and invert to serve.

I did have to go and tempt fate with my “see, I’m not sick yet” post, didn’t I? I really didn’t mean to sound flip or all tough-girl on you. But, you know what happens when we tempt fate. Bad Things. Very Bad Things. So, as you can imagine at this point, I spent the weekend curled up in a ball shivering under our two warmest blankets, coughing up a lung or two.

The only thing that sounded good to me was the cardamom lassi recipe in February’s Saveur. It’s also just about the only thing I had the energy to prepare. So, after sending the rest of the family, now relatively healthy, out to find food for themselves, I hacked my way into the kitchen and managed to operate my immersion blender without incident, resulting in a cooling, spiced yogurt smoothie sort of a thing. My first attempt, using Fage Total whole fat yogurt was so thick a spoon was definitely called for. A little splash of milk while blending will give you more sip-able results if your yogurt is too thick.

I’m slowly getting back on my feet, enough to attempt adding some mango to the mix and even snap a few photos.

Yep, that’s about it for today. It’s time to head back to the couch again.

Cardamom Lassi

If you can find it, or have the patience to make your own, use coarsely ground cardamom rather than the fine ground stuff. To make your own, buy the cardamom pods, empty the seeds into a mortar and pound them a bit.

Makes 2

2 cups plain yogurt
3 T sugar (or even better, honey or agave syrup)
1 t coarsely ground cardamom
some diced mango (optional)

Blend. Chill for 30 minutes. Drink!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you made it to Design Sponge last week to see Bea’s beautiful recipes. I have to say when I saw her lovely post appear, knowing full well that mine would be up next, I was quite nervous because I knew I’d better come up with something good to follow! While my sesame-vanilla ice cream may not have the same eye-poppingly gorgeous spring colors, I can promise you that the recipe is well worth trying.

If you haven’t been to Design Sponge before, you are definitely in for a treat. So much to browse through and add to your secret desires list. I am very excited that Kristina asked me to be a little part! You can find the ice cream recipe and a little more about it here.

Recently, I was flipping through the The Northwest Best Places Cookbook, and one of the first recipes that caught my eye was for Gingerbread Crepes. I’m not really sure why it got me so excited… I’m not a big gingerbread fan… but the idea stuck in my head, and I knew with a little tweaking, these crepes would be something I would love. To me, these crepes are like a warm blanket on a cool spring morning… comforting, but light and fresh. If you’ve been intimidated by crepes before, give these a try… they are much easier than you think.

To begin with, I made added Amaranth Flour to the mix. Amaranth flour has a great nutty flavor that you might associate with graham crackers and tends to add crispness to whatever you bake with it, meaning that your crepes are less likely to get soggy while you cook up the whole batch. Amaranth is also much more nutritious than all purpose flour containing a nearly complete protein. Because Amaranth doesn’t contain gluten, you will need to mix it with other flours to achieve the desired texture. I’m not gluten free, so I chose regular all purpose flour… but there are other flours you could mix with that could yield beautiful results.

The sweetener for this recipe is malt syrup which is something like a cross between honey and molasses. It’s lush and golden and pairs beautifully with the spice combination of ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. A little grated citrus peel (preferably fresh, but dry is okay too) brightens up the whole batter.

For the filling, you can use fresh apple slices but applesauce is delicious and much easier. A bit of Meyer lemon adds a lovely sweet tartness and keeps the apples from being cloying. I love these served with a dusting of powdered sugar and a bit of lemon served on the side which also helps bring out the citrus in both the crepes and the filling.

Technorati Tags: cookbook, recipe

I don’t really do cookbook reviews on this site. But, when I received a very personal email from the publisher of My Sweet Vegan asking me if I’d take a look, I found I couldn’t refuse. While I am nothing close to being a vegan– I even rendered 10 lbs of pork back fat into lard yesterday –I was still intrigued by the story of the author. At 18, and just a senior in high school, blogger Hannah Kaminsky wrote and photographed the cookbook and managed to get herself published. At 20 years her senior, I certainly haven’t even come close to such an accomplishment! I definitely wanted to check out the book, so I said send it along.

My first impression of the book, with its cheerful bright cover with colors reminiscent of gummy bears was that this is a book I’m going to like. Two big, chocolate rich dessert photos grace the cover and struck me with their honesty. This is real food made to be eaten, not merely to be looked at. It’s not all polish and gloss, but it is plenty welcoming… like the friendly, personal nature of food blogs in book form. The same feel is captured throughout the book with photos that may not be perfect, but look enticing all the same, and little personal tidbits about each recipe.

Flipping through the recipes, I see several I’d like to try… a dried fruit focaccia for one and party mix bars, a clever twist of rice crispy treats and Chex® mix. I skip over the recipes with substitute ingredients like vegan “cream cheese” or soy creamer. I’m sure the recipes are good, but just like the idea of lard creeps some people out, faux dairy is not my thing.

I finally settle on trying the coconut fudge, which smartly substitutes coconut milk for the cream. I made one more substitution, and replaced the margarine with coconut oil… keeping to the vegan intent of the recipe but also avoiding margarine which I’m not much of a fan of. The resulting fudge was exceptionally rich, super sweet, and with just a subtle hint of coconut… if it weren’t for the generous topping of flaked coconut on top, it would be hard to put your finger on the flavor.

Two of these dense little squares was about all I could handle over the span of a day, so I recommend making a batch and making up some little packages as gifts for your coconut and chocolate loving friends.

Coconut Fudge
Adapted from Hannah Kaminsky’s My Sweet Vegan

Makes 32 Small Pieces

1 c semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or chocolate chips)
3 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c dutch process cocoa powder
2 T coconut oil
1/2 c coconut milk
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 c unsweetened, toasted, flaked coconut

Line a baking pan with at least 1 inch sides with parchment, leaving the parchment to extend a bit up the sides. It might help to put a smear of coconut oil on the bottom of the pan to help the parchment stick.

Mix the chocolate, sugar and cocoa together in a large bowl. Set aside.

Mix the coconut oil and coconut milk together in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir and heat until the oil has melted and bubbles just start to form. Remove it from the stove and immediately pour the hot coconut over the chocolate mixture.

Let it sit for about a minute, and then stir well to melt the chocolate completely. If it seems that it has cooled too much, try putting the dish over a bowl of hot water and stirring constantly until you have a nice smooth mixture. Add the vanilla, stir, and then pour the fudgy goodness into the parchment lined baking pan, pressing it into the corners and smoothing out the top. Toss the coconut flakes all over the top and press them into the fudge just a little so they will stay. Let the fudge cool completely before cutting it. I covered mine once it was room temp, and tossed it in the fridge to firm it up even more.

Technorati Tags: chocolate, cookbook, dessert, My Sweet Vegan, recipe