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SRC: Apple Rubies in Coconut Milk

March 9, 2014August 28, 2014 Sarah

Welcome to another edition of SRC! [Insert shameless plug for my photo canvas giveaway, now through 3/15/14]. Hope you’re all adjusting to that time change. Boo to losing an hour! I grew up without daylight savings time [most of the state of Indiana abstained until I was in college] so this is a semi-new thing for me. Falling back is great…but springing forward? Not so much. But enough about the time… a fun new dessert is calling your name!

My Secret Recipe Club blog this month was Inquiring Chef, written by Jess, an American currently living in Thailand with her husband. She’s pregnant with twin girls! How fun! Jess has a huge repertoire of recipes on her blog–from Thai dishes like Shrimp Bites with Peanut Lime Dipping Sauce, Red Curry Salmon with Coconut Brown Rice, or Pad See Ew, to more traditional dishes like Pimento Cheese, Bagels, and Potato Pancakes. I wanted to make everything!! In the end, I realized I had to go with a Thai dish. How could I not? Instead of a noodle creation, I landed on this unique dessert–Apple Rubies in Coconut Milk. I have seriously never heard of anything like this before…and let me tell you–it is fabulous!

Jess describes this dish so well that I am going to borrow her description: “Each bite is all at once crunchy, creamy, chewy, cold… almost impossible to describe.” Basically, what you have here is are apples soaked in juice, coated with tapioca flour, and then boiled to create a gelatinous coating. These sweet nuggets are served in a bowl with creamy, luscious coconut milk and crushed ice to create a fun taste and texture experience. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but whatever you have in your mind… this is even better! It’s sweet, but not overly so. If apples aren’t your thing, don’t be dismayed: Jess decided to use apples after the traditional “rubies” ingredient [water chestnuts] weren’t to her liking. And it’s genius! Be sure to check out Jess’ post for tips on preparing this dish [hint: use large pots and bowls, and have everything prepped ahead of time]. Thanks, Jess, for a great dish!

one year ago: Quick Chocolate Pudding
two years ago: Quinoa Pancakes
three years ago: Lemon Blueberry Bread

Apple Rubies in Coconut Milk [from Inquiring Chef]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 crisp apples, cored, peeled, and cut into small pieces [Fiji, McIntosh, Pink Lady, Gala as well as any other crisp type would work well]
2 cups red juice [I used grape; Jess used pomegranate]
1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups coconut milk
crushed ice, for topping

Directions:

Place apples and juice in a small bowl to soak, making sure apples are completely covered. Soak for 20 minutes.

While apples soak, bring a large pot of water to boil. Set a medium bowl of ice water next to stove to use as an ice bath.

In another bowl, stir together tapioca flour and sugar. After apples are drained, pour apples into tapioca mixture, tossing evenly to coat. Shake off extra tapioca mixture and gently drop coated apples into boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, until coating is transparent. Remove from water and place in ice bath.

Drain apples and divide between 4 small bowls. Top each bowl with 1/2 cup coconut milk and a serving of crushed ice. Serve immediately.

Time: 40 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings.

Notes: This dish is traditionally made with water chestnuts so those could be used in place of the apples if you wish.

Check out all the other SRC recipes for this month below!

Linked up with Weekend Potluck.

Desserts, Other, Recipes

Mystery Dish: Champorado [Filipino Chocolate Rice Pudding]

January 29, 2014February 22, 2014 Sarah

When I saw the ingredients for the January edition of Mystery Dish, the first thing I thought was “fancy, fancy.” Allie from Baking a Moment gave us a list of the following to work with: champagne, strawberries, oranges, beets, filet mignon, lobster, cream, chocolate, rosewater, and rice. Though the list at first glance is fancy, my first thought was comfort food. It must be the cold weather.

As I was thinking about what to make, I noticed rice sitting all lonely at the end of the list. I’ve never had rice pudding, so I looked up a few recipes and decided to give it a whirl. Ben is a HUGE rice addict, so we always have tons of rice in the pantry. Instead of the milky, raisin-filled, old-person-stereotype rice pudding, I wanted to use chocolate to fancify things a bit. As I researched chocolate rice pudding, I decided to take an international spin on things and make an intriguing Filipino chocolate rice pudding called Champorado. When I found out it is traditionally served for breakfast, I was sold. Chocolate for breakfast? Yes, please!

This pudding is warm, comforting, and chocolately–though it’s surprisingly NOT rich. Some kinds of oatmeal I make feel richer than this is. The recipe called for bittersweet chocolate, which certainly helps create an uber chocolate flavor without any feelings of heaviness or overindulgence. I also added a little bit of orange zest to bring a citrus zing to the dish. Chocolate and orange together is absolutely DIVINE! Another way this dish stays a lighter is the pairing. You might have noticed that bacon on my plate.

Traditionally, Champorado is served with hot, buttered rolls and salted dried fish, creating that perfect blend of salty sweet balance in a meal. Since I was fresh out of salted dried fish [aka I’ve never eaten salted dried fish before] bacon was my natural alternative. 🙂

Each bite of this pudding is comforting and delightful. It’s so versatile and can be served hot, lukewarm, or cold. Though I highly recommend it for breakfast, I think it would make a fun dessert too. I definitely will be trying more rice puddings in the future now that I know they aren’t just for old people! 🙂 Thanks, Allie and Mystery Dish for broadening my horizons once again. Scroll down for more recipes from this month’s Mystery Dish! 🙂

one year ago: Buffalo Pretzels
two years ago: Cranberry Feta Pinwheels
three years ago: Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce

Champorado [Filipino Chocolate Rice Pudding] [from Chow]
click to print

Ingredients:

1 cup rice [short grain white sticky rice recommended, but I used long-grain white rice and it was fine]
5 cups water
6 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate [I used a 70% cacao variety from Scharffen Berger]
1/3 cup sugar
zest of one orange
milk [regular, evaporated, sweetened condensed], for serving if desired

Directions:

Rinse rice in a fine gauge mesh strainer under running water for 1-2 minutes, until water runs clear. Then place in a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring often, until rice is tender, much of the water is absorbed, and mixture thickens, about 15-20 minutes.

Melt chocolate in the microwave in 15 second increments, stirring and checking often to ensure chocolate does not burn. A double boiler would be another option too.

When rice has thickened, add chocolate, sugar, and orange zest to pot and stir together. Simmer for another 5 minutes until sugar has dissolved.

Remove from heat and serve as desired–immediately [hot], cooled off the heat for 30-45 minutes [lukewarm], or cooled off the heat, then refrigerated [cold]. Serve with milk as desired.

Time: 30 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings.

1. Carmelitas by Pass the Cocoa
2. Strawberry Champagne Cupcake Trifles by The Dessert Chronicles
3. Strawberry Orange Stuffed French Toast by I Dig Pinterest
4. Strawberry Orange Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips by Joyful Healthy Eats
5. Chocolate Strawberry Pudding by See Hubby Cook
6. Chocolate Doughnuts with Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing by Chez CateyLou
7. Champorado (Filipino Chocolate Rice Pudding) by The Pajama Chef
8. Whole Wheat Orange Scones with Vanilla Cream Glaze by The Well Floured Kitchen
9. Chocolate-Filled Cream Puffs with Strawberry Sauce by Culinary Couture
10. Red Velvet Beet Cupcakes by Yummy Healthy Easy
11. Chocolate Covered Strawberry Milkshake by I Want Crazy
12. Strawberry Rose Chocolate Verrines by Baking a Moment

Desserts, Other, Recipes

Harvest Pear Crisp with Crystallized Ginger

November 22, 2013November 25, 2013 Sarah

Let’s conclude our week of Thanksgiving recipes with the best part of all… dessert! Since I’ve made so many pies this fall, we just weren’t in the mood for pie for our fun meal. So crisp it was! What’s more fall than a crisp? But not the classic apple or cherry, but another fall fruit–pears!

I think sometimes pears fall by the wayside, overshadowed by apples. Even though I am pretty much addicted to having at least one sliced apple a day, pears are another love of mine! They’re sweet and pair [ha ha ha] so well with cinnamon and ginger. Two things make this crisp sing–the crumbly, buttery topping with tangy pieces of crystallized ginger, and the simple spice of cinnamon. Some fall recipes use a bunch of warm spices. That’s all well and good, but keeping it easy and basic just celebrates the pear, cinnamon, and ginger. Yum! Exactly what we needed to polish off a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. The photos do NOT do this dish justice. It was getting dark… boo.

Oh well, I still hope you’ve enjoyed this week of Thanksgiving recipes! 🙂

two years ago: Whipped Sweet Potatoes
three years ago: Spinach Mushroom Cream Sauce with Spaghetti

Harvest Pear Crisp with Crystallized Ginger [from Bon Appetite, November 2009]
click to print

Ingredients:

filling

4 pounds ripe pears [6-7 large pears] – peeled, cored, cubed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

topping

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Place pears in prepared baking dish, then add sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and vanilla. Toss together gently with a fork.

In a medium bowl, prepare topping. Stir together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter with pastry blender, then add oats and ginger. Toss with a fork, then spread evenly over pears.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling. Serve warm.

Time: 60 minutes.
Yield: 8-10 servings.

Linked up with: Foodie Friday, Weekend Potluck.

Desserts, Other, Recipes

Oreo Popcorn

June 24, 2013June 24, 2013 Sarah

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you probably know that I coordinate the food for a monthly meeting at church. Sometimes this means just shopping for the food and delegating preparation to others, but sometimes it means being responsible for cooking and baking several appetizers and desserts for a crowd of 60-70. Usually I have help so it’s not so bad–and pretty fun to try new recipes for a group. My friend Rachel always has the most creative ideas, and though this Oreo Popcorn has made the rounds on Pinterest before–I just had to share it here because it is unbelievably good!

I must admit I was a little skeptical of this snack. For one, I despise melting chocolate. It’s just annoying, even though the results are delicious. But more than that, I’m mostly a popcorn purist. I love caramel corn and kettle corn, but anything more is just a bit weird to me. Maybe it’s having extra texture in there? I don’t know, but what I do know is that Oreo Popcorn might be the dawn of a new era for me. It’s salty, sweet, creamy and crunchy… pretty much perfect. Next time you have a get together, definitely make a batch. It’d be great in a big bowl at a pool party or a fun addition to your Friday movie night. Or, you know, ahem, for watching endless reruns of Bones on Netflix. Not that I’ve been doing that lately… enjoy! It is GREATTT. Next time I’m going to try it with a different flavor of Oreos, or maybe with a drizzle of peanut butter. Mmmm 🙂

Oreo Popcorn [from my friend Rachel]

click to print

Ingredients:

3 bags plain popcorn, popped with unpopped kernels removed
24 ounces white almond bark, melted
1 package Oreos [14.3 ounces], chopped

Directions:

Line countertop with wax paper, then spread popcorn out on top of it. Drizzle melted chocolate over, then top with chopped Oreos. You don’t necessarily need to use the whole package–just use your discretion. Toss everything together with your hands and spread flat to cool. Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

Time: 15 minutes.

Yield: a lot of popcorn.

Desserts, Other, Recipes

SRC: Quick Chocolate Pudding

March 4, 2013May 6, 2015 Sarah

Have you ever made homemade pudding before? I never knew until this weekend just how simple it is–and how utterly delicious the results are! This month for the Secret Recipe Club I was assigned to Shannon’s blog, Searching for Dessert and I am so glad that I was–otherwise I may never have discovered the wonder of homemade pudding!! And this version is luscious, rich chocolate pudding so it is very wondrous. 🙂

If you’ve missed my past SRC posts, the premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog… all while keeping your assignment a secret! Everyone else posts about their secret blog the same day. It’s fabulously fun to try out new blogs. If you have a blog, definitely check it out and consider joining! I highly recommend it.

If you’ve never visited Shannon’s blog, you’re missing out! As the name implies, the focus is on dessert… as well as meatless recipes! Yum to both! There are SO many new recipes I’d love to try, like these Cranberry and Pecan Granola Bites and this Parmesan Pizza Dough. Everything I saw looked amazing, but since Shannon is an excellent photographer and a former pastry chef, that is no surprise. Now, she is a student [graduating this year, like me… yay! By the way, I don’t think I’ve announced this here yet but I turned in a FULL DRAFT of my thesis a couple weeks ago! I’ll have to do revisions later this month, but this is a big step forward. :)]. Shannon is also a wife and a mother–most recently the new mom of a little girl. So fun! I’m sure her family loves it when she makes this quick chocolate pudding for dessert at night. It’s no pastry but it sure is tasty.

This rich, fudgy chocolate pudding is amazing! It comes together in a flash [hence the quick part]. Probably the hardest part is straining the lumps out at the end. Seriously. You just gotta be prepared and have all the ingredients ready as you go along. Even if it was a bit more complicated, I think I would still love it just as much because it is SO much better than any pudding mix you can buy at the store.

Since the pudding cooks and thickens on the stove, there is really no need for refrigeration prior to serving. I had never had warm pudding before, and man, was it good! It was like eating a bowl of milky hot fudge. It was also great cold, but it was such a treat hot out of the pan. Shannon’s original recipe called for flavoring the chocolate pudding with fruit, specifically black cherries. I intended to buy some, but just never did, so we enjoyed the pudding plain and also with coconut and mini chocolate chips. Be sure to check out her original post for more fruit ideas… she had a ton.

I feel like this post is super scattered, but just to emphasize again… this Quick Chocolate Pudding is superb! It is rich and chocolatey, with richness drawn from the coffee, vanilla, and butter. If you aren’t a coffee fan, don’t be scared–you don’t actually taste it, it just serves as a flavor enhancer. I won’t go so far as to say I’ll never make boxed pudding again… but I really shouldn’t. I’ve been enlightened… and I can’t wait to find more pudding recipes now. Anyone have some they wanna send my way? 🙂 Enjoy… and go show Shannon and her new baby girl some love at Searching for Dessert!

Quick Chocolate Pudding [from Searching for Dessert]

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup coffee, hot
1 cup milk, hot
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate [I used a block of chocolate but Shannon used chips]
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup fruit, if desired [Shannon used frozen black cherries]

Directions:

Add sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa powder to a medium saucepan and whisk well to blend. Then pour in the hot coffee and whisk again until fully incorporated.

Then, place the saucepan over medium high heat. Gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking after each addition. Using a wooden spoon, consistently stir the mixture for 2-3 minutes as it thickens.

Add chocolate, and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and butter, stir until melted.

Set a fine strainer or sieve over a bowl and push the pudding through to remove any lumps. This will take a few minutes, but the results are well worth it.

Serve immediately, with 1/4 cup fruit per 3/4 cup serving [if desired]. Alternatively, place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap [touching the pudding] and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Time: 20 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings [3/4 cup each].

Be sure to check out the other SRC posts today here: