Creamy Coconut Ice Cream

If you have an ice cream churner, try this recipe. Serve this ice cream with chocolate shavings or incorporate chocolate chips into the ice cream itself. Alternatively, serve it as an accompaniment to something tropical... I served it with a passion fruit mousse. The acidity of the passion fruit, and the sweetness of the ice cream, balanced each other out nicely.

Ingredients
Makes 6-8 servings

200ml coconut milk
50ml milk
300ml whipping cream
30ml Malibu
100g caster sugar


Method

Place the sugar in the coconut milk and milk over low heat until the sugar is fully dissolved; allow to cool. Combine all the ingredients. Place on ice cream machine. Once churned, place in air tight container in the freezer, allow to fully freeze, and then use as necessary.

Coconut Vegetable Curry

We’ve done the Thai curries. We’ve done them darned good. But we were ready for a change. So when we saw this vegetable Indian curry in Bon Appetit, we had to try it.

Unfortunately, our Okra went bad before we made it. We have never had Okra, and were both looking forward to it. We were not, however, looking forward to moldy okra. Maybe next time.

We’d also peel the eggplant next time, and try cooking it differently. The skin was tough and the flesh was too bitter. We ended up picking out all the pieces of eggplant and eating the rest of it. If anyone here has a tip for non-bitter eggplant, please share!

If you do choose to make this, chances are you’ll need to run down to your friendly neighborhood international food store to get many of the ingredients. We somehow managed to find curry leaves (which oddly smell like burnt rubber), used what we needed and froze the rest for next time. The Black Mustard and Fenugreek you’ll also need to find. If you want to save yourself some time, pick up some “ghee”, which is basically browned clarified butter. If not, you’ll have to clarify your own, simply by melting the butter and scooping off all the white solids that rise to the top and sink to the bottom.

If I haven’t scared you with the complexity of this recipe yet… you really should try it! It’s darned good (sans bitter eggplant, of course!)

Coconut Vegetable Curry

Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

INGREDIENTS
Vegetables:
5 tablespoons Clarified Butter, divided
12 pearl onions, blanched 1 minute, peeled
10 fresh okra pods
6 Indian eggplants (each about 3 inches long) or 4 Asian eggplants, trimmed, each quartered lengthwise 2 large carrots (about 10 ounces), peeled, cut on diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick ovals
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cored, cubed

Sauce:
5 tablespoons Clarified Butter
1 pound white onions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or frozen curry leaves* (about 16 leaves)
1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds**
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds***
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt 3 1/2 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk (preferably organic)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS
For vegetables:
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and sauté until onions are just tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer onions to bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add okra; sauté until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add okra to bowl with onions. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplants; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté eggplants until brown on cut surfaces and just tender, about 6 minutes. Add eggplant to onions. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in same skillet. Add carrots. Sauté until carrots begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir to blend; add to vegetable mixture in bowl. Reserve skillet for sauce.

For sauce:
Heat butter in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and sauté until golden, about 14 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add curry leaves, mustard seeds, turmeric, fenugreek, and cayenne; sauté 1 minute. Add vegetable mixture and 1§ teaspoons salt. Add coconut milk and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Mix in lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer curry to bowl. Serve over basmati rice.

Coconut Shrimp & Asian Orange and Avocado Spinach Salad

This was a good one. Crispy coconut shrimp with a creamy peanut dipping sauce, perched next to a fresh and flavorful salad with baby spinach, avocado, and orange.

Yup. We’ll be making this meal again.

Except… we’d use Taylor’s peanut sauce recipe. Alton’s had far too much peanut butter and almost tasted more like my pie filling than a spicy dipping sauce. But even that didn’t stop these shrimp from shining. Delicious, and for such a “pseudo-gourmet” meal, was actually quite easy.

Coconut Shrimp

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Alton Brown.

INGREDIENTS
24 large (15 to 20 count) shrimp, peeled, deviened, and butterflied
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 egg whites
2 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, or 2 1/2 cups shredded fresh coconut
Canola or peanut oil, for frying
Taylor’s Kick Butt Peanut Sauce

DIRECTIONS
Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, and cayenne. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. In another bowl, place the coconut. Coat the shrimp with the cornstarch and shake off any excess. Dip into the egg white and then press into the coconut to get full coverage. Try to keep 1 hand dry, this will keep things a little cleaner.

In a large pan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F and gently submerge the shrimp, 6 at a time. Fry for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove them to a rack to drain. Serve with Peanut Sauce.

Asian Spinach Salad with Orange and Avocado

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon (generous) Asian sesame oil
1 navel orange
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach leaves
1 Pinkerton or Fuerte avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

DIRECTIONS
Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set dressing aside.

Cut off peel and white pith from orange. Cut orange into 1/3-inch rounds; cut rounds crosswise in half. Add spinach to dressing; toss to coat. Add avocado and orange; toss gently.

This was almost like our go-to red curry recipe, but without the red curry. And honestly, it was a few days ago that we made it, and I really don’t remember it much. It wasn’t bad, but obviously wasn’t out of this world. Searing the tofu gives it a nice color and near-crispy outside, and the sauce is, well, coconut-y. What else did you expect?

Obviously, some dishes on this blog garner more dialogue. This one, not so much. Doesn’t mean it’s not worth a try. On to the recipe!

Seared Tofu with with Green Beans and Asian Coconut Sauce

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
1 (14- to 16-oz) package firm tofu
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch-long pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips (2 inches long)
1 teaspoon salt
1 (14- to 15-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk (not low-fat)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/3 cup chopped salted roasted cashews

DIRECTIONS
Halve tofu lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and pat dry well. Put 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a wide shallow dish, then add tofu, turning to coat, and let stand 10 minutes. Pat tofu dry.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then add tofu in 1 layer and cook, turning over once, until tofu is browned, about 6 minutes total. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large plate, reserving oil in skillet.

Add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to skillet and sauté, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beans, bell pepper, and salt and sauté, stirring, 1 minute.

Stir in coconut milk and remaining tablespoon soy sauce and bring to a boil, then boil, uncovered, until beans are tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer vegetables using a slotted spoon to plate with tofu.

Simmer sauce until thickened slightly and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Stir in lime juice and pour sauce over vegetables and tofu. Sprinkle with cashews.

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

It’s been about a year and half since I stopped eating dairy. Before then, I’d come home from work/class and indulge in a bowl of rich chocolate ice cream. Unhealthy, I know, but especially in the summer ice cream was all I needed to feel refreshed after a long day. I even had an ice cream maker (that so conveniently attaches to my kitchenaid), and made some pretty darn delicious homemade ice cream.

Since then, I’ve discovered that there actually are some decent non-dairy ice creams out there. But I still miss the rich and creamy concoction that came out of my ice cream maker. And sorry, but sorbet just doesn’t do it for me.

So when I saw this recipe for a coconut-milk based ice cream, how could I not try it? Especially in this sticky Tennessee heat.

I was a bit nervous, not being a huge coconut fan (coconut shrimp and curry, yum – but coconut contaminating my chocolate? no way). However, I do have to say that even those who despise coconut will enjoy this ice cream. The coconut flavor melts away behind the rich chocolate in the forefront, and the result is a creamy, icy treat worthy of any ice cream lover.

It was a touch icy, which I attribute to the fact that I didn’t chill the mixture enough before putting it in the ice cream machine, and it didn’t freeze as fully as I would have liked. Once in the freezer, it did form some big crystals.

But you know? I think I might have found my new afternoon refreshment. This whole dairy-free thing ‘aint so bad!

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Makes 1 quart. Recipe from David Lebovitz, via Mac & Cheese.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon dark rum

DIRECTIONS
Heat water and sugar in a medium saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Add chocolate to the syrup and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat, and stir in coconut milk and rum.

Chill completely (at least 2-3 hours), then freeze in ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze overnight.