Passover Macaroons!

Wednesday I posted a video for making cute little bunny cupcakes, so today I wanted to post a recipe for the jewish holiday Passover.

Tonight marks the beginning of Passover one of the most important holidays of the Jewish faith, an eight-day commemoration that overlaps in date with Easter.

Passover or Pesach is the holiday which celebrates the Exodus from Egypt and the next stage in the unfolding biblical story of the Children of Israel.

After centuries of slavery, Passover celebrates the passage into freedom for an entire people. The specific "passing over" for which the holiday is named refers to the way in which God passed over, or protected, the homes of the Israelites during the night they prepared to leave Egypt, as the last of the Ten Plagues was being visited upon the Egyptians.

When the Pharaoh freed the Israelites, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread dough to rise (leaven). In commemoration, for the duration of Passover no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called "The Festival of the Unleavened Bread".  Matzo (flat unleavened bread) is a symbol of the holiday.

The Macaroons that I have made contain no flour but also no corn syrup, which is against the dietary laws for  Ashkenazi tradition but are allowed in the Sephardic communities for Passover.  They can be made with or without corn syrup depending on what you believe.  I made these without the corn syup but left that ingredient in the recipe below.

This recipe is from Sarabeth Levine who owns and operates her own bakery in New York, Sarabeth's Bakery.  These little coconut cookies are heavenly and you don't have to be jewish to like them!  In fact, I'm sure you'll love them! 

Orange-Coconut Macaroons

Makes 2 dozen macaroons

Passover macaroons are made without flour (which is not used at Passover time). They are crunchy on the outside and have a softer texture on the inside. I add orange zest to tame the signature sweetness of these traditional holiday cookies. I love the toasty pieces that fall to the sheet tray while scooping them into their shape. When the trays come out of the oven, we fight for them at the bakery, and believe me, so will you. Don't reserve these plump and easy cookies for Passover, they are excellent any time of the year. Sarabeth Levine

BAKERS NOTE: Macaroons are nothing if not chewy and moist, so I make mine with a syrup that ensures the desired texture. For the best flavor, use desiccated coconut, available at natural food stores, and not the standard sweetened coconut flakes.

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup water

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Pinch fine sea salt

Seeds from ½ vanilla bean or ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grated zest of ½ orange

5 cups (1 pound) unsweetened desiccated coconut

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Combine the sugar, 1/3 cup water, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Pour into the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Add the vanilla seeds and orange zest and stir to combine.

3. Attach the bowl to the mixer and affix the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the coconut. Then, gradually pour in the egg whites and mix into a dough. Let stand for 10 minutes.

4. Using a 1 1/2-inch-diameter ice-cream scoop, portion the coconut mixture. With your other hand, lightly compress the mixture into the scoop so it will hold its shape better when released onto the half-sheet pan. Release the coconut mixture onto the pan. Repeat with the remaining mixture, spacing the mounds about 1 inch apart.

5. Bake until the macaroons are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on the pan. (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.)

Enjoy!

National Pina Colada Day!

Did you know that yesterday was National Pina Colada Day?  Well, I'm sure you're not alone, no one that I know knew except for me.  So in honor of the day I decided I'd whip something up.

If you read a recent post of mine for Coconut Encrusted Scallops with Banana Colada Sauce you'll know how much I love the stuff.

In fact, as a little girl my family would always go away for the Christmas Holidays to either Florida or Puerto Rico.  So every year we would have lots of virgin Pina Colada's.  I grew to love them so much and of course having spent quality time with my family (Mom, Dad, and two sisters) during the holidays and someplace tropical, I have very fond memories of Pina Colada's. 

When I finally reached the age of 21 I could have a juiced up Pina Colada but for some reason it just didn't do it for me.  I love what I grew up with and adding the Rum ruins it for me.  However, in the recipe that I'm going to share with you, feel free to add some Rum if you like.

Since it's summer I thought I'd make a Pina Colada Granita, which is a type of Italian dessert, similar to sorbet or frozen flavored ice.  The ingredients are simple and quick to put together.  I've just added a touch of lime which I think lends a special touch. 

I would suggest making this a day ahead of time to insure that it gets done in time for serving.  I'm on vacation and made it yesterday planning to have it ready by dinner time but whether it was the freezer where we're staying or the altitude it took longer than normal.

Follow these simple steps and guaranteed you'll be in Pina Colada and Granita heaven.  This cool refreshing treat is just what the doctor ordered on a hot summers day.  Oh and one other thing, you can use this technique to make any type of Granita that you desire.

Pina Colada Granita
serves 6

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups water
2/3 cups sugar
1 (13.66 oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk (2 cups)
1/2 cup pineapple juice
Juice and zest of 1 lime

Directions:

Make a simple syrup by adding the water and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves. 

Remove the pan from the heat, allow to cool, and then stir in the coconut milk. 

Add the pineapple juice, lime juice and zest and blend.

Freeze Granita:

Pour the granita mixture into a wide and shallow container.  Cover with foil and freeze for 1-2 hours until the edges are frozen. 

Take container out of the freezer and scrape the ice with a fork as though you were shredding it. 

At this point you will only be able to do the edges since the center will still be gushy.  Place back into the freezer and continue to repeat this method every half hour to an hour until the entire mixture has frozen and you have been able to scrape it into tiny ice crystals creating your Granita.

Serve in a fancy glass with a slice of lime and if desired add a splash of rum.  YUM!!!

Enjoy!

Here are some links to other Pina Colada recipes that you might like to try:
http://in-homeculinaryclasses.blogspot.com/2011/06/coconut-encrusted-scallops-with-banana.html

http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2011/02/pina-colada-cupcakes.html

http://www.cherryteacakes.com/2010/05/pina-colada-donuts.html

Coconut Encrusted Scallops with Banana Colada Sauce - YUM!

OMG, I know I keep mentioning the weather, but today it was AMAZING!  Who would have thought that it would feel like fall in the summer here in Missouri?  Certainly not me.  The breeze was blowing and the sun was shining most of the day -  it was crisp and wonderful.  In fact, something about the day reminded me of the evenings in the Caribbean except for the fact that I wasn't by an ocean.

Suddenly I had a craving for a Pina Colada and some fresh fish.  So my mind starting wondering what I could do and I decided to head over to Bob's Seafood to get some of their heavenly fresh Wild Alaskan Dry Scallops to concoct some sort of scallop dish that reminded  me of the Caribbean. 

I decided I'd encrust the scallops with coconut.  I mean how bad could that be?  Other than the fact that the scallops smelled so fresh, sweet and ocean like, they really didn't need any doctoring.   However, I felt like the Caribbean so that's what I was going to create.


Coconut Encrusted Scallops with a Pina/Banana Colada Sauce with Coconut Jasmine Rice was my challenge and it all turned out incredibly delicous!  (I decided to add bananas to the sauce, since I had some on hand).  The scallops just melted in your mouth.

*NOTE:

Before purchasing scallops here are some tips you might like to know.  In addition, if you've ever had an allergic reaction to scallops, most likely you had those that have been soaked in sodium tripolyphosphate (STP).  To avoid any adverse reactions always be sure to get dry scallops.

Scallops are usually shucked from the shells to be sold at market. But even when shucked, they're often sold with the "catch" muscle still attached. You'll recognize the catch muscle running up the side of the scallop. This is very simple to remove but if you prefer not to remove it yourself, then ask your fishmonger.

This bit of muscle is strong—it's the one the scallop uses to clamp its shell shut in order to defend itself. It's also tough and unpleasant to eat, and it should be removed before cooking.

Simply grab the tab of the muscle firmly, coaxing it with your fingernails or the tip of a paring knife, and then pull it off the scallop.

Some say that the muscle is good for thickening sauces.  So rather than tossing it out, you might want to utilize it if you're making a sauce.

 











Coconut Encrusted Scallops with Banana Colada Sauce
serves 4

Ingredients:

Banana Colada Sauce:

1 tablespoon rum
1/4 cup sliced banana (3/4 of a medium banana)
1/4 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Pinch sea salt (you could use any type of salt but afterall I was recreating the ocean)
******************
12  large dry scallops*
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup grated coconut

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In a blender container combine all ingredients for Banana Colada Sauce and puree until smooth. Set aside.

3. Lightly coat a foil lined sheet pan with canola oil or non-stick spray. Dredge scallops in flour, then dip into beaten eggs and roll in grated coconut. 

Place on prepared sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes or until coconut is golden.

4. While prepping the scallops take 1 cup of dried Jasmine rice and place in a rice cooker.  Add 1 cup of the remaining light coconut milk and 1 cup of water to the pot.  Turn on and let it do it's thing.  When the rice is ready, add about 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple to the rice cooker.  Mix and let warm up before serving.

5. Warm  sauce. Serve.  On a plate, place a nice mound of the coconut rice in the center of the plate surrounded by 3 coconut-crusted scallops (per serving) and then top with 1/4 cup warm Banana Colada Sauce. If preferred serve sauce on the side. YUM!!

Enjoy!!