lemon sandwich cookies....

leftover reduced coconut milk adds a little extra to the creamy filling of these cookies. 

adapted from citizen cake, San Francisco

• cookies

• 1/2 tbsp grated lemon zest

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 whole large egg

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• for filling

• 3 tbsp grated lemon zest

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

• 1/4 cup reduced coconut mile (see recipe for coconut cupcakes 6.14 post)

• 4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted (after measuring)

1. make cookies: boil lemon zest and juice in small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1 tbsp, 3 to 5 mins. remove from heat and cool. beat together butter, sugar and salt with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 mins. add yolk and egg, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in lemon reduction. at low speed, mix in baking soda and flour until just combined.

2. form dough into 6-inch disc. chill, wrapped, until firm about 2 hours.

3. preheat oven 350 degrees with rack in middle position. butter large baking sheet. 

4. roll dough out onto lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin to 13 inch (1/8 inch thick) round.

5. cut out cookies using a 2 inch round cookie cutter. re-roll dough only once.

6. bake 1 inch apart until edges are golden about 15 mins.

7. lemon filling: mince zest with salt. beat butter with electric mixer until light and fluffy, then beat in zest paste, then add reduced coconut milk. 

8. reduce speed to low, then mix in sugar until well combined.

9. assemble cookies: spread filling (about 1 round tablespoon) on half of the cookies and sandwich with remaining cookies. press slightly, then smooth edges with a butter or keep rustic style. chill until filling sets about 30 minutes. 

vanilla bean-coconut mini cupcakes with coconut frosting....

i was first introduced to coconut cake over a decade ago by my dear friend lola. this is how i learned that not all coconut cakes are the same and that there are many variations; white, yellow etc. the reduced coconut milk is the secret ingredient to keeping these bite sized goodies moist. the lovely brown speckles from the vanilla bean add a little color. 

recipe adapted from bon appetit june '09

• reduced coconut milk

• 2 -  13 to 14 ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk

• cupcakes

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted room temperature butter

• 1 1/3 cups sugar

• 3 large eggs

• seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean OR 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup reduced coconut milk (see above) room temperature

• frosting

• 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature

• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• 1/3 cup reduced coconut milk (see above) room temperature

• seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean OR 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut lightly toasted (for garnish)

1. reduced coconut milk; bring coconut milk to a boil in large deep saucepan over medium-hight heat (coconut milk will boil high in pan). reduce heat to medium-low; boil until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, stirring occasionally , 25-30 minutes. remove from heat, cool completely. transfer to small bowl. cover; chill (coconut milk may settle as it cools. can be made ahead 2 days. keep chilled. 

2. cupcakes: position oven rack in the center of oven; preheat 350 degrees. line mini cupcake pan with paper liners. whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. using electric mixer, beat sugar; beat on medium-high speed until well blended, about 2 mins. add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. beat in seeds from vanilla bean and remaining egg. add half of flour mixture; mix on low speed just until blended. scoop batter into the muffin cups so 3/4 full.

3. bake cupcakes until tops spring back when gently touched and tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 15 mins. transfer cupcakes in pans to rack; cool 10 minutes. carefully remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on rack.

4. frosting: using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. add sugar, 1/3 cup reduced coconut milk, seeds from vanilla bean, and salt. beat on medium-low speed until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl, increase to medium-high heat and beat until light and fluffy. 

5. using pastry bag fitted with large star tip, pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. sprinkle toasted coconut on top to garnish.

do ahead: can be made 1 day ahead stored in airtight containers, chill. bring to room temperature before serving.

reserve any leftover reduced coconut milk for lemon sandwich cookies. 

spicy kaffir lime leaf peanuts....

this recipe goes back to memorial day weekend when i felt compelled to make everything under the sun. my friends Taryn and Patrick were coming over for a backyard bbq and well it's good to have "snacks" ready upon arrival. when conducting my usual recipe research a "thai" theme became apparent in my selection. the extra day off allowed me further time to explore the daily farmer's market and a trip to "thai town" on hollywood blvd near western. lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, peanuts and dried chilies. i love to get lost in grocery stores and today for just a few minutes i felt like i was back in thailand visiting my sister. 

kaffir lime leaves have a lovely citrus and slightly astringent flavor. typically used in thai curries but here they are fried and served crisp. look for them in the refrigerated section as the leaves are sold fresh for about a $1 in a plastic vacuum packed bag. 

the recipe calls for raw peanuts but i prefer to use raw red skinned peanuts. initially i thought the red skins would burn and be problematic but instead they added a great shiny  texture. 

recipe adapted from food and wine june '09 issue

• 1 cup canola or peanut oil, for frying

• 10 large kaffir lime leaves

• 8 small dried chilies

• 3 cups raw red skinned peanuts

• 1 tbsp coarse sea salt

• 4 large garlic cloves

feel free to modify the above quantities to your specified taste. i prefer this mixture really spicy but will modify depending on my guests' preferences. it's really important to cater to the likes and dislikes of your guests. it's often one of the first things i ask new acquaintances or friends coming over for the first time. 

1. in a large skillet, heat the oil. line a plate with paper towels. add the lime leaves and chilies to the skillet and fry until the chilies turn a deep red, about one minute. using a slotted spoon, transfer the lime leaves and chilies to the paper towels to drain.

2. line a large rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. add the peanuts to the skillet and stir fry over medium heat, about 10 mins. using a slotted spoon and transfer to baking sheet. transfer the peanuts to a large bowl and toss with the salt. 

3. add garlic to the skillet and fry over moderate heat until golden brown, about two mins. transfer with slotted spoon the garlic to the plate with lime leaves and chilies and pat dry. 

4. using your hands, finely crush the chilies over the peanuts. add the garlic and toss to combine. transfer peanuts to small bowls for snacking. 

weekend dining al fresco

shrimp and cotija enchiladas with salsa verde and crema mexicana

never really liked enchiladas or had a craving to make them...UNTIL the june '09 bon appetit issue arrived in my mailbox. for a good month the very appealing photo kept enticing me with it's mutli-layers of luscious green textures but couldn't help thinking the results would be disappointing. so when the ideal recipe hadn't presented itself for this weekend's discovery, the shrimp enchiladas seemed fitting. handmade whole wheat tortillas from TJ's were substituted for corn tortillas and queso fresco replaced the cotija cheese due to availability. i must say these are quite delicious.

adaptation of bon appetit June 2009 recipe

• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided

• 2 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed

• 4 large fresh poblano chilies, halved lengthwise, cored, seeded

• 1 jalapeno, halved, seeded

• 4 unpeeled garlic cloves

• 2 cups of coarsely chopped fresh cilantro plus extra for garnish

• 1 cup chopped green onions

• 1 1/4 cups chopped red onion, plus thinly sliced red onion rounds for garnish

• 48 uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined (1 1/2 pounds)

• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 12 6 inch handmade whole wheat tortillas

• 12 ounces fresh crumbled cotija or queso fresco or feta

• 2 cups grated pepper jack cheese

1. preheat broiler. line large rimmed baking sheet with foil. brush lightly with 1 tbsp of oil. arrange tomatillos, poblano chilies and jalapeno cut side down and garlic cloves on prepared baking sheet. broil until tomatillos and chilies begin to soften and blacken in a couple spots, watching closely to prevent burning, about 10 mins. do not turn. remove from oven and let cool until able to handle about 15 minutes. 

2. transfer tomatillos and jalapeno to processor. peel garlic and add to processor. coarsely chop chilies. add 1/3 cup chopped chilies to processor. reserve remaining chilies for the enchilada filling. add 2 cups of cilantro and 1 cup of green onions to processor. pulse until coarse puree forms. season salsa verde with salt and pepper. transfer 1 1/2 cups of salsa to shallow bowl.

3. heat 2 tbsp of oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. add chopped red onion and saute until slightly softened about 2 mins. sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. add shimp, oregano, cumin, and remaining chopped chilies to skillet; saute just until shrimp is almost opaque but not completely cooked through, tossing often, 3 to 3 1/2 minutes. remove shrimp from heat.

4. preheat oven 350 degrees. brush 15 x 10 x 2 inch glass baking dish with remaining 1 tbsp of oil. spread 1/2 cup of salsa verde from processor in bottom of dish. stack tortillas, wrap in damp paper towels and place on plate. microwave tortillas on high until soft and pliable, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

5. working with 1 tortilla at a time, dip tortilla into bowl with 1 1/2 cups salsa verde, turning to coat both sides evenly. transfer to prepared baking dish. place 4 shrimp and some onion-chili filling, top with queso fresco and pepper jack cheese. roll up tortilla, enclosing the filling and place seam side down in dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, shrimp, onion-chili mixture and cheese. spread two cups of salsa verde from processor over enchiladas.Cover with grated pepper jack cheese.

6. bake enchiladas just until heated through and cheese melts about 20 minutes. using spatula, transfer 2 enchiladas to each plate. Spoon any remaining salsa verde over; sprinkle remaining cheese. drizzle with crema and garnish with red onion slices and additional chopped cilantro.

chickpea masala....

i am always in search of vegetarian dishes to prepare for my friends, Jigisha and Yin. this recipe is intended to be a sandwich and served with a chutney, but i prefer just serving just the chickpeas. for the past two weekends, i've made three different variations and discovered i prefer to leave the chickpeas whole and not smash them as originally instructed and exceeding the directed amount of water produces soupy results. so much flavor packed into 5 simple ingredients. this dish is healthy and helpful on the wallet.

recipe adapted from saveur 

• 1 can garbanzo beans

• 1 red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

• 2 tsp madras curry powder

• 6 sprigs coarsely chopped cilantro

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed

• 1 1/2 cups water

• 2 tsp coconut oil

• salt/pepper

1. heat 2 tsp coconut oil 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. add sliced onions, 2 tsp of curry powder, salt/pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften, 15 minutes.

2. add garlic, cilantro and water, bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium and cook partially covered until chickpeas soften about 1 hour until liquid reduces. 

there are so many different serving suggestions including; serving over white rice, as a condiment for hotdogs or brats, dip, or enjoy them just as they are. 

brewsky sangria.....recipe note

i discovered a week later that not all things are created equal....particularly lemons. my friend Dogan had a 30th birthday party and I was excited to share the brewsky sangria at his party. to my dismay i noticed that this batch was very pulpy and i did not like the results nearly as well. SO if you don't like pulp then you MUST strain the lemon juice before combining with pear puree. 

additionally, i've only ever used "ya pears" which you can get at thai grocery stores. the best way to describe the flavor of  "ya pears" is that they are often referred to a chinese white pear. taste like a mixture of a rose and pineapple. refreshing, light and crisp.