by TheLastWonton | Dec 26, 2010 | Baking & Desserts, Beef, Pork & Lamb, Breakfast & Brunch, Fruits, Hawaiian, One-Pan & One-Pot, Sides
"We landed at Kailua, a little collection of native grass houses reposing under tall coconut trees – the sleepiest, quietest Sundayest looking place you can imagine." ~ Mark Twain
Yup, the eloquent Mr. Twain summed up Kailua-Kona perfectly. Especially, as we can only imagine, the Kona 'of old'.
Despite the ever increasing popularity with visitors from all over the world, somehow, if you let it, Kona still exudes that 'Sundayest' feeling. Which was exactly how I felt as I went about planning how I was going to stay in this wonderful, relaxed mode and pull off a yummy Christmas dinner for family. Hmmmm……
Now normally, when vacationing, Christmas dinner making and baking does not come into play. Ah, but this is a very special Christmas in paradise, a rare occasion indeed. Everyone's stars must be aligned because somehow or other my sister and brother-in-law and many, many assorted nieces and nephews have all rendezvoused in beautiful Kona at the same glorious moment in time. And what fun we are having!!!
So……..lately, I've been concocting just how to pull off a scrumptious but ultimately easy peasy, holly jolly dinner. There's a lot to be said for being in your happy place – that's where I am when I'm on the Big Island. My happy, Zen place. So the challenge of pulling off a carefree Kalikimaka dinner pretty much just fell together.
I brined a huge (well just about 9 pounds) lean pork loin in a mixture of dark beer, Kona coffee, brown sugar, Hawaiiian sea salt, molasses and sambal. Happy soaking! Then I slow roasted the loin, basting often with a lilikoi (passionfruit) mustard glaze. When it was done to juicy, moist perfection we sliced it quite thick and served it with drizzles of tasty pan juices and homemade papayapple sauce on the side. Mmmm.
What goes with pork? Beans, silly!! Perfect!
Beans with Hawaiian chiles, sweet Maui onions, fresh pineapple and lots of layers of flavours. That's exactly what I was going to make. So I winged and slinged together this and that, cheating just a little with some 'pre-made' ingredients, but happily, just as envisioned, ended up with lip-smacking, made-from-scratch-tasting baked beans. Woohooo!
I had an inkling these beans were going to be a winner even before I baked them. When I was tidying up after putting the bean creation into the baking dish along came a curious visitor who apparently simply could not resist a taste. I gently shooshed him away, but he came back for more. I was getting more confident all the time that these were going to be good beans.
Before baking I laid some nice slices of thick-cut bacon over the beans so it could do it's work and impart those irresistible, smoky flavors and give that crispy crown that only bacon can. That worked!
They smelled quite heavenly when they were baking and it was pretty much unanimous that they did go perfectly with the succulent pork loin, but that these Baked Beans would go well with steak, chicken, chops, burgers, sausages…….well you get the idea. AND, they were easier than peasier, making Christmas dinner in Hawaii a Sundayest pleasure to throw together for the happy throngs!
SUNDAYEST BAKED BEANS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large Maui or other sweet onion, chopped
2 16-ounce cans of your favorite pork and beans
1 15-ounce can pinto beans
1 15-ounce can Great Northern beans, white kidney beans, romano beans or black beans
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, finely diced, or 1 15-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
1 6-ounce can chopped mild green chiles
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup Hawaiian Kiawe Smoke BBQ sauce, or hickory-smoked BBQ sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup coarse grained mustard
1 fresh Hawaiian hot chile pepper or jalapeno, minced
1 heaping tablespoon chili powder
4-5 slices side bacon
Put olive oil and butter in skillet over medium high heat, add chopped onion. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5-8 minutes until onion is starting to get deliciously caramelized. Remove from heat. In a large bowl combine onion, pork and beans, beans, pineapple, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, ketchup, molasses, mustard, chile pepper and chili powder. Stir to combine. Pour bean mixture into 2 1/2 quart casserole dish or 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Place bacon strips over top of beans. Bake uncovered at 325F for 2 hours.
by TheLastWonton | Dec 19, 2010 | Baking & Desserts, Cake, Hawaiian, Holiday & Seasonal, Pies, Treats
APPLE BANANAS rock!! It's impossible to munch one of those tiny, yellow, sweet, tangy, custardy little fruity fingers without emitting a meaningful 'mmmmmmm'.
I just know I looked like the cat who swallowed the canary yesterday morning as I continued to browse the stalls at the Keauhou Farmers Market swinging the slightly hefty bag of apple bananas that I got for a song.
The Big Island kicks the concept of farm-to-table to giddy levels of tropical deliciousness and with that market bag of goodies, I was armed and dangerous to make a dessert for tonight's special little dinner gathering that spoke sweetly of the local bounty.
At first I toyed with the idea of Banana Cream Pie, but then one thing lead to another and Eureka! I had it – Banoffee it would be. Oh yesssss!
Whether you call it cajeta or dulce de leche, when you smear that ooey, gooey, rich, caramely toffee on top of a butter- crunchy graham crust and crown the whole damn thing with Kona coffee scented, apple banana laden whipped cream and a generous, toss of tiny curls of milk chocolate you've got - Ta da! - Banoffee.
I had you at ooey gooey didn't I?
HOLUALOA BANOFFEE PIE
Lots of those cute little apple bananas with the smooth pinkish hued flesh grow upslope here in Holualoa, close to our happy vacation cottage. Lots of Kona Coffee too. We love Holualoa!
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
(you only need 1 1/2 cans ~ use leftovers to spread on pancakes, waffles or crepes – yummy!)
1 1/2 cups graham crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon very, very finely ground Kona coffee
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
8 small apple bananas or 3 regular bananas
1-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice
1 – 2 ounces good quality milk chocolate (I used a 5-singles Dove bar), grated
Remove labels from cans of sweetened condensed milk and place unopened cans in deep pot. Fill with water 1-2 inches over top of cans. Place over high heat. Bring to boil. Reduce heat so that water boils gently. Cook cans 2 1/2 hours, replacing water as needed so that the cans are always completely covered with simmering water. (Maybe even a good idea to put your timer on every 35-45 minutes, so you can remind yourself to add water, because if these boil dry, there will be a stupendous, hot caramel explosion!) (Way back in about the summer of 1977, I can't even remember who's bright idea (Cliff? Mark? Roz?) it was to go out and play a few rounds of badminton while we waited for our caramel to be ready!!)
Remove cans from water. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Can be made ahead as 'caramel' will store well in unopened cans.
Preheat oven to 350F. Put graham crumbs in 9 1/2 inch springform pan and add melted butter. Mix to combine and press to form bottom crust and at least 1 inch up the sides of pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Open cans of caramelized sweetened condensed milk and scoop about 1 1/2 cans of the gooey 'toffee' evenly over the graham crust. Chill.
In a large bowl whip cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar, Kona coffee and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. Slice 5 apple bananas, or 2 regular bananas and fold banana slices into the whipped cream. Scoop banana laden whipped cream onto toffee layer in crust. Chill
Slice 3 remaining apple bananas or 1 regular banana and gently toss with lime or lemon juice to prevent discolouration. Place banana slices randomly on top of whipped cream layer and toss with a generous sprinkling of grated milk chocolate. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Slice into small-ish wedges (that toffee is scrumptiously rich) and serve.
by TheLastWonton | Dec 17, 2010 | Appetizers & Snacks, Breads & Sandwiches, Breakfast & Brunch, Hawaiian, Sauces, Dips & Condiments, Sides, Vegetarian, Veggies
Scheming and dreaming is alive and well. And thriving. I can vouch for that first hand because…..I'm ba-ack! In that place where we used to live.
In Hawaii.
On the beguiling Big Island.
It seems that each time I leave The Big Island I leave a piece of myself here. I do not pick that piece up until I return. Every single time I come back to The Big Island it feels nothing less than amazing to be gloriously whole again.
It took me only hours, possibly minutes, to eagerly and easily slip back into the island rhythm. My spirit giggling, girlishly. This is my Zen place.
And we're staying in one of our favorite home-away-from-homes. Betty's cottage. Lucky ducks are we!
Up from Kona a bit, near the small artsy village of Holualoa, just off the historic Mamalahoa Highway, which is more a narrow upcountry road that weaves through the lush and absurdly beautiful Kona Coffee Country, than it is a thoroughfare, is where you'll find us these days. Perched on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai overlooking the Kona Coast in all it's glory (oh the sunsets!) snuggled into an overgrown garden sits 'our' enchanted, little open-air cottage. Home sweet home!
Time to cook! Oh yesssss! The farmers markets are plentiful with gorgeous island-grown fruits and veggies, organic Big Island beef and fresh caught Hawaiian fishies. An intriguing array of Asian, Mexican, Italian and other assorted ingredients wait patiently on grocery store shelves. Christmas is in the air and then there's me, here in paradise, in my happy place. Like I said, time to cook!
Oh yes, and I forgot to mention that a whole schwack of loved ones from back home in Canada have joined us, here on the Big Island, for this festive and long anticipated vacation.
Last night we had a fun, laughter and story-filled fam damily gathering at the cottage. I buzzed up some tasty, punchy Mai Tais (I'll blog this recipe soon, because you really must….!) and pupus. Everyone gobbled down the hot Stuffed French Loaf, our near-famous dry garlic ribs and kept coming back for more of the scrumptious Guacamole Bruschetta that tasted like sunshine.
The Big Island is avocado heaven. Bonus! There's all different kinds and they get HUGE. Creamy, buttery, heavenly. Irresistible.
We do guac often. Hard to beat. Just the goodness of the avocado with fresh squeezed lime and sea salt swooped up on crunchy tortilla chips is an old stand-by for us especially when we're here, where each avocado insists on outdoing the one before it in it's deliciousness. But yesterday I wanted something a little different. Then I remembered a recipe I found on BlogChef.net. I changed the recipe just a tich and I was off and chopping in all the right directions.
Guacamole Bruschetta here I come. Everything was locally grown. Big beautiful avocados, Green Zebra heirloom tomatoes, Maui onion, fresh cilantro, garlic and limes I picked myself became fast friends in a tasty jade concoction that we scooped onto garlic-buttery toasts made with local artisan bread.
Smooth, tangy, earthy and refreshing meets garlic-whispered crunchy and chewy. Happy mouths. That's the verdict on Guacamole Bruschetta. And it's a breeze to make, which is another bonus, especially at this holly jolly time of year. Scoop or be scooped.
HAPPY MOUTH GUACAMOLE BRUSCHETTA
Generous 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
*1 loaf artisan bread, sliced into about 1/2-inch thick slices
1 huge Big Island avocado or 2 more usual sized avocados, chopped
4-5 small Green Zebra heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1/2 small Maui or other sweet onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 fresh lime
Sea or kosher or your favorite salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400F. Combine butter and garlic. Smear a bit of garlic butter on both sides of each slice of bread and arrange slices on baking sheet. Bake 5-6 minutes until toasty golden brown on the bottom side, flip bread slices and bake another 2-4 minutes until both sides are nicely toasted. Set aside.
In large bowl combine avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well. Transfer to pretty bowl and serve with garlic toasts on the side, inviting guests to scoop and munch.
*I used Blue Cheese and Black Pepper Panne Provincio Artisan Bread from Kona Costco. It's all natural - no preservatives, no artificial colours or flavours and has a crispy crust and a chewy interior. Yum-O!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
This morning dawned bright and beautiful. It feels so wonderful to wake up here, the cottage filled with breezy, sweet island air. The birds were singing, the day beckoned. And so did the left over Guacamole Bruschetta in the fridge.
My husband, Cliff, threw on the Kona coffee, I toasted the English muffins and fried up some bacon.
Shortly afterwards, if you popped in unannounced on us, you would have found us sitting on the sun-warmed lanai, that we share with many curious geckos, munching on a couple of makeshift BATs and mmmm-ing.
Bacon, avocado, tomato. Those toasted English muffins got a little love from a smear of Garlic & Fine Herbs Boursin cheese, topped with crispy bacon and then a scoop of the leftover guacamole (bruschetta). Happy mouths. Happy Aloha Friday!
by TheLastWonton | Nov 13, 2010 | Baking & Desserts, Cake, Holiday & Seasonal, Pies, Treats
This is one of those old-fashioned English style puddings that magically make their own sauce while they bake, filling the kitchen with the delicious aroma of homespun memories. Best served warm out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to get all melty over the toasty brown crust and butterscotch sauce that tastes just like those Rum & Butter Lifesavers from when we were kids.
On my Mom's side, I come from a long line of Bloors, Reids and other decidedly British ancestors with their feet firmly transplanted in Canada and their cooking deeply entrenched in the wholesome simplicity of Jolly Old England.
Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, shepherd's pie, peppery sausage rolls, crispy oven roasted potatoes, fish and chips with mushy peas, Melton Mowbray pies, kippers with butter, bangers and mash, and of course sweet puddings. Golden syrup pudding, jam roly poly, Christmas pudding, lemon sponge pudding, sticky toffee pudding…….steamed or baked…….served warm with custard sauce, clotted cream or brandy hard sauce, it didn't matter to me, if there was 'pud' for dessert all was well with the world.
So the other day when I came across These Tastes of Mine food blog and Daiming Zhu's recipe for Butterscotch Self-Saucing Pudding the cockles of my heart grew warm, my tummy filled with anticipation and I set out to recreate a memory lane taste treat.
I changed the recipe just a bit and also added a swish or two of aromatic amber rum. Blimey that was a good idea! Keep in mind you want as much of the delicious top crust as you can get, without spreading the pudding batter too thin, so best to use an oblong or oval baking dish if you have it, rather than a deep pie plate or deep casserole dish.
So if you're feeling like a simple, tasty, heartwarming dessert, give this one a try and Bob's your uncle.
RUM BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cups self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
Just under 1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
5 tablespoons golden syrup
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups boiling water
3-4 tablespoons amber, dark or light rum
Preheat oven to 350F – 355F. Grease 6-cup casserole dish. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, all of the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the melted butter, egg, milk and 2 tablespoons of the golden syrup and stir until combined. Spoon into greased dish.
Combine remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle evenly over the pudding mixture.
Combine boiling water with remaining 3 tablespoons golden syrup and rum. Pour gently over top of pudding mixture. Bake 40-45 minutes until the top is toasty golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.
**The next time I make this I'm going to sprinkle plump golden raisins in the baking pan before adding the pudding batter. Worth a try!**
by TheLastWonton | Oct 28, 2010 | Beef, Pork & Lamb, Holiday & Seasonal, Sides, Veggies
I'm on this butternut squash thing lately. Good timing you say, being autumn and all. I don't know, maybe I just relate on some kind of a personal level to a plump sweet, nutty little veggie whose most popular variety originated in Stow, (get it, like my last name Stow-ell) Massachusetts.
If you want to get all technical on me, actually a butternut squash is a fruit. Even better! Versatile too. (hmmmm……. sensing another similarity) It's delicious grilled, roasted, toasted, mashed, hashed, souped…..in breads, muffins, biscuits…..and more.
"More?" you say! Oh yes, so much more. You lucky ducks! I'm about to divulge the secret on how to turn that lovely orange butternut flesh into a hedonistic pleasure. Are you ready for this?
Nope, not quite yet. First I have to tell you how this sinfully delicious recipe popped into my eager little mind. As usual, there I was scooting about online looking for good recipe ideas when I happened upon Hungry Cravings and a yummy looking version of a tried and true potato gratin, adding none other than butternut squash. Mmmm. Sounds good. As I was reading the Hungry Cravings recipe I got to thinking about these fantastic scalloped potatoes that my mom-in-law, Mar, makes. Man those are good potatoes!!! What about if I………….
So I did, I took that fine combination of potato and butternut from Hungry Cravings and schmucked it together with parts of Mar's to-die-for scalloped potatoes and ended up, well, ended up here. Now, are you ready?
Here goes………tuck thinly sliced butternut into a casserole with earthy BC (or Yukon) gold potatoes, crispy fried little chunkers of pancetta, bits of mild green onions, tangy Gruyere cheese, dabs of creamery butter, salt and lots of freshly ground pepper and garlic-infused heavy cream. Now bake this dish of happiness for a good while until it's an aromatic, ooey, gooey, creamy, tender tangle of decadent scrumptiousness. OH yes mama!!
I'd definitely be a butternut! If you were a 'vegetable', what vegetable would you be?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Here we go……………….get everything ready ahead of time so you can breeze through building your gratin. Grate the cheese, chop the green onions, chop and fry the pancetta.
Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Peel, seed and thinly slice the butternut squash. Look at that gorgeous golden-orange flesh…….
Now that you've got all your ingredients lined up, start building. First create a layer with all the butternut slices laid evenly over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half the pancetta, grated cheese, green onions, salt and pepper. Dot with butter.
Now repeat the layer, but this time using the potatoes. Gently pour the garlic-infused cream over the top of everything and tuck into a 375F oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the gratin is a bubbly, golden brown, fork-tender thing of beauty. Let the gratin rest for just a few moments before serving.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH POTATO GRATIN
2 cups whipping cream combined with 1/4 cup water
2 plump garlic cloves, minced
3 large BC or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced (you want about even quantities of potato and squash)
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
About 1/3 pound pancetta, chopped, fried crispy-chewy
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
About 5 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 375F. Generously butter a 12-inch oval or oblong baking dish. Pour cream-water mixture in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic. Stir and heat until steaming. Set aside.
Layer all of the butternut squash evenly into the baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper. Top with half of the pancetta, green onions, grated Gruyere. Dot with half the butter. Second layer, same as the first, but this time using the potatoes. Pour the warm, garlic-infused cream evenly over the top of the whole casserole. Bake for approximately 1 1/4 hours until bubbly, golden-brown and fork tender. Let rest just a few moments before serving. Enjoy!
