by TheLastWonton | Jun 9, 2010 | Baking & Desserts, Breakfast & Brunch, Fruits, Hawaiian, Pies, Treats
You know you’ve come a long way together when you call your dessert by a nick-name. Me and ‘Pav’, we’re like this.
Yup, pretty much the whole fam damily and those close-by friends loooovvvve Pavlova. What’s not to love? Light, airy, crunchy, chewy meringue topped with slightly sweetened vanilla scented whipped cream, crowned with gorgeous jewel-red strawberries and raspberries. Or, when we’re into those long, hot Okanagan summer days, peaches-picked-just-this-morning take munching pleasures to whole new levels. There’s no going wrong with fruit choices when it comes to Pav.
Even when we’re in Kona, that other place we like to call home, Pav comes with us. Just one Saturday morning visit to the Farmer’s Market in Keauhou, and I’m raring to concoct a tropical pav topped with addictive Heyden mango and custardy apple bananas draped with gorgeous, tangy lilikoi. Oh my!
Some of you out there are going to turn up your nose at my version though. I’m not very traditional when it comes to Pavlova. No heavenly white, softly baked meringue for me! I’ve got an agenda when I’m whipping up this house favorite dessert. Once the sugary whites are billowy soft I add a bit of vinegar, cornstarch and the real-deal vanilla. This makes the Pav chewy inside and deliciously fragrant.
On top of that, I crank the oven temperature up, from the usual, to give that lily white meringue a bit of a suntan. Mmm….mmmm….mmmmmm!
What do we end up with? Crunchy, chewy, light-heartedness, topped with berries and cream. Pav. What, are you waiting for?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Here we go…………..Whip it! Just whip it! Get those whites fluffy as fluffy can be, then add the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla.
Once you whip in those last few ingredients. Plop the meringue down onto prepared pan.
I usually draw a circle with the bottom of a springform pan or something about 9 inches round on parchment or wax paper lining my baking pan. Gives a good guideline for shaping the meringue. Make sure you scoop out the middle and build up the sides a bit, making a nest for the cream and fruit. The pointy rough spots along the edges, give more texture and yumminess to your finished pav.
Now it’s for this baby to bask in the warmth of 300F for 1 hour before finishing off at 275F for about another 20 minutes. And that, my friends, is how to create sweet mouthfeels that will have everyone saying, ‘more please!’
Dinner’s done, everyone is relaxed, there’s happy chatter and expectations of a sweet treat to top things off. Pav it is.
PAVLOVA – Serves 6 to 8
5 egg whites
tiny pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons best vanilla extract you have
1 quart ruby red, fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, sliced and sweetened with a small handful of berry or regular white sugar. (I sometimes add a few capfuls of Grand Marnier, Kahlua, Amaretto or Frangelico to my berries)
2 cups cream, sweetened with 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon good vanilla and whipped until quite stiff
1 cup beautiful, fresh raspberries, washed and refrigerated.
Preheat oven to 300F. Line large baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. With bottom of springform or something like that draw a 9-inch circle in centre of parchment. Set aside.
Beat egg whites with pinch of salt in large bowl of electric mixer until frothy and starting to poof up. Add sugar 1/4 cup at a time while continuing to beat at medium-high to high speed, incorporating very well after each addition and giving whites more poof time. When whites have pretty much doubled in volume with wonderful peaks when you lift the beaters, it’s time to add the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla. Beat another 2 minutes, scraping sides with spatula if needed.
Plop meringue onto prepared baking sheet and smooth and shape into a 9-inch circular nest. Bake 1 hour at 300F. Turn oven down to 275F and bake another 20 minutes. Turn oven off, open door slightly and let pav cool in oven for another hour, if you can. If not, fine to cool pavlova out of the oven.
Prepare strawberries at least 2 hours ahead of time so they can laze about getting all deliciously syrupy in the fridge.
I usually make my pavlova early in the day, or at least by mid-day when I’m having company for dinner, as it will sit well for a few hours. When ready to serve, spread sweetened whipped cream evenly over cavity and top of pavlova and scoop on prepared fruit. A masterpiece indeed!
by TheLastWonton | Jun 9, 2010 | BBQ, Chicken & Poultry, Hawaiian, Main Dishes, Recipes, Sauces, Dips & Condiments
Happenstance. Serendipity. Being in the right place at the right time. That was our first chance encounter with Huli Huli Chicken. It all happened in the islands the world has come to know as paradise. We were driving along the hot, sunny leeward coast of Oahu towards Waikiki.
What’s that? Telltale wisps of smoke rising into the tall blue Hawaiian sky caught our eye. Then the glorious aroma. A sweet smoky savory scent wafted into the open car windows. We passed by a clearing on the mauka (mountain side) edge of the highway. There were hand-printed signs tacked to the palm trees, but we passed too quickly, we couldn’t make out what they said. People were gathered, something was going on.
Urrrch! We turned back.
In the sandy roadside clearing, across from the ocean, Hawaiians young and old gathered, laughing, sharing and munching on what we now know as Huli Huli (turn turn) chicken.
The rubbah slippah (flip flop) clad revered cooks and keepers of the fire were smiling, watching carefully as succulent, dark golden brown chickens turned on rotisseries set over kiawe scented coals. The coals were nurtured to keep the heat just so. The rotisseries moved at exactly the right speed to keep the chickens basted in their own delicious spicy sweet juices and catch a bite of the salty ocean air. Irresistible.
Ordered hot off the spit, we could barely wait for it to cool enough not to burn our fingertips. Then to further our delight, that first heavenly chomp slipped right off the bone rewarding our anticipation and putting big shoyu (soy sauce) stained grins on our faces. In every succulent morsel a bit of paradise. The fragrance, tropical. The taste hinted of Asia. The flavor, pure Hawaiian.
Now, Huli Huli chicken recipes are not well guarded secrets that must be extracted from years of studying the Polynesian way of life, of paying homage to the wonders of the first people who settled these sun-drenched islands. Nor do they sport a complicated preparation with ingredients available only to a sacred few.
This is Hawaiian food. Ono (delicious). Straightforward. No pretense. Simply some of the best food to be had. Good food, prepared with tender loving care and a good measure of aloha. I can cook that.
My version is untraditional. But I have managed to capture the luscious tenderness and the sweet hot blast to the taste buds that would make any of my Hawaiian aunties grin. One nibble will have you imagining beautiful tropical islands way out in the middle of the Pacific, where the livin’ is easy, the people gracious and the food incomparable.
If you are ever lucky enough to be driving along in paradise one day and you catch a mouth watering aroma wafting your way on the trade winds………stop. The rest will be history. Aloha.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
HULI HULI CHICKEN
Dear Journal – I love the days when it’s time to throw on some great Island tunes, massage lush flavors onto a whole chicken, toss it on the grill and turn, turn, turn it ‘til it’s cooked to delectable perfection. In Hawaiian ‘Huli Huli’ means ‘turn, turn’. My version is untraditional but the results are the same……lip-smacking, tender-moist Hawaiian style BBQ chicken that make taste buds wanna’ put up a sign that says ‘Paradise Found’.
3 – 3½ pound whole roasting chicken, rinsed inside and out and patted dry
3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 fresh lime
¼ cup dark shoyu (soy sauce)
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced fresh gingerroot
1½ tablespoons ketchup
3 plump garlic cloves, minced
1- 2 teaspoons sambal oelek or Asian chile paste
1 teaspoon Asian style toasted sesame oil
Hawaiian sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 12-ounce can beer, ginger ale, Hawaiian fruit punch, or, you pick
2 green onions, chop, chop, chopped into 1-2 inch lengths
1 inch piece of fresh gingerroot quartered
2 plump garlic cloves, quartered
2 tablespoons dark shoyu (soy sauce)
In medium bowl mix together olive oil, lime juice, ¼ cup shoyu, brown sugar, minced gingerroot, ketchup, minced garlic, chile paste , sesame oil, salt and pepper. Massage chicken with spice mixture. Put remaining spice mixture in a small pot, open can of beer, ginger ale or fruit punch and pour a bit into the spice mixture so the can is only about ½ to 2/3 full. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and let simmer gently about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Put green onion, quartered gingerroot, quartered garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of shoyu through the pull-tab opening in the can of beer, ginger ale or fruit punch.
Preheat gas barbecue to medium-high or start charcoal grill. Holding the spiced, massaged chicken upright, with the cavity down, plop and push the chicken onto the can. Set up barbecue for indirect heat – turn off gas burner on side where chicken will sit or push coals to other side. Carefully transfer chicken-on-the-can to the grill on the ‘off’ side of the barbecue, staying very close to the heated side and using the 2 chicken legs and the can as a tripod. Close barbecue lid.
After about 20-24 minutes, with tongs in hand, rotate chicken ¼ turn so another side of the chicken is facing the hot side of the grill. Turn the chicken 3 more times at 20-24 minute intervals ‘til thigh juices run clear and your Huli Huli chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender and begging to be devoured. Total grilling time approximately 1½ hours. Rmove chicken-on-the-can from grill using tongs and oven mitts. Let rest 5-10 minutes before pulling chicken off the can (careful not to spill the hot liquid) and carving. (Discard can and liquid) Drizzle with left over spice mixture.
For a truly Hawaiian meal serve with sticky rice and macaroni salad. Oh yes, and chopsticks of course. Serves 4.
by TheLastWonton | Jun 8, 2010 | Baking & Desserts
Strawberry fee-eelds foreverrrr.
Love that song! (Not only that, I've seen, with my very own eager little eyes, those beautiful strawberry fields in the story-book English countryside that really do go on forever. But I digress. That happens to me all the time when something reminds me of England!)
Oh yeah and, absolutely, I love fresh strawberries too. In fact, they're one of my tip top loves.
But, who am I kidding?
It's all about the W A R M C A R A M E L S A U C E. It always is! Me and caramel go together like well, like the moon and the stars, like The Beatles and Hey Jude, like long-lost, new-found cousins and the old fam damily. Yup, hard to beat caramel. Yum-O.
WARM CARAMEL STRAWBERRY SUNDAES……..Continued here
by TheLastWonton | Jun 8, 2010 | Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast & Brunch, Hawaiian, Pasta & Noodles, Salads & Bowls, Sides, Vegetarian
MY HAWAIIAN KITCHEN
Delectable memoirs of living on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai high above the famed Kona Coast on the beguiling Big Island of Hawaii.
Dear Journal – What is Hawaiian food anyway? Welllllll, one of the first things that comes to mind is a ‘plate lunch’. Casual, local kine grinds. Every city, town and village on every Hawaiian island has its favorite Plate Lunch or Mixed Plate joints. Good eats! Sublime in their collaboration, all self-respecting plate lunches have three parts. A plate lunch is almost always 2 scoops of rice, 1 scoop of macaroni salad and a tasty, usually Asian-ish meat or fish, like…kalbi shortribs, chicken katsu, teriyaki beef, tempura prawns or other goodies that create delicious indecision. But it’s the chilled mayonnaisey macaroni salad that make the flavours and textures of that hot entree and rice come alive. Kismet! And there’s one more little twist to most macaroni salads in Hawaii, the unexpected earthy addition of potatoes. Trust the Hawaiians to take something good and make it mo’ bettah. More please.
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 medium red potatoes, peeled, diced into bite-size pieces (not too small).
1 small English or Japanese cucumber, quartered lengthwise and chopped into small chunks
4-5 green onions, thinly sliced
1 medium sized carrot, grated
¼ cup sweet gherkins, chopped into teeny little pieces
1 – 1½ cups good quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce)
4 tablespoons vinegar
¾ cup very small cubes medium or aged cheddar or Monterey Jack
Hawaiian, sea or kosher salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Cook macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water until just al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water right away to cool the pasta. Set aside. Meanwhile, cook diced potatoes in boiling salted water until al dente or still a bit firm. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
In a large bowl add the cucumber, green onion, carrot and gherkins. Toss to combine. Add cooled macaroni and potatoes and toss again. Add mayonnaise, mustard, shoyu, vinegar, cheese cubes and seasonings. Mix carefully and thoroughly to make sure your mac is well dressed. Adjust seasonings til you go ‘mmmm’ when you taste.
Can be served right away, but better covered and chilled for at least 2 hours for flavors to get happy. Macaroni will absorb some of the moisture in the salad, so you may need to add a dollop of mayonnaise and mix well just before serving. Don’t forget the chopsticks! Serves 8-10.
by TheLastWonton | Jun 1, 2010 | Appetizers & Snacks, Chicken & Poultry, Hawaiian, Main Dishes, Mexican, Sauces, Dips & Condiments, Sides
MY HAWAIIAN KITCHEN
Delectable memoirs of living on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai high above the famed Kona Coast on the beguiling Big Island of Hawaii.
Tender chicken, sublimely amped up with green chilies, cilantro and all that other Mexi-goodness wrapped up in fresh corn tortillas, fried to crispy, golden deliciousness and draped in a silky, lime tinged, sauce.
a
Dear Journal – Today I lay suspended, floating effortlessly in azure waters. I love it under there. I’m such a happy intruder to that busy world that goes mostly unseen, the world just below the surface of the blue Pacific. Offshore from Kahalu’u Beach, decked out with snorkel, mask and fins I bob and drift and circle, snooping amongst the coral and lava, becoming an expert looky-loo. Creatures and formations so eerily beautiful they seem more dreamlike than real. And the colors. Brilliant, sumptuous colors that my eyes cannot draw away from. Straying towards the horizon I swim alongside four huge graceful honu (turtles). They gaze at me. I marvel at them. We part ways on good terms. Slowly I turn back towards shore surrounded by curious onlookers; butterfly fish, schools of surgeon fish, a wrasse here, a tang there, and of course the famed humuhumunukunukuapua’a. Technicolor everywhere. Bliss right here. Beaming, I peel off my underwater spy equipment in the heat of the tropical sun and head up the salt and pepper beach to join the gang for a picnic. Hungry from our octopuses garden adventures we exchange fish stories while munching and crunching fresh-rolled-this-morning flautas and yummy sauce made from avocados we grew ourselves. Good food, good day. Lucky we live Hawaii!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CHICKEN FLAUTAS ~ Makes 12.
12 6-inch corn or flour tortillas or 8 8-inch flour tortillas
Vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
¼ cup flour
Hawaiian salt and Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
4 green onions, chopped
1 small can (4 ounces) diced mild green chiles
3 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken
AVOCADO SAUCE
2 medium avocadoes, peeled and seeded
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ cup sour cream
¾ teaspoon onion salt
10 drops Hawaiian chile water or hot pepper sauce
Soften tortillas by heating just a few seconds on each side in a frying pan over medium high heat with a little vegetable oil in pan. Remove with tongs to paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
In medium skillet or pot melt butter, blend in flour, salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken broth. Cook and stir until mixture thickens and bubbles. Add cilantro, 3 tablespoons lime juice, green onion and green chiles. Stir in chicken until well combined. Set aside to cool, about 30 minutes. Place 2-4 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on each tortilla. Roll up very tightly, securing with wooden picks. Fry in large skillet, over medium high heat in about ½ inch vegetable, canola or peanut oil for 3-6 minutes. Drape with Avocado Sauce and serve hot. Or put flautas and sauce in separate plastic containers, throw them in the cooler and enjoy a yummy beach day. Serves 4 to 6.
