Pineapple, Coconut, Lemon Bars

I knew it was an eventful week and that I've had a ton on my mind, but when I found myself curled up in a little ball under the blankets at 2 o'clock this afternoon I had to accept the fact I was indeed wore out.  I think work, prepping for Easter, getting ready for vacation, and too much stress in general finally got the better of me.  We had a lovely Easter and I hope all my guests enjoyed themselves, but each year it seems to get harder and harder to do what I've done in the previous years.  

There were goodies galore and savories to spare.  If I must come clean here you should know the dessert menu always gets written first and the savories are just an afterthought.  I felt a Lemon-Blueberry Flan Bundt Cake was in order, and that Brownie-Chocolate Mousse Trifles couldn't hurt, it wouldn't be the same without Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream.  The little ones would probably love some chocolate dipped Krispie Treats covered in sprinkles.  Hopefully you are beginning to sense my affliction here.  Only when I've fully engrossed myself in pounds of butter, bars of chocolate, and bags of sugar do I start to ponder that people may actually want some food to go with their dessert.  Folks tend to show up over here like starved animals and expect the full spectrum, you know real people food like ham, quiche, lasagna, stuffed chicken breasts, salads, etc. and I usually oblige.

I used my meditation session this afternoon to contemplate the fact that I may indeed need to make some contingency plans for the years to come.  Why can't I just be one of those folks who grabs the boxed ham dinner at the supermarket and goes on her merry little way?  Why not, indeed?

On to some much lighter and lovelier happenings; my sweet friend Becky of Baking and Cooking a tale of two loves celebrated a birthday last week and after us discussing some great uses for freeze dried fruit, I thought I'd hook her up with some packs of the stuff and some of these Pineapple, Coconut, Lemon Bars to go with.  I found a lovely recipe over on Averie Cooks and adapted it to highlight the dried fruit I've been eating by the shovel full these days.

Pineapple, Coconut, Lemon Bars

Crust:

½ cup unsalted butter, (1 stick) – cut into 1-inch pieces

1-cup all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:

1 large egg

½ cup granulated sugar

1/3-cup sour cream

2 ounces fresh lemon juice (Meyer lemons preferably) (2 juicy lemons should do)

Zest from 1 lemon

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Also need:

6 ounces dried baby pineapple, cut in ½-inch sized pieces

2 ounces roasted coconut chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line an 8-inch x 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor add ½ cup butter, 1-cup flour, ½ cup sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt and pulse to combine until the mixture is the size of large crumbs.  Or you can use a bowl and two knives cutting the butter to achieve the same result.  Reserve ¾ cup of the crumbs and put the rest in the baking pan and pat down.  Bake crust 10 minutes.

Combine in mixing bowl 1 egg, ½ cup sugar, 1/3-cup sour cream, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and flour.  Mix well to combine. 

On top of cooked crust layer the dried pineapple and coconut.  Pour the filling over the top and evenly spread rest of crumbs over the top.

Return to oven and bake 35 minutes longer.  Let cool completely before removing from pan and cutting.

I'm not sure which I enjoyed more the nap or these bars, but I think it's a very close competition.

Enjoy,

Gina

Coconut Mojito Crepe Cake

Phew, I just sat down today after wrapping up an epic garage sale.  Whoever said that its bad luck to have one in the rain is just plain mistaken.  I pulled up to the house with a line of cars around the block waiting for me and when the garage door went up they jumped out of their cars and ran for the stuff like a day after Christmas sale.  I had people stealing stuff out of other peoples' piles; I thought I had landed on a reality show titled "Hardcore Garage Salers".  When two ladies started fighting over my cookie jar, I thought I was gonna have to get Hot Dog Dude over there to break them up.  (Please, you didn't think I was gonna get in the middle of that kind of crazy!)

I was asked by a friend about to jet off to Paris to make a version of crepe cake to share with you. Parisian you wanted? I stared aimlessly at photos of complex looking creatures called crepe cakes on the internet for what seemed like an eternity. I recollect it being akin to staring directly into the sun. I knew I shouldn't but I just couldn't take my eyes off of them.

Step 1:
Malibu Mint Syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 ounce Malibu Rum
4 sprigs fresh mint leaves, washed

Place sugar, water, rum and mint leaves in a small saucepan, turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Turn the heat off, cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Once cool pour syrup through a strainer and set aside.

If you make nothing else, make yourself a batch of this for your ice tea - trust me on this one.

Step 2:
Crepe Batter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 ounces Malibu Rum
12 ounces milk
1 cup water
6 large eggs
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Zest of one lime

Combine flour, rum, milk, water, eggs, butter, salt, sugar and lime zest in a blender and pulse until combined. (Of course the blender was packed too, so I just whisked it by hand.)

Use a French crepe pan, but a 9" or 10" skillet will work too. Heat the pan on medium heat, when hot add a little sliver of butter, pour in about 1/2 cup or a small ladle full of crepe batter and swirl around until the batter is near the edge of the pan. Let cook undisturbed for about 45-60 seconds, until the top starts to look dry. Jerk the pan a little, if the crepe slides off easily it's ready to flip. Flip and cook a few seconds on the other side.

Place the crepes on a plate to cool for a minute before stacking them on a baking sheet separated by sheets of wax paper.

Makes 12 crepes.

Step 3:
Lime Mascarpone Cream
1 pint heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 pound mascarpone
Zest from one lime

Place the mascarpone and lime zest in a bowl, mix together and set aside.

Add the whipping cream and sugar to a bowl and beat until the whipping cream is stiff. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream at a time into the mascarpone mixture. Set aside.

Step 4:
Assemble the cake:

Spray a 9" spring form pan with no-stick spray. Place a crepe in the bottom of the pan. Use a pastry brush and brush the crepe with a little bit of the Malibu Mint Syrup. Place a small amount of the Lime Mascarpone Cream on top of that and use a small offset spatula to level. Make sure and push the cream all the way to the edge of the pan to fill in any gaps.

Repeat until the pan is filled to the top, ending with the cream mixture.

Place in the fridge overnight.

Garnish with 1 cup of coconut that is toasted in a 350 degree F oven for 3-4 minutes, fresh raspberries and melted chocolate.

Don't deny the urge, you can't resist the crepe cake, it's futile!

Can't wait to hear all about your grand trip Courtney.

Safe Travels,

Gina