Lemon Meringue Pie

When my children were growing up their Grandma Shippee baked pies for all our family holidays.  One of her best was Lemon Meringue.  When she died, my daughter Starlene started baking pies; and one of her specialties is apple pie.  When I bake pie it is usually lemon meringue (or even lime meringue) because in California we have a very fruitful lemon tree (huge lemons) and a tree that bears very flavorful limes.  This recipe comes from one of my wedding gifts in 1969--Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Mix in a double boiler top

            4 Tablespoons cornstarch

            4 Tablespoons flour

            ½ teaspoon salt

            1 ½ cups sugar

Add

            1 ½ cups boiling water

Cook and stir over direct heat until mixture boils.  Set over hot water, cover, and cook 20 minutes.  Add

            1 Tablespoon butter

            Few gratings lemon rind (lemon zest)

            1/3 cups lemon juice

            4 egg yolks

Cook and stir until thick.  Cool. 

Prepare and cool 9-inch baked pie shell.  Cool.

Using 4 egg whites make meringue.

Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and then gradually add 4 Tablespoons sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.

Fold 2 Tablespoons into the lemon filling and pile into the shell.  Spoon the rest on top.  If you have a bit of lemon zest left, sprinkle it over the meringue.  Bake at 425ºF until delicately brown (5 minutes).  Completely cool pie before cutting.

My two eldest grandchildren, Guillaume and Tzarina, made this with me for Christmas dinner 2012.  Their Shahbaba claims it is "the best I ever ate!"

CELERY AND ONION SAUTE

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bunch celery, cut 1inch pieces
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cups vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon dried herbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Directions:

1
Melt the butter in a heavy 12 inch skillet over moderate heat.
2
Add the celery and onion and saute, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes or until crisp tender.
3
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, dried herbs and vegetable broth until smooth and add to the skillet.
4
Bring to a boil, stirring.
5
Reduce the heat to moderately low.
6
Simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.


Try adding mustard too.

Mango pomelo sago dessert 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 3 Thai Yellow Mango (choose the larger ones if you can)
• 1 cup (120ml) coconut milk (or you can use evaporated milk as subsitute)
• 3/4 cup (80ml) cold water
• 1/2 Thai pomelo or 1 Israel Pink pomelo which is smaller than the Thai ones0
• 1/2 cup sago
• 2 -3 tbsp confectioner’s sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Unpeel the pomelo and put the pomelo pearls in a big bowl, cover with cling film and keep in the fridge. You can prepare up to 2 days in advance.
2. Peel the mangoes and cut into cubes. Reserve 1/4 of it in a bowl and keep in the fridge.
3. Using a blender/ food processor, place about 3/4 of the mangoes. cold water and the coconut milk into the it and whiz to mango puree. Sample the taste to see if necessary to add any sugar. This is not necessary if your mangoes are sweet and ripe enough. Keep the puree in the fridge too.
4. Boil some water in a saucepan and add the sago. Cook at medium high heat for about 15 mins. Turn off the heat and put the cover on. Let the sago simmer in the pan until they become transparent. Drain the sago in a sieve and rinse in cold water. Transfer sago to a bowl and set aside.
5. To assemble, place 2-3 tbsp pomelo pearls in each serving dessert bowl, add 1 tbsp sago and then pour in the mango puree to three quarters full. Stir to mix.
6. Garnish by sprinkle some pomelo to the middle of the bowl and add some mango cubes which you have reserved earlier.
7. Serve immediately when chilled and go for second!!!

Enjoy!

From Gourmet Traveler 88

Coconut Milk

Using New Loon Moon Coconut Cream Powder

To make an excellent, creamy, fragrant coconut milk is very simple. Mix 1/2 cup plus 1.5 tablespoons of coconut cream powder, with 2/3 cup warm water. Mix well. This makes exactly 1 cup of rich coconut milk.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Chicken breasts, pounded thin

Proscuitto slices

Sliced cheese

Egg beaten

Bread crumbs

Ollive oil

Roll up a slice of Proscuito and of chees in chicken breast. Dip in egg and then coat with bread crumbs. Put in oiled skillet and drizzle with oil. Bake in hot oven for about 20 minutes.

Fixed this 1/27/11, and we really enjoyed it. Dick said it was better than Chicken Kiev.

GRILLED GARLIC SHRIMP

I tried fixing grilled prawns with shell on for the first time a couple of weeks ago.  We really enjoyed it so I'm going to try it again.  The marinade is basically for Thai shrimp.  I needed to adapt a bit because I didn't have all the ingredients as called for in the recipe so this is what I did.

This grilled garlic shrimp in the shell is super delicious and so easy to make. Jumbo or large to medium-large shrimp are grilled either in their shells or with shells removed. They are marinated in a very quick and easy garlic sauce, then grilled for 5-8 minutes. Makes a perfect appetizer or main course to serve guests, and all this despite the fact it takes only minutes to make!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: SERVES 2-3 as a Main Entree

Ingredients:

• 12 jumbo tiger shrimp/prawns, OR 15-18 large shrimp/prawns, preferably with shells still on
• optional: if your shrimp are smaller, you may need tin foil, banana leaf, or skewers
• garnish: handful of fresh coriander and wedges of fresh lime
• GARLIC SAUCE:
• 4 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 4 Tbsp. oyster sauce (I like Golden Dragon Brand)
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce (available by the bottle at all Asian/Chinese food stores)
• 2 Tbsp. loosely packed brown sugar
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (can be omitted for very mild shrimp)

Preparation:

1. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Set sauce aside.
2. If grilling shrimp without shells, skip the next 3 steps. To Grill the Shrimp in their Shells:you'll want to open the shrimp/prawns so they lie flat in their shells on the grill. Leaving the shell in place, hold the prawn in your hand, so that it curls naturally into your palm. Or hold the prawn on a cutting board.
3. Using a sharp knife, make a cut from the start of the tail (leave tail on), through the middle of the "belly" and down to the end of the prawn.
4. Now turn the prawn over on your cutting board (so that its back is facing up). Use your palm to flatten it out by pressing down (gently). When you're done, the prawn should lie fairly flat (don't worry if the shell loosens slightly).
5. Place the prawns in a flat-bottomed bowl or dish. Pour over the garlic sauce. Allow prawns to marinate in the sauce while you warm up the grill.
6. If your prawns are jumbo or large enough that they won't fall through the grill, place directly on the grill. If your prawns are smaller, spread a piece of tin foil or banana leaf on the grill first, then place prawns on top. OR skewer the shrimp with satay/brochette sticks.
7. Baste the prawns the first time you turn them with a little of the left-over sauce from the bottom of the bowl. Grill 3-5 minutes each side. Prawns are done when the flesh turns from translucent to pinkish-white (the shells turn a very attractive bright pink).
8. Serve immediately. Note the shell actually makes them easier to eat (a nice finger food!). OR plate them up, adding fresh lime (or lemon) wedges on the side and a sprinkling of fresh coriander. Equally excellent on their own or with rice. ENJOY!

EASY COCONUT TAPIOCA PUDDING

Here's a dessert recipe that's quick & easy, healthy & low-fat, and scrumptious! When buying tapioca, I find the Asian pearl tapioca easier to use than the so-called "minute" tapioca (which seems to take much longer to cook). You can find pearl tapioca at any Asian grocery store. Simply soak for 20 minutes, then boil for 10 - that's all the cooking that's required. Add toppings, and voila! - an incredibly easy dessert tapioca pudding recipe that tastes both familiar and exotic.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: SERVES 2-4

Ingredients:

• SERVES 2-4
• 115g/4oz (1/2 cup) "seed" tapioca (from the baking section of your local supermarket)
• 2 cups water
• Pinch of salt
• 1 can of coconut milk
• table syrup or maple syrup to serve (approx. 2-3 Tbsp. per serving)

Preparation:

About Pearl Tapioca: Our 'seed' tapioca is called "pearl tapioca" in Asian stores. This is the best type - better than minute tapioca. Note that if you happen to buy the larger pearls (like small peas), they will take twice as long to cook.

For a step-by-step version of this recipe, see my: How to Make Coconut Tapioca Pudding.

1. Cover the tapioca with luke warm water for 15-20 minutes, or until the granules expand and have softened. Pour off excess water.
2. Place tapioca, pinch of salt, and 2 cups water in a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally, adding a little more water (if necessary) to prevent tapioca from bubbling and "spitting".
4. When tapioca turns soft and a little "gooey", switch off heat and place lid on tight. Let tapioca sit 10 minutes - the residual heat inside the tapioca will finish turning all of the 'seeds' soft and translucent.
5. Serve immediately if you prefer a warm dessert (good in the fall and winter), or let the tapioca cool in the refrigerator if you prefer a cold dessert (good for spring/summer).
6. To serve, spoon out about 1/2 cup per person of the tapioca into individual serving bowls. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of coconut milk over each bowl. Then drizzle over about 2 Tbsp. syrup, or to taste. Now have each person stir their pudding a little before sampling this tropical delight! Enjoy!

Easy Thai Recipes from About.com

Used honey instead of syrup.