.coconut shrimp w/ spicy pineapple apricot sauce.

This weekend I catered a sweet 16 party. My friend, Darleen, asked me about a month ago if I could make the cake and then she asked if I could help with the food. Of course! I love doing this kind of thing. Her daughter was having a murder mystery party called "The Lethal Luau". How fun, right?

On the menu they decided on: Coconut Shrimp, salad and rolls, Huli Huli Chicken w/ rice, and then cake.

Check out the cake! It was a lot of fun to make.





Okay.. back to the shrimp. I had a recipe I've been dying to try and when she said coconut shrimp I secretly went "Yes!" I even bought a little extra so I could make some ahead of time for Jim, Paige, and myself. Seriously.. these were perfection.

You could buy these pre-breaded and frozen, but that would be a mistake. You just can't compare these to those and they don't take long at all to make. So if you're looking for the perfect appetizer for parties or dinner, try these!


Begin by making the sauce. Easy easy easy!!

I made a bunch for the party, and you really don't need a ton of this. I'll give you the recipe for the smaller batch. This will be the right amount for about 2 dozen shrimp.

1/2 jar pineapple preserves
1/2 jar apricot preserves
the juice of half lemon
3 Tbsp Thai chili sauce

If you want added heat, add 1 Tbsp horseradish.

Put all of this in a saucepot and heat on medium. This will melt the jams and mix everything together. Set aside.


You'll need three separate bowls for the breading.

In one bowl (far right) put 1 cup flour and 2 tsp baking powder.

In another bowl, break and mix two eggs.

In the last bowl, put 2 cups panko (japanese style bread crumbs), 1 cup coconut flakes, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp allspice.


Take your peeled and deveined shrimp and put in the flour, coating both sides. Shake any excess flour off.


Dredge in the egg, shaking off any extra.


Lay in the breadcrumb/coconut mix and press the breading on both sides to make sure it all sticks.


Heat some oil in a pot, fry daddy, or wok to 360*. Carefully lower the shrimp into the oil. I fried up about 5 at a time. If you're using a wok, you can put 10-12 in. Fry until the shrimp is nice and golden (about 3-4 minutes)


Set on a paper towel to drain any excess oil off.

Serve warm.


NOTE: You don't want to make these too far ahead of time because then you'll have to re-heat and run the risk of having tough, chewy shrimp. Spoon some of the dip into a bowl or martini glass and put in the middle of a plate. Scatter the shrimp around the glass or bowl and serve. If you want a little decoration, put some fresh pineapple wedges on the plate and a hibiscus or plumeria flower.

These were a BIG hit at the party! Thanks so much for letting me cater your shin dig, Alexandra and Darleen! xo


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_98gvtsmjdv

.apricot balsamic chicken.

Tonight I had planned to make lemon chicken, but remembered I used up my lemon the other day making blueberry crisp (recipe to come). So I had to think up Plan B and thought I would try out a new recipe. I have to say I was a little skeptical. I didn't think there would be a lot of flavor or that apricot and balsamic would go well together. I really couldn't have been more wrong. It was awesome!



The sweetness and slight tartness mixed with the bold acidic flavor of the balsamic matched very very well. Then throw in some crushed pepper flakes and rosemary? Oh momma. It wasn't hot and the kick was exactly what made this so delicious.



This chicken doesn't take horribly long to make either. The sauce is made in a matter of minutes. No marinating needed. Just grill up your chicken and when it's about done, start slathering with the sauce to caramelize.



Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat.



Once melted, add 1/2 cup apricot preserves. I used Polaner because it doesn't contain corn syrup - which the recipe recommends.



Add 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar.



1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes



1/2 tsp rosemary leaves



And a generous pinch of sea salt.



Lower the heat to medium low and let this cook on the stovetop until it gets a little thick.



Remove from the pan and pour into a dish to let cool. Bring to room temperature. This can be made days in advance and held in the fridge. When you're ready to use it, just put it in the microwave for a minute to loosen it up a little.



Take your chicken pieces and season both sides with salt and pepper. I used thighs only because we like dark meat. You can use whatever you want.

Put the chicken on a heated bbq grill. Make sure the heat is on low so you don't burn the chicken on the outside and it still be raw on the inside.



When the chicken is cooked (touch the center and if it's still spongy it's not cooked! It needs to be a little firm.) brush on the glaze.

Turn and glaze the other side. Do this until you've used up all of your sauce and the chicken is nice and caramelized. Pull from the grill.
Serve with rice and veggies.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_80czkfc4c3