.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

.jerk chicken salad w/ grilled pineapple salsa.

I'm always looking for new things to make. It seems I make the same things over and over from two or three ethnicities. Chinese, Mexican, Japanese...

Well, while I was perusing blogs, I came across one where the guy made a jerk chicken salad. It looked so good. I've only had Caribbean food a couple of times. Jerk food only once and WOW!!! It's so hot!!!!!! I like spicy food, but not spicy spicy where you can't even enjoy it, you know? But I loved the blends of hot and sweet, the cinnamon and allspice flavors mixed with citrus. So I thought I could temper the flames if I made the dish myself.

I tempered the flame so much.. it wasn't spicy AT ALL. I was a bit bummed because I thought there would at least be a little "pow"... so I'm going to adjust *my* recipe so it's more spicy. Here's how I did it.


JERK MARINADE:

In a blender, put:
2 scotch bonnets, seeded and roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
the juice of 1 orange
the juice of 1 lime (including some zest)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp allspice
1 Tbsp thyme
1 1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup white vinegar

I cut this recipe in half because I didn't want a ton leftover. I wasn't sure when I would actually use it again. :)

Make sure when you handle these peppers that you wear gloves or use a piece of plastic wrap to keep from touching it. The oils and seeds will burn your skin horribly. If you do happen to get some on you and it's burning your fingers, soak in milk.

Puree all of the ingredients until nice and smooth.


Put chicken breasts (1 per person) in a ziploc. Pour the marinade in and let sit for 30 minutes on the counter, or in the fridge overnight. The longer you let this marinate the better!


The other day I made pineapple mango upside down cake. This pineapple is left from what I used for that. I diced it up the other night where I probably should have or could have left them in ring form. Whatever you have, put on skewers. We're going to grill the pineapple for the salsa. Don't used canned pineapple!!!


We are going to need some diced avocado. My friend, Marie left a comment asking how to get the seed out so I'm going to take a quick minute to show you how to dice an avocado. Cut it in half, around the seed. Sometimes the seeds pop right out. But you don't want to go digging around it to get it. Take the blade of your chef's knife and knock the seed with a little force to get the blade to stick into it. Twist it a little and then pull out!


Carefully use your fingers to pull the peel off. You want firm but not hard avocados. If they're too hard, they're going to have a very stringy tough texture. To ripen them up, sit them on your window sill a day or two where they will get sun. Once slightly soft, put in the fridge. If they're too soft, they aren't good.. and are usually even a little too over ripe for guacamole.

Lay the flat side of the avocado down on the cutting board and cut up and down, then side to side. This will dice it up!

Set the avocado aside. We'll need it for the salad.


Chop up a little cilantro and set aside.


Put half of a olive oil rubbed red bell pepper on a hot bbq grill. We want to blacken the skin up.


Take two thick slices of onion (I used spanish onion for this, but you can use any kind. Red onion would be prettier!) and skewer. Rub with olive oil and put on the bbq grill. Grill until soft.


Put your chicken on the grill and sear each side. This locks in the juice. Turn down the heat and continue to cook with the lid down until they're slightly firm. If you push the thick part of the chicken and it's no longer spongy, it's done. Don't cut into it as that will release all of it's juices.

A few minutes before the chicken is done, put the pineapple on the grill and cook until nice grill marks form and the pineapple is slightly soft.


When the onion is done, pull off skewers and chop up. Put in a bowl.


Pull the skin off the bell pepper, then cut into a small dice.

Put in the bowl with the onion.


Add the grilled pineapple, the cilantro you chopped, and squeeze half a lime in.


When you pull the chicken from the grill, let it sit for a few minutes. Then slice on the diagonal.


To assemble the salad, put some spring salad mix on your plate. Scatter some of the avocado around, then sprinkle a handful of rinsed pinto beans around too.

Put a handful of salsa right in the center.


Put the chicken down the center and drizzle lightly with mango vinaigrette (recipe below). Serve immediately.

MANGO VINAIGRETTE:
1 cup mango, diced
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
juice of one orange
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until no lumps appear.

Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_87cbth5psz

.pineapple-mango upside-down cake.

I was watching Easy Entertaining on the Food Network the other day and the host was making this. I love pineapple upside down cake AND I love mango. I knew this was something I would have to make really soon. SO I decided to make this dessert for Jim's birthday the other night. I feel like I stepped back into the 70's with this one! The vinegar used in this recipe gives the cake and fruit a wonderful flavor. A hint of bitterness to balance all the sweetness from the fruit and syrup. If you're feeling extra indulgent, serve with a little whipped cream on top!


Dice half of one mango. I went ahead and diced the whole thing because I'm using the other half for the jerk chicken salad I'm making tonight for dinner.


Peel, slice, and core a fresh pineapple. You really only need about 4-6 rings. I diced the rest of the pineapple up for the salad I'm making tonight too. Man I can't wait! Anyway... you can used canned if you really don't want to use fresh. Fresh is *way* better though!


Chop up macadamia nuts. I went a little "nuts" and did the whole bottle. You only need 1/3 cup. I bagged the rest to use in cookies at a later time. :)


Butter a 9" round pan. Coat with sugar. This will keep the cake from sticking.


Now to make the sauce. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan.


When it's all melted and starts to turn a little brown, remove from the heat and add 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar. It will bubble and bubble when you add this.


Then add 1/2 cup packed brown sugar.


Whisk until the brown sugar has dissolved entirely. If you need to return it to the heat to make sure it's all melted, go ahead.


Pour half of the syrup into the cake pan. Tilt it to spread it around as best as possible.


Lay down your pineapple rings.


Sprinkle the diced mango on top.


Pour on the rest of the syrup and then sprinkle the macadamia nuts all over the top. Now to make the batter.


In a bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt.


Using your mixer, cream 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter until there are no lumps.


Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat on high until it's nice and fluffy. Scrapping sides as necessary.

Separate two eggs.


Put the yolks in while the mixer is on high, one at a time. Beat well between each addition. The batter should continue getting airier.


Add a little of the flour mixture to the bowl.


Then add some of the milk (you're going to need 1 cup milk).

Alternate adding the dry and wet until it's all incorporated. Don't overbeat this mixture.


This is how nice and light the batter will be. Very reminiscent of a sponge cake. Very airy!


Whisk the two egg whites until soft peaks form.


Fold into the cake batter only until incorporated. Remember.. don't overmix!


Pour the batter on top of the fruit in the pan and put into a preheated 350* oven. Bake for 50 minutes.


The cake is ready when the top is beautifully golden and slightly cracking.

Let sit for 10 minutes.


Run a knife along the edge then put a deep dish plate or platter on top.


Flip it over to release the cake from the pan.