Tag Archives: Coconut

Coconut Curry Cashews

I used to think I didn’t like the flavour of curry. And then, a few years ago, my good friend Mrs. Grizzly (that’s just my nickname for her!) brought these spiced cashews to my cottage as a little gift. After gobbling down most of the bag, I discovered that,  say… I  like curry! I do like it! I have since branched out and made Roasted Halibut Curry and Bobby Flay’s Country Captain Chicken, from Throwdown.

Then, last week I was reading the June issue of Martha Stewart Living and I came across a recipe for Coconut Curry Cashews. I am like a fish attracted to sparkly lures when I see the word coconut. I go right for it and can’t think about anything else. Of course I had to make these. (Just a little side note here, I had let my subscription to MSL lapse about a year ago because I was not finding anything inspiring in there. But I picked up the June issue at the supermarket last week and I found so many things I want to try.)

I headed to the bulk food store to get some cashews. There were three cashew bins in a row. The first had cashew pieces. The second held whole cashews and the third was filled with jumbo cashews. Ever wonder why a whole cashew tastes better than a half. And why jumbo cashews taste better than regular? Just one of life’s little mysteries I guess. So I bit the bullet and bought the jumbos. (salted, of course!) I had some unsweetened flaked coconut at home from nutsonline. You could also use shredded coconut for this recipe, but the flaked is a little more luxurious.

Melt some butter, whisk in curry powder and then add honey, sugar and water.

Pour mixture onto cashews, mix well and spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes. Top with coconut and bake for an additional 7 minutes until all is golden.

It all baked together into a beautifully shellacked sheet of cashew brittle. Each and every cashew is perfectly and completely coated. After it cooled, I broke it into little bite sized pieces and tasted. This is buttery, toasty, crispy goodness with a kick of curry. It is highly addictive. You will find yourself eating one cluster, then another and then another until  finally, your hand reaches the bottom of an empty bag. You will be hooked.

To print the recipe for Coconut Curry Cashews, click here.

Day Six: Lemon Coconut Cookies

On the sixth day of holiday baking, my true love brought to me a microplaner to zest lemons.  These lemon coconut cookies may look Plain Jane,  but once you bite into one you will realize they are anything but.  They have a complex depth of flavour.  So tender, they just melt in your mouth.  Betcha can’t eat just one!

This recipe comes from the May 1993 issue of Gourmet magazine.  Gosh every time I even have to type that name I feel bitter.  I am still mourning the loss of that wonderful publication.  I have moved from denial to anger on the grief hierarchy, so I guess that’s progress but I am still a long way off from acceptance.  I am still hoping for a rebirth!

I have adapted the recipe slightly.  The original called for sifting icing sugar on the finished cookies but I found that really took away from the delicate flavour of the lemon and coconut.  The recipe also calls for lemon zest and lemon extract.  I am not a lemon extract fan.  It’s scent reminds me of Lemon Pledge.  However, I have tried it with and without, and in this cookie it adds a zing of flavour that is not overpowering.

It’s a simple slice and bake cookie dough, which I love when I am really strapped for time (like Day 6 of my baking adventure).  They keep well in the freezer for several weeks.

Roll the dough into logs, slice and bake.

To print this recipe, click here.

White Chocolate Cranberry Coconut Biscotti

Yesterday morning at 5:45 am I received an e-mail request to bake for a charity auction/fundraiser being held this Saturday night.  You may be wondering why I was awake so early. It wasn’t on purpose.  It’s just that I keep forgetting to put my blackberry on “silent” mode before I go to sleep, so the beep of an incoming message woke me.  The request was from the Lanark County Therapeutic Riding Program.  I immediately hit reply and said YES!!  My speedy, enthusiastic (well, as enthusiastic as I can be at 5:45 am) reply was due to two reasons.

The main reason I replied yes is that my son, who has cerebral palsy, has been riding with them for over 6 years.   When he began he could not even sit up on the horse.  Now he is trotting.  He has developed increased balance, flexibility and coordination over the years.  But more importantly, he has gained a feeling of great independence and freedom as well as tremendous pride in his accomplishments.  I never could have imagined a day when I would see him trotting down a country road on a horse.  It is a joy to behold.

The second reason for my speedy acquiescence is that I love any excuse to bake, especially when I know the baking will be leaving my home and moving out of harm’s way (Harm in this case, being my mouth!)

I knew right away what I wanted to bake.  I was planning to bake on Thursday and the event was not being held until Saturday, so it had to be something that didn’t get stale quickly.  Biscotti would be the perfect thing to make.  They keep well for several weeks, although they never seem to last that long around here.  The inspiration for this biscotti recipe came from the now defunct Gourmet Magazine (a moment of silence here please!!).  The original recipe was for cranberry biscotti dipped in white chocolate.  I decided to add white chocolate chunks to the dough instead of dipping them.  I also added coconut to the dough because coconut makes everything taste better!   Unbeknownst to me, my sister Bonnie made the exact same changes to the recipe.  We laughed when we discovered what the other had done.

Oh, and I had a third reason to be excited to bake today!  I would get to try out my new Beater Blade for my Kitchenaid mixer.  The company claims that this blade, ” … virtually eliminates hand-scraping the bowl and batter build-up on the blades. Ingredients are thoroughly incorporated ensuring foolproof mixing and baking preparation.” After softening the butter, I set to work creaming the butter and sugar.  I was very impressed with the new blade.  No scraping down was needed.  I love it when a product delivers like it promises.

Then time to add the rest of the ingredients.

Biscotti is Italian for “twice baked”.  First the dough is formed into logs and baked.  Then the logs are sliced and put back into the oven for a second baking.  This is a wonderful dough to work with, so pliable and malleable.  Forming the logs is simple.

The logs are brushed with beaten eggwhite and baked for about 25 minutes.  Then they cool for about an hour.  I discovered that using a cleaver works really well for slicing the logs.  I got an inexpensive one from Ikea.  I like to slice them on the diagonal for really long biscotti.  They go back into the oven for a second baking.  They will be a bit soft when you remove them from the second baking but will firm up as they cool.

Click here to print recipe for White Chocolate Coconut Cranberry Biscotti.