June 2010 D.O.T.M.C.: Cardamom Coconut Panna Cotta with Raspberry-Rhubarb Sauce

So I somehow lost June 201 and didn't get my contribution out there. Shame on me! Here it is, a year late but hopefully still worthy of consideration. We made this panna cotta for our final dinner at culinary school and I hadn't had a chance to make it on my own until now. I wanted to do what I could to simplify it but still have it be a proper panna cotta texture, remain vegan and taste yummy. I used some seasonal fruit for the sauce and left it chunky but strain away by all means if that's what you like. I hope you give it a try!

Cardamom Coconut Panna Cotta with Raspberry-Rhubarb Sauce

1 T coconut oil

2 cans coconut milk- full fat

½ heaping teaspoons powdered agar

1/3 cup honey

1 T Toasted and ground cardamom pods

½ T  kuzu

1 T water

Using a paper towel, grease ramekins with coconut oil.

Toast cardamom pods and grind

Powder agar with a spice grinder and add to coconut milk, cream, cardamom in a medium-sized sauce pan. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Bring to a boil, then lower heat to low and simmer until agar has dissolved.  Approximately 15- 20 minutes.

Add honey and taste for sweetness. 

Combine kuzu and water to make a slurry and add to coconut base.

Simmer for another 5 minutes to cook kuzu. 

Transfer to a blender and puree. 

Strain through a chinois or fine mesh strainer.

Pour into greased ramekins and let set in refrigerator, at least 4 hours, ideally overnight

Remove by taking a toothpick around ramekin, and inverting over your serving plate

Serve with a few tablespoons Raspberry-Rhubarb sauce

Raspberry-Rhubarb Sauce

3 T Palm Sugar, or more to taste (you can sweeten it anyway you like really)

1 C water

½ C Raspberries

½ C Rhubarb- thinly sliced

In a small sauce pot combine palm sugar and water to create a simple syrup

Add berries and rhubarb, cook for about 10 minutes until they’re well combined and saucy

Blend using an immersion blender (or in a blender)

Strain if you like it smooth, I left it chunky 

Peach-Blueberry Cobbler (v)

Treat for the dog-days of summer.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, August 2005 (p146). Tip-o-the-hat to Veganaise for being such a great cream substitute in this recipe.

2½ pounds peaches, halved lengthwise, pitted, and cut into ¾-inch-thick wedges (about 8 cups)

1 cup blueberries (about ½ pint)

²⁄₃ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted soy butter, cut into small pieces

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

¾ cup Veganaise + ¼ cup water

Sanding sugar for sprinkling

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°, with racks positioned in upper and lower thirds.
2. Stir together peaches, bluebetries, ¹⁄₃ cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Transfer to a 12-by-8½ inch (2-quart) baking dish; set aside.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and remaining ¹⁄₃ cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl or stand mixer. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender or 2 knives to form clumps that are no larger than small peas.
4. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into the Veganaise; stir with a fork to combine. Discard pod. Add cream mixture to flour mixture; stir until a soft, sticky dough forms. Using a spring-loaded ice-cream scoop, scoop out 10 equal portions of dough onto the filling & sprinkle with sanding sugar.
5. Protect your oven with a parchment-lined cookie sheet on the lower rack. Bake cobbler on the top rack until the topping is golden brown and juices ar bubbling (55-70 minutes). If topping browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
6. Let cool 1 hour before serving.

St. Lucian Cocoa Tea

Cocoa tea is a rich breakfast drink (like European hot chocolate) from St. Lucia. I confirmed the recipe with a St. Lucian chef I met in my travels who added that small doughnut-like pieces called "hot bakes" are sometimes boiled in the cocoa tea, making the drink more of a porridge-style breakfast meal. This recipe is just for the tea.

Makes 2 servings
2 cups soy or light coconut milk (or your favorite kind of milk)
½ cup grated dark chocolate*
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon grated cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2-4 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 scraped vanilla pod or 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white flour or cornstarch (optional)

Note: Works best with a double boiler.

Directions

1. Bring the milk to a boil and quickly lower heat. If you are using a double boiler, make sure the milk is steamy hot. 
2. Add the grated cocoa, nutmeg, cinnamon and bay leaf and let simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in vanilla and if you want a thicker drink, add flour (or cornstarch) stirring continuously.
4. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.

*The Grenada Chocolate Company makes amazing Caribbean dark chocolate. Any 70%+ dark chocolate will work well.

Moroccan Kaab El Ghzal

Almond-Mango Crescent Cookies
A rich, mild almond cookie from Morocco with a zesty tang from baked-in dried mango.
Some varieties have pastry dough wrapped around the almond/fruit filling, but this one combines all ingredients into a biscuit. To see how to make the dough-filled version, watch Moroccan blogger Alia make her version on youtube.

Makes 15 - 20 cookies
1 cup raw almonds, finely ground
½ cup Wholesome Sweeteners powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 Ener-G egg replacer (or 1 egg)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup earth balance (or butter), at room temperature
½ cup sesame seed
½ cup of minced dried fruit like mango or pineapple

Directions

1. Take soy butter out of fridge & preheat oven to 350º
2. Knead almonds, sugar, flour, almond extract, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter in mixing bowl and mix well. A sticky dough will form. Add water a tablespoon at a time if a ball of the dough does not form, or add flour if dough is too sticky to pinch.
3. Pour sesame seeds onto a plate or pie pan.
4. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough (keep them small, the cookies are rich).
5. Flatten the dough in your palms and fold in 1 teaspoon of minced dried fruit. Form the dough into a cylinder and roll dough pieces in seeds to coat.
6. Sculpt the cylinder into a crescent, thicker in the middle, tapering at the ends and curved.
7. Place side by side onto lightly greased cookie sheet and bake in oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

MILK PUNCH

'Tis the season for parties and punch.
You may not think to look to a book titled Screen Doors and Sweet Tea for inspiration for holiday parties, but you'd be remiss. For it contains a recipe for Milk Punch by the fabulous Martha Foose. The book is filled with many wonderful recipes actually and Martha's engaging tales. It's one of my favorites.
Back to the punch, some versions appear to be a lighter incarnation of eggnog without the eggs though some do add egg white for frothiness. In researching it's origins I found it is a popular drink in New Orleans, but enthusiasm for it is widespread.
I came across Benjamin Franklin's recipe which sounds great too, and involves soaking lemon rinds in brandy for 24 hours. (A lot of lemons!) I believe it is English in origin.

Though I plan on making real eggnog for the first time this year, and intend on trying Craig Claiborn's recipe, I'm looking forward to adding Milk Punch to the winter cocktail repertoire.

Here are some recipes:

Martha Foose's Milk Punch ( go get her book!)
Serves 1

1 ½ ounces good bourbon or brandy
2 ounces half-and-half
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
Drop of vanilla extract
Ice cubes
Freshly grated nutmeg

Combine the bourbon, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly until the mixture is cold and frothy. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with a grating of nutmeg.

Coconut Milk Punch ( from Gourmet magazine- it's Vegan)

Make coconut milk:
Grate the meat of 1 coconut, wrap it in a damp cheesecloth, and squeeze it over a bowl to extract the milk.
Reserve the milk.
Transfer the cheesecloth-wrapped coconut to another bowl, open the cheesecloth, and pour 1/4 cup boiling water over the coconut.
When cool, squeeze the mixture through the cheesecloth into the bowl to extract all the liquid and add the reserved milk.

In a cocktail shaker combine
1/2 cup each of coconut milk and crushed ice,
3 tablespoons light rum,
1 tablespoon sugar syrup,
1/8 teaspoon vanilla and shake the liquid vigorously.
Strain the punch into an 8-ounce goblet and grate some nutmeg over it.
Makes 1 drink.