Daily Loaf

Coconut is divine. It is so flavorful and versatile, at home as a crust on giant prawns or a decadent dessert to end a meal. When it is flaked, sweetened, and toasted it leaves such a distinct mark on any dish it’s become one of my favorite ingredients to use.

When I set out to make my first coconut cream pie several years ago, I struggled with the idea of the baking method it would involve. It seemed that blind baking a crust and cooking the filling separately would be such a task, but that filling and then baking the pie would never result in the creamy goodness I was after. So I researched a lot of different recipes, and created this version which really is so simple and yields a confection worthy of the case in any fine bake shop.

At its most basic level, this dessert is rich vanilla custard with real coconut and a flaky, traditional hand-made crust. If you can get past the initial fear of making your own pastry and just nail down the technique, it will be well worth it, so take this extra step and you won’t be sorry. Cold is the key — cold work surface, clean cold hands (your best tools!), and most of all, very cold butter.

Here’s the recipe: Read the rest of this entry »

I stayed just 2 days in Bangkok, and I am now in Na Harn, a relatively sleepy beach town on the southern end of Phuket.  Phuket itself is an island off the southern coast of Thailand.  Yes, it is a tropical paradise, and so is the food.  If I were not training Thai boxing I’d be plumper than a Jenny Craig-dropout in a Krispy Kreme.

The cuisine is straight Thai food, however the heavy European tourism influence means that restaurants here always have two menus: one Thai and one Euro/Western.  This can make for a interesting breakfast, but more on that later.

On my first day here, I visited the famous MBK mall.  They have a huge food court that sells Thai food, and I did not see any chains I recognized.  All the food is cooked to order in front of you. I had chicken with flat noodles, and a coconut (top chopped off) so I could drink the coconut water. Its an interesting feeling when your palate tells you you’re at a Thai restaurant and your senses remind you that you’re in a food court.  Their entire approach to food and food service is different. Read the rest of this entry »

My Peppermint Bark was so yummy when I made it during the holidays. And it was a huge hit. But how to top it?

I was watching the Food Network and Big Daddy’s house was on. He made a bark with cherries, almonds and something else, I just don’t remember what it was. A light bulb went off in my head, so I ran to a piece of paper and wrote down my idea. You see, if I don’t write things down, I totally forget everything! Sometime I even forget why things are on my list.

This Almond Joy Bark has probably been done before, but I didn’t even check Google because I wanted to think I came up with something original, damn it! So don’t go bursting my bubble, ok?

Read the rest of this entry »