#ground ginger

This festive, albeit light, Spiced Coconut Bavarois makes a delicately boozy and delightfully aromatic dessert to eat on New Year's Day --like we did!-- or to end any Sunday Lunch, really! Have a good one!

Ingredients (serves 6 to 8):

5 leaves gelatin

400 millilitres/13.5 fluid ounces coconut milk

6 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Tonka Bean

2 tablespoons white rum (like Guadeloupe's Damoiseau)

400 millilitres/13.5 fluid ounces coconut cream (very cold)

half a fresh, ripe, sweet pineapple

a quarter of a small, ripe pomegranate

Place gelatin leaves in a small bowl of cold water, to soak. Set aside.

Pour coconut milk in a large saucepan, and bring to a simmer over a medium flame.

Meanwhile, combine egg yolks, caster sugar, ground ginger and ground cinnamon in a medium bowl. Grate in about 1/4 teaspoon Tonka Bean.

Whisk energetically until mixture becomes pale yellow and fluffy, and falls from the whisk like a ribbon.

Once the coconut milk is just simmering, gradually pour it into the egg yolk mixture, whisking until smooth and perfectly blended.

Pour mixture back into the saucepan, and return over a medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon, until mixture thickens like a custard, and coats the wooden spoon, for about 10 minutes.

Thoroughly squeeze the water out of the gelatin leaves, and stir them into the hot coconut custard until completely melted. Stir in the rum, and remove from the heat.

Allow to cool completely.

Rinse a pudding basin under cold water, and fit it with cling film, letting it overhang on the edges. Set aside.

Pour cold coconut cream into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer, gradually increasing speed to high, until soft peaks form. Continue beating on high speed, until stiff peaks just from.

Gently fold in coconut whipped cream, one third at a time, into cooled rum coconut custard, until well-combined and no white streak remains.

Gently spoon mixture into prepared pudding basin, folding the cling film on top. Place in the refrigerator, and chill, at least 12 hours to overnight.

Just before serving, cut slices of fresh pineapple, removing the hard core, and halving them.

Release pomegranate seeds from the fruit, removing any white skin.

Gently upturn coconut bavarois onto serving plate, and carefully remove cling film. Garnish with pineapple slices and pomegranate seeds.

Chef’s Notes: Batter tastes pumpkiny. I don’t taste it as much once baked, but it is a nice bread with a crunchy crust.

Did I actually overbake it? Is it dry?

Ingredients

Cooking spray

8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup white sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree (I roasted a pumpkin and took out the insides instead of using a can puree)

1/4 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp Kosher salt 

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

0. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

1. Line a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, then grease with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat melted butter, sugar, pumpkin puree, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla.

3. In a different medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.

4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined.

5. Fold in chocolate chips, reserving 2 tablespoons for topping the loaf

6. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Smooth top with an offset spatula and sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips.

7. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, covering the top with a foil tent after 1 hour if the top appears to be getting too dark.

I recommend the tenting, even if it’s not brown yet

Beef Wontons

6+ servings

A 12-ounce package of wontons yields more than 50 wrappers.  So these delicious bites can easily serve 6 wontons as an appetizer to 6 lucky people!  Dip them in your favorite sauce.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

2 tablespoons green onions, chopped

1 teaspoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon beef bouillon powder

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon black Pepper or to taste

12-ounce package of wonton wrappers

Small Bowl of water

3 cups of canola oil for frying

Directions:

In a large bowl mix the ground beef with the onions, sesame oil, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders, the beef bouillon, and the ginger.  (You don’t have to worry about cooking the meat and spices as they will cook in the wonton wrappers when fried.)

Place some of the wonton wrappers on a plate or some other surface like a cutting board.  Put about half a tablespoon of the meat mixture on a wonton wrapper.  Dip your finger into the small bowl of water and then proceed to wet two of the edges of the wonton wrappers.  Then fold the wonton wrapper in half to form a triangle.  Make sure the edges are sealed tightly all around the wrapper so when you fry the wonton the oil won’t leak into it.  Repeat this process until all the wrappers are used.  You might need extra people to help you.

Using a large pot, a Dutch oven or a large frying pan with high sides pour the oil into it and heat to reach frying temperature which is around 350° or 375°.  You can heat up the oil while finishing the wonton wrappers.  To know the oil is hot enough to cook the wontons you might want to dip a small amount of the wrappers in the oil.  If it bubbles up you know that the oil has reached cooking temperature.

Put the wonton wrappers in the cooking oil but don’t overcrowd them.  6 to 8 might be enough.  It should only take 3-4 minutes per side when the wrappers are put in.  When they are golden brown on both sides they are done and should be removed.  You can put them on a plate which has a paper towel placed on it to absorb the extra oil.  Continue cooking the wrappers until they are all done. 

You can serve them to your guests along with a dipping sauce that you like.

Note:

Canola oil is used because it has a high smoke point.

Tongs or a slotted spoon or a spider spoon would be helpful.

You can make these ahead of time and store them in the fridge.  You can reheat them in the oven on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in a few minutes.