Pineapple Coconut Bread Pudding

Some weekends call for dessert as breakfast. Feel free to give this one a try! The trickiest part of the recipe was making the caramel sauce from scratch. I've master many a batch of caramel and the process still keeps me on my toes a little bit. If you're too wary, a jar of the ice cream topping will do just as well. No one needs that high a level of anxiety first thing in the morning after all. The rest of the dish comes together in a pinch, though a decent chunk of time is needed to bake the pudding. This may not be the recipe for a house hold full of early risers...maybe brunch would be more appropriate. And really, who doesn't enjoy brunch.

The original recipe called for a fair amount of sugar in ADDITION to the caramel sauce. Really, between the sweet bread, the sauce and the sweet fruity flavors, this bread pudding really does not need the extra sweetness. However...adding in that extra coconut and sprinkle of nuts on top give the dish a wonderful boost.

pudding adapted from What's Cooking, Love?
sauce adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

serves 8

The Ingredients
for the caramel sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp butter, cut into 4-6 pieces
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt

for the pudding
1 lb day old Portuguese Sweet Bread (such as King's Hawaiian)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 - 14 oz can coconut milk
2/3 cup crushed pineapple, with juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts, toasted (optional)

The Process:
for the sauce
Place a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and heat, stir occasionally using a rubber spatula. The sugar will begin to clump and melt. Once the all of the sugar melts and forms a thick amber-colored syrup, add the butter, one piece at a time, stirring until completely. Be careful...it will sputter.

Once the butter has been combined, slowly drizzle in the cream, again being careful of sputtering.  Allow to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the salt. Transfer to a heat proof dish and allow to cool.

for the pudding:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, and vanilla. Add the cubed bread and toss to coat. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the egg mixture.

Lightly grease a 9 x 9 inch baking dish. Layer half of the bread mixture into the bottom of the dish. Drizzle with half of the caramel sauce and layer the flaked coconut on top. Top with the remaining bread mixture. Drizzle with remaining caramel sauce and sprinkle the pudding with toasted macadamia nuts (if desired).

Bake, uncovered for 35-40 minutes, or until the pudding is set and slightly puffed. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Top with additional caramel sauce if desired.

Hawaiian Rum Punch

Inspired by Hawaii.  I should probably be clear on that...this is certainly no authentic island drink.  Though in the tourist traps and tropical resorts anything served in a coconut or pineapple may qualify.

"One part sour, two parts sweet, three parts strong, four parts weak"

I'm not sure who is originally credited with this saying, though I first heard it from Bobby Flay.  I used this as the basis for our tropical punch.  That and a quick perusal of the drink menu at our very own Tiki bar on the banks of the Mississippi, Psycho Suzi's

Rum and pineapple were key.  I wanted to evoke something akin to POG.  Passion fruit, Orange Guava....not the game.  Though the two are related.

 The rest was trail and error until I discovered something tasty. 

POG, the juice, is exceptionally hard to find in Minnesota.  A lot of pineapple/orange/apple, Pineapple/banana/orange, even passion fruit/orange/apple mixes were on hand when I hunted, but guava remained elusive.  Surprisingly a bushel of the fruit was at our local grocery, but the price and time consuming process of juicing gave me pause.  In the end, flavored rums came to the rescue.  Passion fruit rum I found in a heartbeat.  Guava, again, I could not locate, though supposedly Cruzan makes one.

After tinkering around with different ratios...adding more lime, trying less grenidine, swapping in a few different fruit juices...I ended up pretty much right back with the recipe I based it off of.  The only major difference is I used flavored rums instead of Jamacian white and light rums.  I suppose whrn you have a good thing, it needed be tinkered with.

The end result is a sweet cocktail that is dangerously easy to drink.  The lime cuts through the fruit with just enough tartness.  The grenadine adds a berry like sweetness, but it still lacks that strawberry fragrance that the guava would have lent.  But in the end, I'm very content with the result.

And judging by the empty punch bowl and happy guests, I suspect everyone else was as well.

Recipe inspired by Bobby Flay

yields twelve 6 oz servings

The Ingredients:
1 cup lime juice
1 1/2 cups grenadine
1 cup coconut rum
2 cups Passion fruit Rum
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups orange juice

Pineapple, cherries and orchids for garnish

The Process:
Combine the juices and rum in a 2 qt pitcher or punch bowl.  Chill at least one hour.

To serve, ladle over ice and garnish with pineapple wedge, cherry and orchid blossom.

Pineapple Spam Skewers with a Ginger Soy Glaze

Most people find spam unpalatable, or at least believe they do.  Granted, the look of that gelatinous compressed mold of meat product right out of can certainly turns my stomach.  However, what you do with that meat loaf after it oozes out of the can makes a world of difference.

I moved from the country's largest consumer of spam, where during emergencies you were limited to one pallet of the stuff at the store; to the country's number one producer, where a museum was erected to its gelatinous pink awesomeness.  I will never escape it.  Time to attempt embracing it.

Last year at our mid-winter luau, I subjected our guests to spam musubi.  They graciously left the lion's share for us to consume for days to come.  It was not a hit.

So this year in an attempt appeal to those beyond the few adventurous eaters, I turned to the classic culinary trick of pairing salty with sweet.  Pineapple was alternated with chunks of spam and brushed with a quick glaze.  After a pass under the broiler, the caramelized, salty sweet treats were ready to go.  Nothing was left of the spam this year.

the recipe is my own

serves 16

The Ingredients:
1 - 12 oz can of Spam
1 fresh pineapple
1/2 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 heaping Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
16 bamboo skewers

The Process:
Soak the bamboo skewers as you prep the other ingredients.

Remove the spam from the container, keeping the loaf intact.  Slice in half crosswise.  Cut each half in half again, this time diagonally.  Repeat, creating eight long triangles.  Lay each triangle on its side and slice into four wedges of equal thickness, yielding 32 pieces.

Remove the crown and bottom of the pineapple.  Remove the skin.  Cut the pineapple lengthwise into 8 equal wedges.  Slice the core away from each wedge, and slice the flesh into segments approximately 1-inch thick.  Reserve 48 pieces.

Preheat the broiler.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar and ginger until the sugar has dissolved.

Thread 3 pieces of pineapple and 2 pieces of spam onto each skewer, alternating between the two.  Brush each skewer generously with the soy glaze.  Broil 2-3 inches from the heat for five minutes on each side or until the pineapple and spam have begun to caramelize.  Remove the skewers to a serving platter and brush with any remaining glaze.

Serve warm or room temperature.

Pineapple Rum Upside Down Cake

I've made a glorious pineapple upside down cake before.  I've also tried a wonderful spin called the banana foster's upside down cake.  But never have I tried a cake containing so much butter or so much rum.  What better way to round out our tropical adventure this month than by saying Aloha with this boozy treat.


The Ingredients:
for the sauce
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large can pineapple rings (about 10)
1/4 cup Meyer's dark Jamaican rum
1/2 cup heavy cream

for the cake
2 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temp
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 tsp Meyer's dark Jamaican rum

for the glaze:
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Meyer's dark Jamaican rum

The Process:

Combine butter and brown sugar in a large skillet and heat until bubbly. Add pineapple and caramelize to a deep golden brown, turning once. Remove and set aside. Pour rum and cream into the skillet and cook over low heat 5 minutes, until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat.

Butter a 10-inch round cake pan (a cheesecake pan with removable sides works well) and line with parchment paper. Set on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any leaks. Arrange pineapple rings to cover bottom of pan. Blot cherries with a paper towel and place them in the center of the pineapple rings. Pour rum and cream sauce over pineapple and set pan aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, sift together flour and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add sugar gradually and continue beating for five minutes, or until the mixture is fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add rum. Fold in the dry ingredients, mixing just until the batter is smooth and blended.

Pour into prepared cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees. between 1 hour and 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Prepare the glaze shortly before the cake is done so it will be warm.

Remove cake from oven when done and poke several holes in the cake with a small wooden skewer. Carefully pour this mixture over the warm cake, allowing it to seep into the holes and drizzle remaining over the top. Let it soak in for a few minutes.

Invert onto a serving platter.

Allow to cool completely before serving

The Review:
This cake was dense and wonderfully moist.  The sides and and edges caramelized into a beautiful crunch, but the center was disappointing soggy.  Granted, there is a lot of rum and fruit weighting the cake down.  I'm curious to try the cake again in an iron skillet to see if I'd have better luck  The sauce poured over the pineapple at the begin just didn't seem to get hot and bubbly enough in the spring form pan to create the decedent caramel I was envisioning. 

While fresh the cake had a dense wonderful texture, but again succumbed to the soggy weight of fruit and sauce.  A frustration with my crappy hand mixer may be the culprit.  With a mixer that jams at the slightest provocation I couldn't beat the sugar and butter as creamy as this cake desires.  Reading through a few reviews, it does sounds as though sifted cake flour, instead of all purpose flour, makes a noticeable improvement.

Gingered Pork and Pineapple

Another chilly January day and little desire to lift a finger to cook.  Once again our slow cooker comes to the rescue.  After the enormous crown roast we tackled during Christmas, one would think we'd be tired of pork by now.  And to a point we are...you can only reheat leftovers with BBQ sauce, or fry the meat up with chili and onion so many times.  In a departure from BBQ sandwiches and spicy fajitas, may I present gingered pork with pineapple.

This sweet Asian-inspired dish shares similar flavors with the Chinese take-out  favorite: sweet and sour pork.  Only without the soggy  breading were force ourselves to endure when the delivery person finally arrives. 

adapted from BHG's Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes

serves 6-8

The Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless pork shoulder
2 Tbsp cooking oil
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 inch fresh ginger, finely minced
1 - 15 oz can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2- inch slices
1 large onion, cut into 1 - inch pieces
1 - 8 oz can slice water chestnuts, drained
1 1/2 cups fresh snow pea pods
3 cups hot cooked rice

The Process:
Trim the fat from the pork.  Cut the pork into 1 - inch pieces.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and brown.  Drain off fat, remove from heat and set aside.

In a 4 qt slow cooker, combine the broth, tapioca, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger and pineapple juice reserved from the can of pineapple chunks.  Add carrots, onion and pork.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.

Prior to serving, if using the low setting turn up to high.  Stir in pineapple chunks and pea pods.  Cover and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until pea pods are tender-crisp.  Serve over warm rice.

The Review:
This dish was surprisingly reminiscent of La Choy's canned chow mein...in a good way...and without the crispy noodles.  The sauce had a lovely suggestion of sweetness without being cloying.  The pork,  though a tad dry (in a slow cooker...imagine that) practically fell apart.  The carrots offered a soft bite to compliment the snow peas pleasant crunch.  Despite having almost tripled the amount of ginger from the cookbook's original recipe, the zesty flavor was increbily mellow, verging on undetectable.  Though that could be the remnants of my cold limiting my palate.  Despite that, our entire kitchen was perfumed in its spicy aroma though.

I'd imagine this dish would work equally as well with chicken.

Pineapple Coconut Muffins

The nostalgia of two years spent in Hawaii hangs thick upon our home as of late. I've been pining for sunny, non-scorching days and cool ocean breezes for several weeks. Pineapples beckon and tease from the produce aisle. I finally succumbed. The fruit has been taunting me from the kitchen counter ever since.

Tonight in a mood to bake, I dug up a coconut pineapple quick bread recipe. Several actually. Annalise's muffin recipe at And Now for Something Completely Delicious won out for two reason. One, she used fresh pineapple. Two, she added rum.

If you like pina coladas...

adapted from Annalise's recipe (for the original check here...my recipe is below)

makes 12 muffins

The Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp unsweetened, flaked coconut
3 egg whites
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp rum
1 1/4 cup fresh pineapple, finely diced almost to the point of mincing

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 375 and line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Spread the coconut in a thin layer on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Allow to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, 6 Tbsp sugar salt and cooled coconut. In a large bowl whisk together sour cream, egg whites, melted butter, and rum. Fold in the pineapple. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the sour cream mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.

Fill the muffin liners 3/4 of the way full. Combine the remaining 2 Tbsp of brown sugar and 2 Tbsp of coconut. Sprinkle about 1 tsp of the brown sugar mixture over the muffins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm.

The Review:
These were delectable served slightly warm and with a generous spread of honey butter made by a friend. Though in all honesty the muffins were so moist and flavorful, they hardly needed any accompaniment. I'm glad I doubled the coconut from Annalise's original recipe, as well as toasting it before hand. With the sweetness of the fresh pineapple, the coconut may have been otherwise lost.

A sprinkling of chopped macadamia nuts would have pushed these muffins to en even higher level of tropical ecstasy.

With the cool evening breeze wafting through the kitchen windows and the pineapple smell still lingering, I could almost imagine I was back in Honolulu. Almost....