SPICED RIGHT

A few weeks ago I realized we had no good spices to make a curry, so I went on a major spice shopping spree. John and I always loved getting the banana chicken curry from RICE in NY and since we had plenty bananas on hand I decided to try a banana curry of my own. I found a few recipes I combined and came up with this. The only thing that I think was wrong with it was the brand of coconut milk we get… CHAOKOH. We buy a case of it from Costco and it has a bit of a strange flavor to me. It tends to not stay as creamy as the brand I prefer… THAI KITCHEN and I will start buying that from now on.


1 tablespoon olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and sliced,
2 mini red peppers
2 mini yellow peppers
2 mini orange peppers
(you can use all one color if you cannot find mini's.)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup diced pineapple
1 medium onion cut into 1/2 wedges
1 sliced banana
2 boneless chicken breasts
2  cardamom seeds

For the sauce:
2 bananas
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
coarse salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Basmati or Jasmine rice

- In a food processor or blender, add banana, coconut milk, curry powder, garam masala, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and ginger and process until smooth.

- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Lay 4 large pieces of aluminum foil on a work surface, placing 2 on top of each other in a + pattern. Place one sheet of parchment paper on top of each

- Toss vegetables in olive oil and place half of the vegetables in center of each parchment paper Smash the cardamom seeds and place one on top of each vegetable pile. Top with 1 chicken breast. Season chicken with salt and black pepper.

You can see the smashed cardamom seed in the center on the bottom image.

The sauce mixture in the food processor.

- Pour banana-coconut milk mixture over each chicken breast, dividing evenly.

- Seal foil/parchment packets by bringing together 2 opposite edges and folding them down together. Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet and cook in oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

- Let cool a few minutes before opening.

- Carefully open foil packets. Place rice in bottom of serving bowl and spoon packet contents on top. Garnish with cilantro.

WAKE AND BAKE

Busy days here at CFC headquarters and we are a bit behind in our Tuesday Texture posts. Back to that soon.

Yesterday found me awake at 6:30AM and baking my first ever loaf of Artisan Bread and a deliciously sweet Orange Yogurt Cake with Candied Orange Peel Syrup... by 7:00AM. I needed to start early to get it out of the way so I could do my design work without having to keep an eye on rising dough and a baking cake.

Pretty but not all I expected as to the flavor.

Served with Honey Butter.

The Artisan Bread recipe came with our Cuisanart and I'd like to find another that is just as easy. While I enjoyed this bread, It did not make the amount stated in the recipe nor did it rise as much as I anticipated. It said I was to get 2 9" balls of dough... enough to make 2 loaves... yet I only got one. It was also a bit denser than expected rather than light and airy not to mention a bit too salty and a tad on the yeasty side... BUT... still quite tasty.  I'm not even going to bother with the recipe here. I did make a whipped honey butter to serve with it which was a nice balance to the salty flavor of the bread.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt, or with whipped cream and lemon grass leaves as pictured here.

Let the syrup sink into the cake and let stand in the pan about half an hour. The candied orange peel will stick nicely to the top. Slide a thin spatula around the edge of the pan and gently lift out and slide onto a serving stand. You could also serve directly from the pan.

The cake simply came about because I was flipping through and old cookbook looking for a bread recipe. I saw the recipe for Lemon Yogurt cake in my MARIE CLAIRE COOKING with Donna Hay and thought... that would be good to use the last cup of yogurt and some of our oranges. Of course I tweaked the recipe a bit... I substituted oranges for lemons... why not. Lime or grapefruit would work just as well. I also added the chopped candied orange rind to the top. She says to simply toss in the rind in thick strips and remove before pouring on the cake. Those extra bits really amp up the flavor.


For the cake
1 stick butter (4oz)
1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
2 eggs
1 cup thick plain yogurt
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the orange syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 an orange rind cut into 1/8" strips then diced into small pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Butter a 9" cake pan.

3. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well.
Stir in the orange juice and zest and half the flour. Then add the yogurt, the remaining flour, and the baking soda, and mix to combine.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, and smooth the top well. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the cake starts to come away from the sides of the tin, and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

5. A few minutes before the cake is ready to come out of the oven, prepare the syrup. Place the sugar, water, orange juice, and strips of orange rind in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring, over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Allow the syrup to simmer gently for 6-8 minutes. Immediately pour the syrup over the top of the cake, while it is still hot and in the tin. Evenly distribute the candied orange rind across the top of the cake.

Let the cake sit for at least 30 minutes before turning out of the tin and serving. Serve plain or with a dollop of yogurt. We ran out of yogurt so I whipped up 1/2 cup heavy cream with 1 tablespoon honey and 1/4 cup powdered sugar to put on top. Orange and Honey!!! YES PLEASE.

INTOXICAKING

Friday I made an orange pound cake and had the intention of pouring a Mai Tai over the top instead of simple syrup usually called for in the recipe. Something told me it may not soak all the way through so I devised a new plan. Since we had a dinner party to attend on Saturday night… I needed a dessert and put my thinking cap on. The result? This Mai Tai Trifle. I like making the cake the day before as it give it a chance to set and dry a bit before soaking up the booze. 

Make sure your designated driver gets a small serving... or a to go serving.

Hipahipa, cheers or bottom's up!

Orange Pound Cake

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup grated orange zest (from 4 large oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream, half and half or milk (I used heavy cream)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a loaf pan.

2. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the orange zest.

3. Sift together 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, sour cream, heavy cream and vanilla. Add the flour and dairy mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Toss the chocolate chunks with 2 tablespoons flour and add to the batter. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack about 15 minutes then immediately run a knife around edge to loosen and remove from pan. Allow the cake to cool completely.

For the Mai Tai
I used the Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai Recipe and tweaked it a tiny bit.

A Mai Tai is a tropical drink made with dark and light rum, orange liqueur, orange juice, and lime juice. This is the original Mai Tai recipe that was created and made famous by the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki, which is also known as the "Pink Palace".

Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai Ingredients for 1 Mai Tai
1 ounce Dark Rum
*1 oz Light Rum (I used Coconut Rum since that is what I had)
1 oz Orange Curacao
2 oz Orange Juice
*1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice (half of a lime)
1/2 oz Orgeat
*1/2 oz Simple Syrup (I used 1 teaspoon Raw Sugar in place of syrup)
* teaspoon of Grenadine for color

* denotes what I added or tweaked in this recipe.
Make 3, 4 or 5 servings of Mai Tai listed above. I made 4. Depends on how boozy you want to be.

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer just until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. You can also use 1/2 oz simple syrup in place of the sugar. Set aside until ready to soak cake.

Fruit Mixture:
3/4 cup fresh or canned chopped Pineapple. Cut into about 1/4" pieces
3 Small Oranges
1/2 cup diced Surinam Cherries (Marchino would be ok too)
1 Medium Banana
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon packed brown sugar

1.Dice pineapple and reserve juice. Saute with butter and brown sugar until slightly golden.

2. Peel oranges over a bowl to catch juice. Remove all of the membrane on the orange sections so all you have are big pieces of pulp.

3. Chop cherries and add any juice to pineapple and orange juice.

4. Dice banana and add with all the fruit and juices in one bowl. Let sit about 15 minutes. Drain and reserve fruit juices. In a separate bowl add fruit and 1/4 cup Mai Tai mixture and let macerate 30 minutes.

5. Drain fruit and set aside. Reserve Mai Tai mixture.


Whipped Topping
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Cup sifted Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Orange Curacao

1. In an electric mixer with a chilled bowl and whisk attachment, whisk the 2 cups of cream until slight peaks form.

2. Add Orange Curacao and sift in powdered sugar. Whisk until firm peaks form on medium speed. Do not over whisk or you will end up with butter.

Let cake cool. Preferably 1 day. Slice pound cake into 3/4 inch slices.

Dice sliced pound cake into 3/4 inch cubes and place in a cookie sheet.
I only used about 1/2 of the pound cake. To determine how much you need, fill the bowl in which you are going to make it in 1/2 to 3/4 way full with diced cake. A little extra is fine since it will take up less room once wet. 

Spoon the Mai Tai over the cake making sure to hit every piece. Don't make it too wet or you will end up with mush. You can always add more if needed. Reserve about 1/4 cup for fruit mixture. You will be able to use this later.

Saute diced pineapple in 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon brown sugar.
Mix with diced orange sections and cherries. This will make a lot of juice which you want to keep.

Toss into fruit mixture, 1 diced banana and drain.
Place into a bowl and pour 1 Mai Tai over the fruit and let macerate 30 minutes or longer. Drain and pour the remaining juice from the fruit and the Mai Tai used to soak the fruit in over the diced cake. Make sure to flip the cake pieces around in the pan before this last soak. If it feels too wet.. use your judgement as to how much more liquid to add.
Make the whipped topping and chill until ready to use.

Press half of the diced cake into the bowl then top with all of the fruit mixture. It won't seem like there is enough fruit, but there is. Of course if you made this in a larger bowl… you could add more.

Add half of the whipped cream and another layer of diced cake. Start by placing a ring off cake along the outside of the bowl then filling in... using all of the cake. Don't press to firmly on this layer as you do not want to squeeze the liquid out on top of the whipped cream. That would make it too wet.

Top with remaining whipped cream mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Just before serving add an assortment of cocktail umbrellas.

...And don't forget... keep those orange rinds. Place in a ziplock bag and freeze. You can always pull them out of the freezer when you have a recipe that calls for orange zest.

OLD LAHAINA LUAU

While mom and grandma were here, they talked John and I into going to our first ever luau at the Old Lahaina Luau. We have been told that if you go to one, this is the one to go to. It was a beautiful setting and a nice production. The food was really good, especially the pelehu steak...although the kalua pork from the imu pit had a bit of a propane taste to it. It was really the only thing none of us finished on our plates. The waiters were shirtless and quite the distraction, drinks were plentiful and dessert was perfect. It was actually a fun night.

The MINUTE you enter the luau they put a Mai Tai in your hand then whisk you off to your seat.
Grandma was of course in her glory at this custom.

Once you have been escorted to your table, you can stroll the grounds...

... while listening to the live band play songs of old Hawai'i. I had my eye on this red shirt all night. The placement and amount of the pattern is just right. 

With an open bar... who could say no? The designated driver... that's who! I started of with a few Mai Tai's then went in for the Green Passion.

Our designated driver... Trying to keep his eyes on the "road" and not get too distracted by the sights along the journey.

Mom and grandma after a few...

Pre-dinner and show.

A few of the scenes from the show.

The opening performance.

CUCKOO REVUE 2010

Hand crafted ribbon lettering, coconut crafts, hand knit golf club covers and handmade ribbons for Simple Times, John;s parents enjoying the warm January temperatures and new year plantings.

January started out with John's mom and dad coming for a 7 week visit filled with days fishing, sightseeing, and relaxing while I spent the month making projects for Amy Sedaris' new book "Simple Times - Crafts for Poor People".

Visiting the buddha in Lahaina, in the kitchen making fried cinnamon tortilla strips and homemade pata for lasagna and whale watching in Kapalua.

February we were still entertaining John's parents while his mom cooked almost every day. This was the first time they had seen the Humpback Whales which winter here in Hawai'i.

Swiss chard ravioli, a last dinner on Maui at Sansei, staining concrete, Mom, Nick, Heather and Brandon, Whale wtach and a bamboo birthday hike.

March brought the Giordani's 7 week visit to an end and we had about 2 weeks to recoup and take care of a few home improvements before Conn's family came for a 4 week visit.  Lots of whale sightings and bamboo forest hike for John's birthday.

Touring Haleakala's backside and a stop at Kaupo Store and a wall of waterfalls. Waimea Canyon, Glass Beach, Nick conquering his fear of caves and the Kilauea Lighthouse on the 2 day whistle stop tour of Kaua'i.

We were able to introduce Conn's family to new parts of the island like the back side of Haleakala and we even crammed a 2 day trip to Kaua'i right before they departed Maui.

Ideal Bookshelf book submission, sealing the tiles and tile installation on the office lanai, Kekoa's dad "Big Daddy", and the new kitchen tools.

Mid-April found us putting together the "Ideal Bookshelf" for our book collection that was painted for the Curiosity Shoppe / Jane Mount show. We finally got our office lanai tiled, Kekoa's dad became a regular visitor and we have now become quite close to him. The kitchen faired really well this month with the addition of the long desired KitchenAid mixer and the so hard to find scraper. We were also interviewed and featured on the blog Seeds and Fruit by Kathy Epperson... which led to the design of her new book series - Field Trip.

The view from the office window facing East to Hana. The Java Plum and Christmas Berry trees were getting extremely tall so we cut about 15-20 feet off the tops to reveal what we call Hana Twin Peaks.

May found us tending to the yard and garden area that had suffered for almost a year and a half since we started construction on the new office.

Vanilla ice cream in the making and the new book shelves.

May continued to be full of catching up on home related projects. We finally found some bookshelves and had them shipped from IKEA. Then there was the KitchenAid ice cream maker that needed to be tested. 

Yard work, gardening, concrete staining, wore yard work and the actual painting from Jane Mount for the Ideal Book Shelf project.

June saw the purchase of our new and MUCH need laptops. Our old ones were 7 years old and while they still worked... they were slooooooooooow. More attention to the yard and house this month.

Building a better berm, John visits his family in upstate NY and celebrates his parent's 50th anniversary at the Mohonk Mountain House.

July saw John heading back to NY for his parent's 50th Anniversary as well as visiting old friends in the city.. But before he left we had some landscaping work done, traded in the old... ok not old... the other car for a new gray model that better suits our personalities. Conn's high school friend Jenny and her son Brian, who now lives on Kaua'i, visited on their way to and from Indiana. 

Breaking ground on the shed, nursing a Japanese White Eye after it hit the window, building and planting.

August ushered in the building of the new garden shed from the leftovers of the old garden shed we tore down over a year and a half ago. Conn's obsession with birds is never ending and of course there is always something to plant.

Raising walls and the roof ad finishing touches to the shed, The Hawaiian stilts at Kanaha Pond, Big swells  hitting Ho'okipa Beach.

September we were still working on the new shed. We finally made a visit to Kanaha Ponds to view the wintering birds and the big waves starting showing their faces on the north shore. 

Maui County Fair, a Kapalua hike and Star Noodle Birthday dinner, Guri Guri, fresh coat of paint on the shed, the end of the tent and THE NOBLE CHEF EVENT at the Fairmont Kealani.

October found us at the Maui County Fair and doing a hike in Kapalua on Conn's Birthday finished off with a fantastic dinner at Star Noodle. We finally tried Guri Guri, finished the construction of the shed... with a few bits to add on like shelving and a rain catchment system (which will be detailed in an upcoming post). The Winter winds rolled in and finally helped in dismantling the construction tent. The vent for THE NOBLE CHEF / Maui Culinary Academy that Conn designed all the printed collateral and new logo for took place at the end of October and we were lucky enough to be able to attend and partake in the delicious food from around the islands.

Leonard's Bakery and Diamond HEad on Oahu, Simple Times, John on the "set", charred pine tree in Poli Poli Spring State Recreation Area , international treats and Thanksgiving dinner at Hali'imaile General Store. 

November took us to Oahu for 2 days to do some work with several clients including Leonard's Bakery and more importantly - shopping. Simple Times - Crafts for Poor People hits the stands, John landed a set assisting gig for a Lands End catalog shoot, we got a sweet treat delivery fresh from Paris full of chocolates and sugars from dear Deb and her ohana. Thanksgiving was spent hiking Poli Poli Spring State Recreation Area and going out to eat for the easiest Thanksgiving day dinner ever at Hali'imaile General Store.

Mama's Fish House, The first proof of FILED TRIP, a temporary gate in the attempt to keep out wild pigs, more planting, holiday parties, the new troff to be used as water catchment on the shed, sotting the first whales of the season on the north shore and our bamboo and garland holiday "tree"... the other one did not make it's way out of the box in the garage.

December saw our 10 year anniversary and we celebrated by going to Mama's Fish House. We had wild pigs invading the yard and making a few messes, yard work, parties, whale watching and sad holiday decor.

Conn's Design work for 2010: New Logo for Gurman Container + Supply Corporation, The design of the new book, FILED TRIP, The cover design and hand ribbon lettering for SIMPLE TIMES as well as some very fun crafts inside, A new Logo for a new Floral Wholesaler, New + updated Identity for Melissa Foster Cook of Brilliant Life Design, Art Announcements for Parnell Corder, A CV for hair and make-up stylist Giorgio Baroni, and THE NOBLE CHEF 2010 Logo and printed materials ... just to name a few.

John's Design work for 2010:  The new logo and blog design for hapa | hale, Logo re-work and in-store signage for Leonard's Bakery on Oahu, A new blog design for Grace Supports, Identity for Island Endodontics on Oahu, Logo and Flyer design for an iPhone app called BUCKET LINK, the Website Design for a new Recipe site called Asian Supper and Icons for FIT LIFE a division of Rodale... to name a few.

We somehow managed to keep ourselves very busy with new and continuing clients to whom we are very thankful for their business. MAHALO!

Again, we ate really well and enjoyed the adventure of finding new ways to use the fruit and vegetables from our yard...

...despite being so busy, we always take time to stop and enjoy the tropical flowers...

...Conn obsesses over the birds, especially with the purchase of a new telephoto lens and...

...we introduced you to TUESDAY'S TEXTURE, and we plan on bringing you a new weekly post starting next week.

...we broke for rainbows and...

...we always try to stop and enjoy the vibrant light shows from sunrise to sunset.

Please visit us often in 2011. We will continue to chronicle our adventures and discoveries, food and friends, textures and more. And who know what critters will be showing up here next. That's always fun.

To those of you who visited... we loved hearing from you and hope you enjoyed your visits. 

Mahalo and Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

A hui hou,

c+j