Rick Requests ... Chocolate Pie

I asked Rick what he wanted for dessert on New Year's Eve.  We were having some friends over and he was cooking cioppino

(sorry, can't share that recipe -- his version is Top Secret)

so dessert and appetizers were my job.  I scoured my recipe file and did not find anything worthy of New Year's Eve, so I selected this book as my next possible source for a good recipe:

I have been collecting Pillsbury Bake-Off books for about 15 years and found this beauty at an antique store several years ago.  Now, of course, it is available on Amazon (click the photo to go to the listing there).  This book is from 1959, when the Bake-Off had only been going on for about 10 years.  It is a treasure trove of old fashioned recipes.

Looking in the cream pie section, I found a delightful recipe for Coconut Shortbread Chocolate Pie.  Now that sounded festive enough for a New Year's celebration.

Coconut Shortbread Chocolate Pie

Crust
1/3 cub butter
2 TBSP sugar
1 egg yolk
1 TBSP cream
1 cup flour
1 cup coconut, cut up (I used unsweetened thick shavings and they were perfect for this)

Cream the butter.  Add the sugar, combining well.  Blend in egg yolk and cream.  Add the flour gradually and mix well.  Blend in the coconut.  Press into bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie pan.  Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes. (yes, those 2 minutes can mean the difference between just-right and burnt coconut).

Filling

3/4 cup sugar
3 TBSP cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups milk
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten 1 TBSP butter
1 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in top of double boiler (over boiling water).  Gradually blend in the milk. Add the chocolate.  Cook, stirring constantly, until thick (this always takes a bit longer than I think it will).  Stir a little of this hot mixture into the egg yolks.  Then add the yolks to the hot mixture, still stirring constantly.  Cook about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.  Cool at least 20 minutes.

(my chocolate did not fully melt, but I decided I liked the way it looked with the little darker brown specks throughout)

Turn the filling into the pie shell.  Chill.  Serve with whipped cream and toasted coconut.

Happy New Year!

Coconut Bread Pudding

I have a serious weakness for coconut in any form. I modified a very basic bread pudding recipe to satisfy my coconut craving. I must say, this is awesome. Beware, bread pudding is not an exact science and you must use some judgment.

1 loaf sliced white bread (not as airy as Wonder bread, but nothing too dense either -- I use sliced bread from the in-house bakery at my local Safeway)
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk (generally found in the Asian cooking section of the supermarket -- don't confuse this with coconut cream, which is sweetened and much too thick for this recipe)
1/4 cup regular milk
2 TBSP vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I use the unsweetened type found in the health food section, but you could use the sweetened kind instead)

Place raisins in a bowl of hot water. let soak for 20 minutes. Drain
Combine sugar, eggs, milks, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, coconut and raisins.
Cut bread into cubes. Stir the bread gently into the sugar/egg/milk mixture. Here's where the judgment comes in. If it looks too dry, you can beat another egg with 1/2 cup milk and stir it in. It's really hard to describe how moist this should be. Last time I made it, it was just a bit too dry and I think it was because the loaf of bread I used was larger than normal.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. You can add some more shredded coconut on top for the last few minutes -- just long enough for it to brown a bit. It will look very pretty :)

I usually serve this at room temperature with whipped cream. But my friend Patty/Pricilla (she has 2 personalities) has recently shared a recipe for caramel sauce that I think would be awesome on this bread pudding.

Oatmeal Coconut Cake

This recipe was given to me by a cruising friend many years ago. We met when sailing the Pacific coast of Panama and have kept in touch for these past 15 years. Delores and Bob now live in the Pacific Northwest, after 2 complete circumnavigations aboard their sailboat.

It is a great cruising recipe because all of the ingredients are readily available anywhere and most cruisers have them on board at all times. I've made this cake while cruising and on dry land many, many times.

Oatmeal Coconut Cake

1 1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Pour boiling water over the oats. Let sit until cool.
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients.
In another bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until smooth.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fluffy.
Stir in the oats and the dry ingredients.
Turn into 9" greased square pan. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes (this is inexact because boat ovens are very different than house ovens -- just check it frequently)

Topping

1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk (or cream)
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients and spread on warm cake. Place under broiler for just a few minutes until browned. Really keep an eye on it while under the broiler. It will burn very easily!

Enjoy!