Coconut Shrimp ~ Keto

Keto Coconut Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 pound raw jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined with tails on
¼ cup coconut flour
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 whole egg, beaten
Avocado Oil, or other mild flavored Keto friendly oil
Dipping Sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Sambal or Sirachi
2 tablespoons sugar-free apricot jam
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Pinch of salt

Directions:

Add all the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small mixing bowl, and whisk until it’s well combined. Set aside and keep at room temperature, to allow the flavors to meld together while you fry the shrimp.

Add the coconut flour to bowl, the beaten egg to another and the shredded coconut to a third bowl to set up your breading station. 

Take each piece of shrimp by the tail, lightly coat in the coconut flour, shaking off any excess.

Then dip it into the egg, allowing excess egg to drip off.

And lastly, dip into the coconut, making sure the shrimp is well coated.

Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium heat and fry the shrimp for a couple of minutes on each side.

Shrimp cook super fast and the coconut will brown quickly, so be sure not to overcook them. You definitely want to stay close by and be ready to flip them quickly.

Work in small batches, so you don’t overcrowd the pan, which will make them harder to flip. Allow to drain on paper towels while you fry up the rest.

Serve immediately with the dipping sauce on the side.

Recipe Notes:  

Makes about 24 shrimp, with 4 servings of 6 shrimp each.

Apple Almond Tart

Apple Almond Tart

Pastries with flaky crusts, such as pies and tarts, tend to be laden with fat and calories. While phyllo can also supply a wallop of fat (due to each sheet being well-buttered) using egg whites instead can trim hundreds of calories from the dessert. Use the same technique with phyllo for savoury pastries as well.

Ingredients
½ cup (125 mL) natural almonds
1/3 cup (80 mL) granulated sugar
3 tbsp (45 mL) butter
Pinch salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp (15 mL) amaretto or almond liqueur
½ tsp (2 mL) pure almond extract
Vegetable oil cooking spray
4 phyllo pastry sheets, thawed overnight in refrigerator
1 egg white
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch (5 mm) slices tossed with 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp (30 mL) apricot jam

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). 

Pulse almonds with 2 tbsp (30 mL) sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter, remaining sugar and salt to almond mixture and process until well mixed. Whisk together egg, egg yolk, liqueur and extract in a small bowl and add to almond mixture, processing until combined well. 

Prepare a 10- or 11-inch (25- or 28-cm) tart pan with removable bottom by spraying with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough in the tart pan and press into sides of the pan. Tuck edges down towards bottom so that they will not burn during baking. Keep remainder covered with a damp towel to prevent drying. Brush sheet with egg white. Repeat with each sheet of phyllo, crisscrossing to give length to all sides and covering any holes in phyllo. Brush each layer with egg white. 

Spread almond mixture over prepared phyllo, making sure that filling is evenly spread. Place apple slices in concentric circles (may be slightly overlapping). Using scissors, trim excess phyllo so that the phyllo is even with the top of the tart pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden. Just before removing tart from the oven, melt jam in small saucepan over medium-low heat, about 5 minutes; strain. Brush tart, both top and crust, with apricot jam.

Serves 8

TARTLET VARIATION 

Prepare eight 3-inch (8-cm) tartlet pans by spraying with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Cut 1 sheet phyllo into 4 squares. Keep remainder covered with a damp towel to prevent drying. Place 1 square over a tartlet pan, with half of the phyllo over the edge. Brush phyllo in tartlet pan with egg white. Fold remaining side over and brush with egg white. Repeat with another square of phyllo in the same pan. Repeat with remaining tartlet pans. 

Spoon almond mixture over prepared phyllo (using approximately 2 tbsp/30 mL mixture in each tartlet) making sure that filling is evenly spread. Place apple slices over filling. Proceed as with tart.

Crepes Aux Fruits

 

Crepes Aux Fruits

Sunday evening, Phyllis and husband Dave were dinner guest at our daughter's home.  Phyllis is a long time friend of the family and piano teacher of Anne and Greg's daughters.  We were gifted with hostess gifts of  Phyllis's homemade Apricot Jam and the recipe for Crepes Aux Fruits.  What a wonderful gift! 

Ingredients:

3 - 4 apples or pears thinly sliced, sautéed in butter 

    until tender

Add lemon juice 

1/4 to 1/2 cup apricot jam

1 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds 

1 to 2 tablespoons rum

Simmer a few minutes.

Directions:

Fill crepes, fold, and place in buttered baking dish.  

Sprinkle with confectioners sugar, dot with butter.

Bake 350 degrees until heated through.

Crepe Recipe:

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted, or oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, if desired

Directions:
In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add all remaining ingredients; beat until smooth.

Heat crepe pan, or 7 or 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Grease pan lightly with oil.

Pour scant 1/4 cup batter into hot pan, immediately tilting pan until batter covers bottom. Cook until edges start to dry and center is set. Turn and cook other side until light brown. Fill with desired filling.

One of the best tools for making crepes is the right pan. An 8-inch skillet with sloped sides, that has a nonstick finish or is a heavy-bottomed stainless-steel that heats well, allows you to quickly pour in the batter and gently swirl it around to make consistently thin crepes that are evenly browned and lacy around the edges.

• Use a wire whisk to stir up the batter—and you want it to be very smooth. Strain it through a wire mesh sieve to remove any lumps if needed.
• Crepes are great made ahead. To freeze place crepes between pieces of plastic wrap, then wrap entire stack in foil for up to 2 months. To thaw, place package in refrigerator overnight, remove pieces of plastic wrap between crepes and bake in 250°F oven 5 minutes or until warm.
• Heat the pan slowly so it reaches the perfect temperature to quickly cook each crêpe without sticking. Lightly butter the pan before adding the batter; buttering skillet as needed.
• Practice flipping the crêpes. Wait until the surface of a crêpe is no longer shiny and the edges are starting to brown. Loosen it from the skillet with a small spatula; turn and cook other side until light brown. Another method is after loosening from skillet, lift the pan up off the burner. Push the skillet forward quickly so the crêpe slides out and flips on its own, landing back in the pan to finish cooking.
• Save time and make crepes ahead of time. Make crepes as directed and cool completely; do not fill. Stack crepes, placing waxed paper between each, keep covered.

Serve with Creme Chantilly

Ingredients:
½ vanilla bean
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Split vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a sharp knife. Holding the pod open, scrape seeds from each half using the flat side of the knife. Transfer seeds to a large bowl; discard pod.

Pour heavy cream over vanilla seeds. Add sugar and vanilla extract. Whip with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving.

Beer-Glazed Pork Tenderloin With Gruyere And Cranberry Risotto

BEER-GLAZED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH 

GRUYÈRE And CRANBERRY RISOTTO

This dish has all the taste sensations covered— sweet, salty, tart, bitter and even umami, which is delivered by the Gruyère cheese. A helpful tip is to warm the stock in a measuring jug in the microwave. It can then be easily poured right into the pot. Using a pan that just fits the tenderloin will help avoid getting scorched areas on the surface of the pan, which will make for a better glaze.

Gruyere And Cranberry Risotto

2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil

1 cup (250 mL) shallots or onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 mL) garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp (10 mL) fresh thyme or sage, finely chopped

Pinch of salt

1 cup (250 mL) arborio or carnaroli rice

1 tsp (5 mL) lemon juice

4 cups (1 L) beef stock, warmed

¼ cup (60 mL) dried cranberries

2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter

½ cup (125 mL) good quality Gruyère

or Emmenthal cheese, grated

Pork Tenderloin

2 medium pork tenderloins, about ¾ lb (375 g)

each, cut into halves if needed to fit pan

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter

2 tsp (10 mL) fresh sage, finely chopped

½ cup (125 mL) beer, preferably the St-Ambroise

2 tbsp (30 mL) apricot jam

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Start with the risotto. In a large pot or saucepan heat oil over medium. Add shallots, garlic, thyme and a pinch of salt. Cook until shallots are fully tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in rice, combine well with shallots. Add lemon juice. Add enough stock to come to the surface of the rice. Stir well. When the stock has been absorbed continue to add stock ½ cup (125 mL) at a time, adding more when the last addition has been absorbed. Continue adding stock until the rice is al dente (or tender but not mushy), about 20 minutes. If the rice is still too firm and all stock is used continue to cook with water. Stir in cranberries during the last few minutes of cooking.

Just before serving, stir in 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter and Gruyère until melted.

While risotto is cooking, season pork generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.

In an ovenproof pan that just fits the pork, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter over medium-high. Brown pork all over, about 10 minutes total.

Place pan in preheated oven and cook to internal temperature of 150°F (65°C). Remove pork from pan, cover with foil to keep warm.

In the same pan, add remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter, sauté sage for 1 minute over medium. Add beer and apricot jam. Reduce over medium heat to desired consistency.

Slice pork and serve on top of the risotto. Drizzle with reduced glaze.

Serves 4     Recipe of Tonia Wilson-Vuksanovick

Blueberry Banana Raspberry Pancakes With Apricot Jam

Nurse Andrew

***

We have met the most wonderful compassionate and dedicated nurses at the Palomar Medical Center in Escondido caring for my husband.  One young man named Andrew was assigned to my husband's care. We discussed my food blog.  I asked Andrew if he cooked often.  Most Californians are very health conscious and nutrition plays a big part in that role.  I then asked if he had a favorite recipe he could share and today he did.  Thank you Andrew.  When my husband is discharged, this will be my first breakfast meal I prepare for him.  It will be special especially when I share with Don who shared this recipe.

***

Blueberry Banana Raspberry Pancakes with Apricot Jam

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Bobs Red Mill Organic Pancake Waffle Mix
• 1 Large Egg (or egg white)
• 2 tbsp Coconut Oil (keep 1 tbsp for later on)
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 large banana –prepare in very thin slices
• 1 cup fresh blueberries – important to flatten berries 
• ½ cup raspberries (flatten as well)
• Place 2^nd tbsp of coconut oil in small dish & microwave for 20 seconds

Directions:

In Large Bowl

Combine Bob’s Mix, egg, milk, 1 tbsp oil until blended

• Preheat pan on medium heat with 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Lower heat to low-medium and pour mix into pan for medium sized pancake 
• Add thinly sliced banana and flattened blueberries/raspberries as desired
• Allow pancake edges to brown, use wooden spatula to prevent sticking
• Add few drops of coconut oil around edges to prevent sticking
• When bubbles appear in center of pancake, carefully flip over
• Continue to use few drops of oil around edges to prevent sticking
• May require 2^nd flip to cook evenly and use spatula to press down 

Tip: 

• Prepare few sheets of wax paper pre-cut into 4x4 strips. Place 1 sheet wax paper onto plate and add 1 pancake per strip wax paper.  Otherwise the pancakes will stick and clump after refrigeration and with cooling. Makes great snack. 
• Add spoonful of favorite jam – I use apricot or pear smeared on top. 

Buen provecho

Roasted Fig And Walnut Tart ..... "Oh Bring Us Some Figgy Pu" .. Make it Tart!

Roasted Fig And Walnut Tart

My mother believed in the medicinal benefits of eating figs. She often purchased Fig Newtons at the A and P Store. I grew up liking the bar cookies. On one of my first trips to Milano, our son-in-law Silvano treated me to fresh figs and prosciutto. That was a delightful treat. As you can tell I do enjoy figs. Several years ago, I read a book written by a distant cousin on the genealogy of my paternal grandfather's lineage. One of my granddad's great aunts was a cook for Queen Victoria as the family originated in London. I have wondered what capacity she served. Was she the pastry chef who prepared the Queen's High Tea with sandwiches and crumpets? The author wrote the family had the queen's recipe for the either Plum Pudding or the Figgy Pudding from the kitchen of Queen Victoria. I read this several years ago so I can't recall just which it was. I sometime later telephoned the late author to learn if she knew of anyone who might have that recipe. The author was 94 at that time and in a Nursing Home living in the assisted living area. She was unable to know if the recipe survived the years and generations. Good try on my part!!! This recipe is as close as I will come to Figgy Pudding. The Mission Fig which is black grows so abundantly here in California? Oh, are they sweet and juicy!

***

Ingredients:

Pastry:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup icing sugar

pinch salt

1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 Tablespoons cold water

1 large egg yolk

***

Filling:

2/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon flour

12 to 15 large black figs

1/4 cup apricot jam

***

Directions:

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl or a food processor, add butter and cut or pulse in in until it resembles small peas. Beat water and egg yolk together until uniform and add just enough to bring the pastry together into a ball (it may be slightly more or less liquid depending on the level of humidity in air). Wrap pastry in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Roll out pastry on a floured work surface and fit into a 9" tart pan. Cut away excess pastry. Prick pastry base with a fork, line with foil and fill with weights. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, remove weights and bake for 8 minutes or more until pastry looks pale and dry but not baked through. Remove weights and foil and cool.

Increase oven temperature to 400 F.

Place walnuts (which you have heated in the oven at 350 about 8 minutes until the skin blisters. Place in a towel to cool, then rub with towel to remove skins.) and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until the walnuts are finely ground.

Place the butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until fluffy. Add walnut mixture and beat until well combined. Add yolks and lemon zest to mixture and beat until mixture is uniform. Stir in flour. Scrape walnut cream into pre-baked shell and spread in an even layer.

Cut the figs into quarters, but not all the way through the base. Fit the figs into the tart shell, allowing them to stand slightly open at the top (like flowers), but without leaving any large gaps between them.

Place the tart pan on a baking sheet in the lower third of the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until walnut cream is puffed and slightly golden, and tips of the figs are slightly crisped.

Heat apricot jam in the microwave or a small pot over a low heat. Strain out and discard any bits of the apricot. Use a pastry brush to coat the figs with apricot glaze. Serves 8