Coconut Nian Gao

For years I've been looking for the right Nian Gao recipe.  Do you have a treat from childhood that you want to re-create, but it eludes you?  As I described in my failed attempt last year, my mom would sometimes make Nian Gao, the aptly named "new year cake," when I was a kid.  She would melt and slowly caramelize sugar, then steam the cake.  Once I could not wait for it to set, and stuck my finger in to get a taste.  I hadn't learned the concept of not leaving behind evidence, and my mother found a fingerprint in the cake.  Oops.  The thing about mom is that she never wrote down recipes, and usually didn't measure ingredients or time her cooking.  She just had a knack for it.  But it's been a number of years since she made Nian Gao and she doesn't remember all the specifics, so her instructions to add "a little of this" and "cook this for a while" just aren't successful for me.

If I couldn't re-create the cake of my childhood, I figured I might as well try something completely different.  My friend and colleague Wendy shared this recipe by her husband, Joe, for a Coconut Nian Gao.  The part that makes it radically different is that it's baked.  That part made me do a double-take, too.  In fact, when I told my mom about it, she was doubtful but wanted the recipe to try as well.  And when I ticked off the list of ingredients -- butter, eggs, brown sugar -- she said, "This isn't Nian Gao!"  And I told her, trust me, it tastes just like it, with improvements.  It isn't as dense and hard as the storebought versions.  The edges bake up more like a Western-style cake, so it's easier to cut because it's less sticky.  And the coconut milk, butter, brown sugar, and eggs add subtle flavor and richness, but not so much that it tastes very different from what you're used to.  It's got my endorsement.  Happy Year of the Snake!

Easter Chocolate-Covered Marshmallows

Have you ever had a homemade marshmallow?  The first time Joe suggested we make them, I couldn't imagine their being worth the trouble.  Storebought marshmallows are all right in hot cocoa or crispy rice treats, but otherwise spongey and kind of like styrofoam.  Homemade marshmallows, on the other hand, have a creamy texture inside and are flavored with vanilla or whatever else you put in them.

This chocolate-drizzled chick is nesting in toasted coconut.  It was a fun switch from my blog posting last year, where the marshmallows were just covered in colored sugar and sprinkles.  You can also submerge the bunnies and chicks completely in chocolate.  The thin layer of chocolate will crack and give way to the soft marshmallow, and the two flavors melting in your mouth are incredible.  Give them some Easter flair with colorful nonpareils, or sprinkle the coconut over the chocolate for some fuzzy bunnies and chicks.  Bag them up or tuck them in Easter baskets, and you'll have some happy campers.

For this look, dip a spoon in melted chocolate and let most of the excess drip off.  Then wave the spoon around in zig-zags or swirls, and sprinkle with nonpareils.  For the eye, dip a toothpick in the melted chocolate, then spin the toothpick to get off most of the excess.  Use the toothpick to make a dot on the marshmallow, avoiding any drips.  To cover the marshmallows in coconut, dip them in melted chocolate and then sprinkle with the toasted coconut flakes.  Set aside to dry.

A marshmallow syrup is made, then cooked later with more ingredients to make marshmallows; when that mixture is added to a gelatin mixture in the stand mixer, it steams and bubbles up furiously; after 10 minutes of whipping, the mixture has billowed into white marshmallow; the marshmallow is extremely sticky and must be spread out quickly in the pan before it begins drying and setting.

A couple more tips.  Don't even try to get every last bit of marshmallow off that beater and bowl -- it ain't gonna happen.  It's also not worth it.  You'll get marshmallow strings everywhere, and your marshmallow slab will begin to dry and set.  Also, when smoothing out your marshmallow into a slab, wet hands are your best friend.  Get your hands very wet with water, then use them to smooth the marshmallow out quickly.

This post was shared with:
Bunny Hop Easter Link Party
Tea Party Tuesday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Sweets for a Saturday

Strawberry Gelato

This recipe from The New York Times is actually called Winter Strawberry Gelato becauses it uses frozen strawberries when the fruits aren't in season.  I made it earlier this spring with fresh, fragrant strawberries, but I'm only getting around to posting it close to summer.  Call it the busiest May ever.  I got asked recently when I would be getting back to my blog, but I suffered from ugly photos or dishes that were eaten by guests before I got a chance to grab my camera.  This one looked all right.  And June is the month for strawberries.

Problem was, the taste wasn't that impressive.  It was OK, refreshing even, but it reminded me of diet ice cream.  The texture was more icy than creamy.  That shouldn't have surprised me since it came from the Recipes for Health column.  One rule I have in life: Eat ice cream right, or not at all.  Meaning none of that diet stuff; make it the real deal.  This version uses milk, but it could have benefited from the usual addition of some cream and/or eggs.  It wasn't awful, not by a long shot, but I wouldn't recommend it.

And because I've been so absent, I'll share an "ugly" photo.  This recipe was David Lebovitz's Coconut Ice Cream with Saffron.  This was all I had left after serving the ice cream at a dinner for four.  The recipe was interesting because of the use of saffron, and because it called for palm sugar instead of cane sugar.  I liked it OK, though it wasn't what I expected.  I thought the flavor would be light, but it was kind of warm and rich (if that makes sense).

Stay tuned, because I'm looking to discover more flavors of ice cream and sorbet this summer!