Freezing Orange Zest

Why didn't I start doing this years ago???  I have several recipes that call for orage zest including Orange Poppy Seed Olive Oil Cake (and the two other orange poppy seed cakes referenced), Cranberry Bread, and Spicy Orange Shrimp. When I'm using the zest I prefer to start with an organic orange, but organic oranges are not always easily available.  This was especially true before Thanksgiving this year when I wanted to make Cranberry Bread.  Soon after, however, I not only found organic navel oranges but found they were on special. I bought a bunch to have for dessert with Coconut Macaroons. As I was peeling the first orange, I thought, "Wait a minute this is organic zest going to waste!"  The solution: 

Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of a flat, freezable (with cover) container. Using a zester, then a grater remove the zest from the orange and spread across the parchment paper.  Freeze. Remove zest and put in jars/freezer containers and (while still frozen) freeze for later use.  Peel and enjoy the orange(s)!

Coconut Macaroons

We got some awesome chocolate topped coconut macaroons at the Atlantic Baking Company in Rockland, Maine this summer. Back home and needing to make a cookie of some sort, I decided to give it a try.  I turned to my trusty Silver Palate Cookbook. While the Silver Palate recipe* calls for a quarter cupfull of batter per cookie baked 20 minutes or until golden brown at 350 degrees F,  I wanted much smaller cookies and failed to reduce cooking time. The results were good but not as soft and chewy as the Atlantic Baking Company's. But like the Atlantic Baking Company I added a chocolate dip. I have since modified the recipe to use the entire can of condensed milk (the macaroons freeze well). I also changed the technique mixing the dry ingredients into the wet. I think this blends the ingredients faster and better.

                                                                  

Mix together in a medium size bowl:

2.45 oz (1/2 c) flour

15 oz shredded coconut

Mix together in a large bowl:                            :

14 oz sweetened condensed milk.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (I use 325 degrees F convection).  Drop about 2 T of batter per cookie (should make 30 cookies at about 29 g each) on baking sheets covered with parchment paper. Some bits of batter may fall away from the cookie. After all the batter has been distributed, using your damp hands, push the stray pieces to the nearest cookie and push to attach.

2 t vanilla or 2 t almond extract**

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 - 20 minutes (I bake for 12 minutes at 325 convection) until golden brown checking after 10 minutes and rotating the cooking sheet if cookies in the rear are browing faster than those in the front.

Remove cookies from pan and cool on a rack. If desired, when cool, dip (I acutally don't "dip" I "frost" the bottom of each cookie) in chocolate (I use 365 Dark Chocolate Baking Chunks) melted in the microwave. Set the cookie upside down on a plate, then put the plate of cookies in the  refrigerator to set the chocolate.

*Silver Palate recipe:

1/3 c unbleached all-purpose flour

2 1/2 c shredded coconut [9 oz]

1/8 t salt [omitted]

2/3 c sweetened condensed milk

1 t vanilla extract

** I prefer almond extract. However if making for a group that might include some people who are allergic to nuts, use vanilla.

NOTE: I use melted chocolate so often that I just cover the ramekin containing any remaining melted chocolate and refrigerate until next use.

Revised 12/13/25 revised technique, edited

Tofu Chocolate Pudding

This recipe has evolved so much in the past 6 years that it now deserves its own post.

I often omit the cinnamon and chili powder and sometime sprinkle cinnamon on top of the pudding before serving, especially if it follows a Mexican dinner. Or for a special occasion, garnish with a few raspberries.

For the original recipe and other variations see: Vegan Mexican Chocolate Pudding

In a small saucepan combine:

    1/4 c sugar

    1/4 c water

Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

In the bowl of a food processor place:

    4 oz toasted hazelnuts or toasted almonds

Process until the nuts are finely ground. Then add:

    16 oz silken tofu   

In a glass container microwave until melted (I use a one cup measuring cup and microwave in two 3 oz batches) and then add to the food processor bowl:

     6 oz dark chocolate (I use 365 Dark Chocolate Baking Chunks)

Pour the sugar-water mixture into the container that held the chocolate, and scrape to free most of the remaining chocolate before adding to the food processor bowl.

Then add:

    1 t vanilla extract if using hazelnuts 

    OR 1 t almond extract if using almonds

    1 1/2 t cinnamon (optional/to taste)

    1/2 t chipolte chili powder (optional/to taste)

Blend throughly, stopping the food processor to scrape the sides of the bowl at least once, then either spoon the mixture into a quart container or distribute (~3.7 oz/serving) into individual dishes. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Revised 4/6/24 - photos added

 

January Spring :-(

 After an unseasonably mild holiday season, we finally got snow this past weekend - enough that I finally had a nice x-c ski on Monday. So much for winter, for now at least. After a day of heavy rain the snow is all but gone and the temperature today was in the fiftys. Spent most of the day taking care of downed branches and trees that had been damaged by the heavy snow. When cutting up the branches of the top of a small tree that had broken off in the storm, I noticed something very disconcerting: tiny buds - tiny buds on January 10th in Massachusetts. Not a good sign! The rule of thumb used to be one could bring forsythia into the house in mid February, put it in warm water and after several days it would bloom. The buds on my forsythia are already tender. What is happening to the fruit trees? Hoping that 2024 won't be even hotter than 2023.*

*"BRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Last year was the planet's hottest on record by a substantial margin and likely the world's warmest in the last 100,000 years, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Tuesday."

Fish with Mango-Avocado

This dish came together this winter when salmon, avocadoes and mangos were all on special.  For the salmon at least, this is an easy variation of Plantation Fish. Since we were in Colorado at the time and I usually had a fresh batch of flour tortillas, I served the pieces of fish on a tortilla.  Very well received at a couple of dinner gatherings.

Back East, I did a similar thing (without tortillas) with fresh cod/haddock. Instead of the Salmon Rub I used Cilantro Pesto and it was equally tasty. 

Both recipes serve 2 - with a very generous amount of  "salad," scale accordingly.

SALMON VERSION

2/3 pound salmon filet

Drizzle filet with: 

1 T fresh lime juice 

Then sprinkle with:

~1 t Salmon Rub (more or less to taste - I sprinkle on until filet is lightly but completely covered)

~1/4 t cumin (sprinkle lightly over the filet)

Let sit for at least an hour.

Meanwhile make the "salad" by mixing:

1 mango, peeled and cut in chunks

1 avocado, peeled and cut in chunks

1T fresh lime juice

Cook fish in a slow (325 degree F) oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until temperature reaches 120 degrees (should be custard-like at this temperature) or 130 degrees F max. Alternatively grill over a low fire.

Just before fish is ready, mix into the "salad":

~1/3 c cilantro leaves, very coarsley chopped.

Place fish on a warmed tortilla (optional) and top with the "salad".

WHITE FISH VERSION (WORKS WELL WITH SALMON TOO)

2/3 pound cod or haddock filet

Coat with:

1 oz.  Coriander Sauce (Cilantro Pesto)

Return to refrigerator if not cooking immediately.

Make "salad" as above. Cook fish in 350 degree F oven or grill until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork - time will depend on thickness of filet. 

Serve with "salad" and additional cilantro pesto (optional - I usually don't).

Avocado TIp - Keep It Greener!

 About a year ago I read somewhere that cutting an avocado with a ceramic knife rather than a stainless steel one would minimize the browing effect. If I remembered the exact source, I would give due credit,  but there is currently lots of support for this on the internet. After many avocadoes, I've decided that unlike the tightly wrap, rub with lemon juice, keep the pit in theories - this really works!                                

Freshly cut avocado.

Same avocado 28 hours later after being lightly covered and stored in a closed container.  I know,  I should have done a control comparison using a stainless steel knife, but knowing how well the ceramic knife works, I didn't want to trash an avocado.

Avocado cut for lunch then stored wrapped as shown above. Opened the following morning (19 hours later) and cut for avocodo toast.

Almond Macaroons

This year I was very careful to halve the nuts and sugar to make half of a recipe of Almond Paste to use for my Cranberry Stollen. Then I got to the egg, and, whoops, in went the whole egg white. Rather than waste what was in the food processor bowl, I added more nuts and sugar to make a full recipe of Almond Paste.  I figured I'd find a use for the extra paste after Christmas.  The first thought that came to mind was macaroons. I found a couple of recipes on-line that looked promising.    Actually not recipes, photos of ingredients and cookies but no quantities or baking temperatures or times. Minimal help. Then  I went to my trusty New York Times Cookbook (1950-1960 recipes from the NYT). Typical of that era, the recipe contained lots of sugar and correspondingly called for "3 egg whites, approximately" - "Use only enough egg white to make a soft 'dough' that will hold its shape when dropped from a spoon." Interestingly, one of the on-line recipes that gave only the quantity of egg whites warned, " Two large egg whites should weigh 60 grams. Using more or less will change the texture and spreading of the cookie. For best results measure the egg whites."  I reduced the sugar from one cup to one-quarter cup and used a small egg white (25 g).  I did not use any vanilla or almond extract as called for in some recipes I reviewed. I was delighted with the results (crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside),  as were two of my"testers".  The third "tester" weighed in at "pretty good!" but no comment for improvement other than probably making Nut Puffs instead.  The macaroons, however, have no egg yolks or butter!

In a food processor bowl fitted with a steel blade combine:

1/2 pound almond paste, cut in small chunks

1/4 c sugar

White from a small egg (25 grams)

Pulse until well blended. Remove from bowl and shape into small balls about 20 g each.  Place on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F/300 degrees F convection oven for approximately 20 minutes. Makes about a dozen cookies. Scale accordingly.

Revised 1/5/2025