The Daring Bakers Do Dorie

As I recently wrote, I'm a new Dorie Greenspan cult follower, so I was pretty psyched to see that this month's Daring Bakers recipe was to be Dorie's own Perfect Party Cake. If Dorie Greenspan herself is calling something "perfect," you know it's going to be good. When Joe was here visiting a couple weeks ago, we set off on this baking adventure with great relish.

The Perfect Party Cake is a layer cake lightly scented with lemon, and between each set of layers it's got both raspberry preserves as well as buttercream frosting. More buttercream frosting finishes the outside of the cake, along with some shredded coconut for good measure.


Everything went perfectly this time around, and the flavor combination of lemon, raspberry, and coconut was truly sublime. However, I've come to realize that I simply don't care for buttercream frosting. It's just...too much. Too rich, too much butter. Nonetheless, Joe and I had a great time baking the cake, and an even better time eating it. I would definitely make this again with another, lighter kind of frosting.

To see hundreds of other takes on Dorie's Perfect Party Cake, head on over to the Daring Bakers Blog Roll. While the host doesn't appear to have the recipe on her site, many of the other Daring Bakers have posted it.

We All Scream for Ice Milk

Yes, I am food blogging on a Friday night. Yes, I am moderately to severely depressed by what a loser I am right now. Just kidding, I'm having a nice relaxing evening at home instead of going out to bars because tomorrow morning I have to wake up at 6:30 to go sailing. Sailing! On a professor's giant boat! I'm excited, so obviously I made ice cream.

Actually this is more of an ice milk. I'm on a diet, and ice cream isn't really allowed (although if you know of a diet in which I'm allowed to eat real ice cream to my heart's content, PLEASE TELL ME), so I used mostly 1% milk and Splenda instead of cream and sugar. The consistency is definitely not the consistency of ice cream -- it's very slushy, and it melts almost instantaneously upon contact with air or any other surface. But the taste is pretty much the taste of normal vanilla ice cream, and I threw in some unsweetened coconut flakes for texture. Basically, if you go into this expecting not ice cream but rather some completely different frozen icy treat, you won't be too disappointed.


Vanilla Ice Milk with Coconut

• 2-1/2 c. one percent milk
• 1/2 c. half-and-half
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 c. Splenda
  
• handful unsweetened coconut flakes

Combine milk, half and half, vanilla, and Splenda well in a mixing bowl. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions. About five minutes before it's done, add the coconut. Slurp immediately, or put in a container in the freezer for later.

Florida, Sweet Florida

I'm at home in the sunshine state for the holidays. I've been spending my days studying for finals, which unfortunately fall in January, forcing us poor, wretched Harvard Law students to spend our Hanukwanzistmas break with our noses buried in exciting books like Gilbert's guide to Property Law. Today I went so far as to take my laptop, books and notes to the Odessa public library. I live in the middle of nowhere, so the library consists of one room with some bookshelves (not entirely full) and a couple of tables that have been arranged to look vaguely like desks/study areas. But at least it was an excuse to get out of the house and drive 5 minutes each way with the car windows down singing out loud to Rascal Flatts. Oh yeah, and it's 75 degrees here.

But I digress. After rotting my brain with studying all day, I like to cook. And I'm familiar with my mom's kitchen, so at least I can do it with some ease, despite the crap she's got lying around everywhere. I made dinner for my parents last night, which they always appreciate after a long day at work. I decided that while I'm home, I'm going to try to make as many things as possible with key limes and/or coconut. Reason? Key Lime & Coconut is the title of my blog (surprise!), and these two flavors are central to what Floridian/Floribbean cuisine is all about.

My Bahian Seafood Stew with Coconut and Tomato incorporated both of these delicious ingredients. Bahia is a region in Brazil, so this stew draws lots of Latin American influences. If you can get super-fresh ingredients (particularly the tomatoes and seafood), I think you'll find that this dish will transport you to somewhere warm, sunny, and tropical... maybe like Florida.


Bahian Seafood Stew with Coconut and Tomato
(serves 4-6, depending on appetite)

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, diced (1+ inch pieces)
  
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (1+ inch pieces)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 stalk fresh lemongrass, outer leaves discarded and stalk smashed, or 1 Tbsp. dried lemongrass
• 3 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and diced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1/2 pound lump crab meat, picked over
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 12 cilantro leaves, plus 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
• 1/2 pound grouper (or similar) filet, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 Tbsp. fresh key lime (or regular lime) juice
• White rice
• Lime wedges

Heat the oil in a medium enameled cast-iron casserole. Add the shallots, garlic, onion, bell pepper, ginger, and lemongrass, and cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Season the shrimp and crab with salt and pepper and add them to the casserole along with the coconut milk and cilantro leaves. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Season the grouper with salt and pepper, add to the casserole, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Discard the lemongrass stalk, if using. Add the lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve over white rice with lime wedges.

Suggested wine pairing: a Latin American white, such as a Chardonnay from Argentina's Mendoza region. A chardonnay is a sturdy enough white to stand up to this rich dish, and additionally, food and wine from the same general region tend to complement one another.