Mango Sticky Rice

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups of sweet or glutinous rice
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1/2 cup sugar (add more if you want it sweeter)
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 ripe mangoes, sliced on diagonal
• Sesame seeds, for garnish

• Steps

  1. Rinse and drain rice, until the water clears. Soak rice for at least 1 hour. It is best to leave overnight if you want it to cook faster. Boil water in a steamer, and pour rice inside of cheesecloth and place in steamer covered. Check after 10 to 15 minutes to see if the grains are tender. If not, cook longer and taste again. It should be chewy but not hard in the middle of the grain. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
  2. Meanwhile, combine coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a pot and bring to a slight boil. Pour half of coconut creme sauce into rice, stir well, and let it cool and soak for about 10 minutes.
  3. In a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by combining the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water. Stir into the rest of the sauce, and heat on low until thickened.
  4. Peel mango, slice around pit, and slice on a diagonal. Serve mango slices along rice, sprinkle sesame seeds, and ladle additional sauce on rice and mangoes.

Thai Curry with Chicken and Vegetables

 Ingredients:

One 13.5 ounce can coconut milk (do not shake can)

1/2 cup vegetable stock

4 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

6 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

2 cups diced chicken

1/2 cup diced onion

2/3 cup diced red bell pepper

2/3 cup diced zucchini or summer squash

2/3 cup bamboo shoots sliced (optional)

8 large basil leaves, cut into thin chiffonade

Directions:

1. Open the can of coconut milk without shaking it. Spoon 6 tablespoons of the coconut cream from the top of the can into a medium saucepan. Pour remaining contents of can into a medium bowl, and mix well. In a medium bowl, combine vegetable stock, soy sauce and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken and begin to lightly brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add coconut cream to cooked chicken over medium-high heat until it begins to bubble. Add curry paste and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir constantly until very fragrant, about 3 minutes; adjust heat as needed to prevent burning. Add onion, red pepper, zucchini, bamboo shoots. Stir until vegetables are hot, 2-3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the soy sauce mixture and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice to taste; you may use the juice of an entire lime. Stir and mix well. Add up to 1/4 cup water if the curry seems to thick.

4. To serve, place the curry in a warm serving bowl and garnish with the basil. Serve over rice.

French Silk Pie

 

Ingredients

For the crust

• 20 Oreo (230 grams) cookies (regular-stuffed, keep filling intact)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling

• 1 1/3 cups (266 grams) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 8 ounces (227 grams) bittersweet baking chocolate, melted
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 tablespoons (142 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
• 4 teaspoons powdered sugar

For the topping

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Chocolate shavings or cocoa powder, for garnish if desired

Directions

Make the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch deep pie dish with cooking spray.

2. Place the Oreo cookies in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add in the melted butter and pulse until moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and set. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the filling:

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar and eggs. Set over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160°F and coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat and stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Cool to just warm, stirring occasionally.

2. Use an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add in the cooled chocolate mixture then beat on high speed for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

3. In a clean bowl use an electric mixer to beat the cream until it begins to thicken. Add the powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into the chocolate mixture.

4. Pour the mixture into the pan, smoothing evenly. The pie will be tall with filling. Chill for 6 hours. At this point the pie can be stored for up to 2 days ahead of time.

Make the topping:

1. Use an electric mixer to beat the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form. Top pie with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings or dust with cocoa powder.