Coconut Macaroons

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Or in my case, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

Or sound. I believe that these two crucially belong together. At least when it's the right kind of music. I want to be honest. The first time I hear 'Last Christmas' some time in Mid-November, I feel like gagging a little. Maybe it's the major case of overexposure the song had to suffer from over the last decades or maybe it's just that it's simply not my kind of tune but I find it utterly annoying.

However, earlier this week, I have had the opportunity to listen to a Michael Bublé record and I really started to catch a bit of the Christmas Spirit. While I did not like all of the tracks per se, it's the classics that get me. Winter Wonderland, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and such. And then, the real classics: Silent Night and Ave Maria. I'm just not feeling those poppy 'contemporary' Christmas songs. Uh-uh.

But you really got me, Mr. Mickey Bubbles.

And while I'm in the mood for sharing a bit about me, why not something that makes me look like an oddball. Do you know what my favourite Christmas compilation is? It's the one from Ally McBeal (that TV show). Yes. Really. Just go ahead and give me that “You're a weeeeiiirdo.” look, but I can't help it. Oh, just to be clear, I am not getting paid for mentioning these records.

Coming to the recipe. Again, it's a fairly simple (in fact, it's probably the quickest and easiest of the all) classic recipe for Christmas perfect for last minute baking: Coconut Macaroons! Alright, I bet you know this one as it's not exclusively German with its origins being somewhere else, but they are still pretty Christmas-y. I decided to make the moist, dense kind as opposed to the ones resembling meringues. So there is no beating the eggs necessary. The little thing that makes these ones extra special is that you roast the shredded coconut beforehand to get a bit of a flavour boost.

Coconut Macaroons

• 200g (7 oz)  shredded dried coconut 
• 150g (5.3 oz) sugar 
• 3 egg whites 
• 1 TS almond liqueur (optional)  

1.  Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). 
2. In a small pot, toast shredded dried coconut until light brown on high heat, stirring continuously (be careful not to roast them too much as the macaroons may become dry).
3. Remove from heat and immediately stir in sugar let cool slightly.
4. While mass is still very warm yet not hot anymore, stir in egg whites (this step is the only tricky one as the macaroons will not stick properly if mass is either too hot or cool. It should be hot but not painfully hot at about 50°C).
5. Add almond liquer (optional).
6. With a teaspoon, form macaroons. Bake on centre rack for 17-20 minutes.

I have dipped the bottoms of the macaroons in dark couverture but this step is completely optional (but good!).

Enjoy!

Do you have a favourite Christmas song or album?

Mushroom & Pork Curry

How can you make a whole day working on a group project for university fun?

By choosing a subject that really interests you so the joy comes by itself? Haha. No.

By not making the day about work but food, silly!

That's exactly what happened when I met with two friends of mine for working on our project.

The only downside to this otherwise AWESOME method is that the working part might be getting a raw deal. I mean, we did manage to get the job done in the end. It just took a while. No regrets.

Caro, being just as much of a food enthusiast as my humble self (I detest the term 'Foodie' for so many reasons), has been very supportive since the moment I have mentioned that I am going to start food blogging. In fact, she is the one who provided us with this particular recipe from one of her cookbooks and suggested to write a post about it on the blog, even offering me to use her well superior camera for the photos. The only reason why I agreed on coo Who could say no to that, right? ;) So whenever a post offers pictures in a better quality than usually – you know at who's place I am.

Chocolate-Mint Tea with mint from my garden

Cooking with anyone else but yourself gives it whole different feeling. It is not just you and the ingredients anymore. You (might) win time, but lose a bit of control. It was a different kitchen, different utensils, a different management of space. 

 I have found myself in situations where I was completely stressed out because the “cooking chemistry” just did not work out. People not really knowing what they are doing (not like that never happens to me), having the will but not the skill, people arguing over the right way of doing something and one person trying to keep the upper hand over that whole big mess.

There is a reason why people say that too many cooks spoil the broth and it is oh so true, even literally.

Been there, done that. However, you gain something even from those situations. You learn a bit about yourself and others, how you handle things and hopefully grow through the experience.

This time, it was different. There were us three, happily doing our tasks, chatting away about food and preferences, learning new skills and tips from one another and at the end, indulging in what we have just prepared together. Basically, we were getting inspired and having a good time.

Sometimes, it just works and sometimes it does not.

This time, it did. And the result was this mouthwatering, just slightly hot Indian curry.

Mushroom & Pork Curry

adapted from here. Serves 4.

• 750g (26.5 oz.) pork loin


• 3 tbsp Oil


• 2 onions, cut in rings (we chopped them into dices)


• 2 garlic cloves, crushed (we chopped them up, as well)


• 2,5cm (1 inch) piece of ginger, finely chopped


• 2 fresh green chili peppers, chopped up and seeds removed (we only used one red chili pepper because Caro, while being a sucker for Indian food, cannot handle the heat. Yeah, I also found that amusing), or 1-2 TS of chili flakes.


• 1 1/2 tbsp medium hot yellow curry paste


• 1 ts ground coriander seeds


• 200-250g mushrooms, cut into thick slices


• 900ml (3 4/5 cups or 30.4 fl. oz.) chicken or vegetable-broth (we used the latter)


• 3 tomatoes, diced


• 1/2-1 ts salt


• 50g (1.8 oz.) coconut cream (we used about 100g because, you know... the heat)


• 2 tbsp ground almonds (we used 100g simply because we did not want to let the rest of the package come to waste and because, you know... the heat)


• Basmati rice to serve

Garnish:

We omitted the garnish and only used sliced chili peppers

• 2 tbsp oil


• 1 green or red bell pepper, cut in slices


• 6 scallions


• 1 ts cumin seeds 

1. Cut pork in bite-sized pieces.


2. Heat up oil in a pan, sauté pork, stirring continuously. Set aside.


3. Add onions, garlic, ginger, chili peppers, curry paste and coriander seeds to the pan, sauté slightly for 2 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, broth and tomatoes plus salt.


4. Add meat again, cook on low heat for 75-90 minutes or until meat is tender.


5. Stir in coconut cream and almonds and let it keep cooking on low heat covered for further 3 minutes.

For the garnish:

1. Heat up oil in a pan.


2. Add scallions and bell pepper, sweat before stirring in cumin. Cook for another 30 seconds.


3. Spread over curry and serve with rice.

Enjoy!

Om. Nom. Nom.

You know what else feels a bit different when doing with others around? Taking photos of the dish! You feel a bit ludicrous taking the pictures while the rest is watching, indulging in what you have just prepared.