Culinary Arts Lab: Chocolate

Remote high school wrapped up this week, and Erik's assignment in Culinary Arts was to make something using chocolate, then taste it and review the creation. How did it smell, taste, look? What was the texture like? Was it balanced? Would you make it again, and if so, would you change anything? 

His teacher made brownies on Teams, with her two adorable young sons as helpers during class, but she encouraged the students to make anything they had ingredients for at home. We happened to have almost everything to make this recipe (that inspired me to buy the December copy of Real Simple), but I'd never gotten around to making the recipe for a holiday dessert. So, this was the perfect excuse to take this for a test drive, and Erik says that he would definitely make this again because it was "really good." He's right. It is really good. Delicious, balanced, easy and elegant. Fancy without too much work. Enjoy!!

Chocolate Ganache Tart

adapted from Real Simple magazine, December 2021

12 servings (or 16 smaller portions)

Crust ingredients

60 Ritz crackers 200 grams (almost 2 sleeves worth)

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbs. sweetener of choice (we used an erythritol/monkfruit blend, but Real Simple used powdered sugar)

 

Filling ingredients

1 cup extra dark or bittersweet chocolate chips (we used Ghirardelli 72% cacao chips)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. vanilla (always use real extract)

4 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened

Maldon flaky sea salt for serving

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Erik smashed the crackers in a gallon ziplock bag, with a rolling pin, then mixed the crumbs in a bowl with the melted butter and sweetener. Next, dump the crust mixture (that will look like wet sand) into a 9-inch tart pan. Press firmly, up the sides and into the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes, then take out to cool completely.It will be golden and smell toasty and nutty. 

For the filling, Real Simple used a double-boiler method, which is fine, but for speed and easy clean-up, Erik opted for heating the cream in the microwave for 4 minutes, then whisked in the salt, and then the chocolate chips in two parts. Next, add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, and whisk well. Finally, mix in the vanilla, and let the ganache cool for about 30 minutes before pouring it into the cooled crust. 

Chill the tart, uncovered for at least two hours before serving, and sprinkle with Maldon flaky sea salt to finish/serve. I loved this touch, but Erik thought it was unnecessary. You could certainly let people adorn their own slices. 

Using the sweetener, and the Ghirardelli chips, this tart clocked in at 13g carbs per slice (at the 1/12 size portions) and only 4 g of sugar (1 g from the Ritz and 2.6 g from the chocolate). Is there a lot of butter and cream? Yep, but it's a delicious and decadent dessert (about 1 Tbs. butter per slice and only 1.5 Tbs of cream per serving, so really, not that bad overall).

Friday Dinner & Dessert

My family's expectations are a tad too high, which is entirely my own fault. Last Friday, after polishing off a glorious dinner, they immediately asked what was for dessert. *Insert heavy sigh* which I'm apparently famous for... must be why I love yoga so much, with all that cleansing breathing.

So, this week, there will be dessert. Creme Brulee to be exact, and the recipe that ruined Joel for ordering it anywhere ever. This Ginger & Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee comes from pastry chef Mark Okumura, of Alan Wong's Restaurant in Honolulu, and was published in Bon Apetit magazine back in 1999. I've not made it in awhile, but will probably lighten this version this week, and see how that goes... I'll likely do with half & half rather than whipping cream, and I might split the batch and see how the chemistry works with Swerve sweetener... or maybe maple syrup.

And, we're doing grilled jerk chicken, veg, and a confetti-bean salad (beans, and your favorite chopped veg, like sweet peppers, tomatoes, avocado, corn, etc., cilantro, sea salt & lime juice).

Ginger & Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee
6 servings

2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs. chopped and peeled fresh ginger
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
5 large egg yolks

Preheat over to 325-degrees F. Place six 3/4-cup ramekins in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. 

Mix cream, sugar, and ginger in a heavy medium saucepan. Using a small, sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into cream mixture, then toss in the vanilla bean too. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to simmer. Cover pan, reduce heat to love and simmer gently for 10 minutes to infuse flavors. Next, strain into a large measuring cup. 

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until well blended. Gradually whisk in the hot cream mixture (a little a a time) just to blend. Return custard to the measuring cup and divide evenly among the ramekins. Pour warm water into the 9 x 13 pan to come halfway up the sides of the dishes, and carefully transfer the pans to the oven. This is a bain marie (water bath) and keeps the custards from curdling by cooking them gently until they set. 

Bake custards until almost set in center when pans are gently shaken, about 35 mins. Transfer custards to a work surface to cool for 30 mins after baking, then chill for at least 3 hours (and up to 2 days). 

Brulee Topping
12 teaspoons sugar
Sliced tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, papaya, kiwi, etc.)

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar evenly over each custard. Working with one custard at a time, hold blowtorch so that the flame is 2-inches above surface. Direct flame so that sugar melts and browns evenly, for about 2 minutes. Refrigerate until custards are firm again but topping is still brittle, about 1-2 hours, and garnish with fruit. Custards can also be "brulee'd" under the broiler in your oven until the sugar caramelizes. 

Jerk Chicken Marinade

2 bunches scallions, chopped (or equivalent amount of onion)
6 garlic cloves, crushed
4 t. allspice
2 T. dried thyme
4 t. salt
1 can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. molasses
2 T. cumin

Broil or barbecue the chicken after marinating for at least two hours. Once, I marinaded a double batch, but only grilled half, and froze the rest (in the marinade) for about a month. After defrosting and grilling, it was phenomenal. My brother was over for dinner with his daughter Sophia, and he was blown away by the flavor of this jerk chicken. I usually use chicken thighs for this (for the best flavor). 

Gifts from the kitchen... And, the Interwebs.

I love the Internet. Brilliant ideas, information. Love it. This brilliant lady made fresh Christmas potpourri, and so I did this... I added whole cloves to mine (about 1 Tablespoon).

And, my friends loved it. LOVED.

And, this brilliant lady shared this recipe for Primal Chocolate Chip Cookies, and they are the only kind I make anymore. They're that good. And, our family isn't even gluten free, but healthier cookies are a winner, especially when they taste great. 

I do make mine with COLD butter rather than palm shortening (or coconut oil when I make them for vegan friends). 

They're made with almond meal, butter, honey, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. That's it. I know the recipe by heart. Oh, and they're made in the food processor. I only stir the chocolate chips in by hand at the end. 

Aren't they pretty? 

And, perhaps most exciting of all this year... On The Rocks, the casual dining restaurant/bar on Kailua-Kona Bay in Kona, HI, shared the recipe for their Famous Mai Tai on their blog this month. If I close my eyes, it's just like I'm right there with my feet in the sand sipping on one while listening to some amazing live tunes on a ukulele!

Go to their site to see this recipe and more... Be sure to try out all of their cocktails! Open for happy hour daily from 3 – 5PM!  See you On the Rocks!   Be Social!! Or, just whip it up for gifts:

Huggoʻs Famous Mai Tai
1/2 oz of white rum
Mai Tai Mix – 1/2 inch from top
Float Dark Rum on top (about 1.5 oz.)
Served On the Rocks with 12″ straw
Garnish with a fresh pineapple wedge, lime wedge and umbrella!

For Mai Tai Mix (by the Gallon)
1.5 cans of Pineapple Juice
1 qt Orange Juice
12 ox Orgeat syrup
12 oz Orange Curacao

Greek Pumpkin Pie

It's just so pretty...

 

So fragrant. So beautiful. I can't wait to taste it later today. I just pulled this out of the oven at 1:01 a.m.

Baked up a sugar-pie pumpkin and butternut squash and had to try this Kolokithopita... fillo pastry pie filled with fresh-baked pumpkin, spices, and raisins.

Unfussy: Rice Pudding

Mads was a no on this, and Erik was a thumbs-up on the rice pudding but not on the cherries.

Leftover Rice, Rice Pudding 

1 c. cooked rice
1.5 c. milk
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
dash salt
1/2 c. dried cherries (or other dried fruit)

Mix all ingredients except the dried fruit in a saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling, turn down to low to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add dried fruit just before you reduce the heat. 

Girl Scout Cookie Recipes: A Trio of Tasty Treats

Girl Scout Cookie Recipes:  A Trio of Tasty Treats

I've been wanting to participate in the Girl Scout's of Western Washington cookie recipe contest for the last couple years, and this year the timing finally worked out for me! Instead of using the top three sellers:  Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs, I decided to see if I could come up with something delicious to do with the other three of our Super Six flavors:  Savannah Smiles, Trefoils and Do-si-dos.

After tossing around a few ideas, I decided to go with fairly simple classic recipe ideas that my Brownie troop could make, using the cookie crumbs from each flavor as a major ingredient in each recipe. I also wanted recipes that would be amazing as a trio of Christmas treats this year (I'll just have to freeze a bunch of boxes for December!) The top three recipes I came up with are Chocolate Do-si-dos Truffles, Savannah Smiles Lemon Bars, and Trefoils Campfire Bars.

And the verdict on favorites after taste-testing? Savannah Smiles Lemon Bars are the winner with kids and adult testers! The kid-favorite (likely for the sweetness) are the Trefoil Campfire Bars, and the runner-up for adults was the Do-Si-Do Truffles.

Savannah Smiles Lemon Bars

My first pan of these were pucker-up lemony and almost too lemony for me, which is really saying something! I toned it down a little by reducing the lemon extract - I used one teaspoon in the original... (although you could eliminate it, or replace completely with vanilla). Either way, Savannah Smiles make an amazing crust. I am going to replace my usual graham cracker crust with this version for Key Lime Pie too!


Preheat oven to 375-degrees F, and grease an 8x8-inch baking pan

Crust
1 box of Savannah Smiles cookies, pulsed in food processor to fine crumbs
1 Tbs. sugar
4 Tbs. melted butter

Mix crumbs, sugar and melted butter and press into bottom of pan. Bake at 375-degrees for about 6 minutes or until golden and fragrant. Mix filling while crust bakes, and reduce oven temperature to 350-degrees F when you remove crust.

Lemon Filling
2 large organic lemons (zest and juice of both, you should have between 1/2 and 2/3 cup of juice)
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. lemon extract
2 Tbs. heavy cream
2 Tbs. corn starch

Powdered sugar to serve

First, wash lemons in warm water (they yield more juice), then zest both lemons. Slice lemons in half and juice both, removing any seeds. Pour juice into bowl and whisk in eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and extracts until blended. Next, in a separate mixing cup, combine the cream and corn starch until smooth, then add to the rest of the filling mixture. Pour filling into warm crust and bake in a 350-degree F oven for about 25 minutes or until filling is mostly firm, only slightly jiggly when pan in shaken. Remove from oven, cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar, slice and enjoy!


Trefoils Campfire Bars
I made a pan of S'mores bars years ago for a barbecue that were a big hit, so I wanted to incorporate Trefoils cookies into the dough for these bars instead of graham crackers. Plus, I added whole wheat pastry flour and dark brown sugar for great flavor.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F and grease an 8x8-inch baking pan

1 sleeve Trefoils cookies, pulsed in food processor to fine crumbs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 7-oz. jar of Jet-Puffed marshmallow creme (I used about 1/2 of a 13 oz. jar...)

Your favorite s'mores chocolate - I used three 1.45 oz of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate, but you could use any variety. I go with dark to balance the sweetness.  

Pour cookie crumbs into mixer bowl, and add all other dough ingredients. Blend until combine into a soft dough. Divide dough in half, pressing one half into the bottom of a greased 8x8-inch baking pan. Next, gently spread 7 oz. of marshmallow cream onto dough. Then cover the marshmallow cream layer with chocolate. Last, flatten pieces of the remaining dough to cover the chocolate layer.

Bake at 350-degrees for about 30 minutes, or until golden (chocolate and/or marshmallow may be bubbling up/out of top - that's fine!) Cool slightly, slice and enjoy warm with your favorite camp songs or stories! Linger over the deliciousness!


Chocolate Do-si-dos Truffles
makes about 30 

These look like those delicious peanut butter balls that your grandma makes, but are quick and really delicious! Easy as 1, 2, 3...

1 box Do-si-dos sandwich cookies, pulsed in a food processor to fine crumbs
2 Tbs. heavy cream
3 Tbs. natural style creamy peanut butter
4 oz. softened cream cheese
1/8 tsp. salt
1 11.5-oz. bag of high-quality milk chocolate chips, melted

Pulse the cookies in a food processor to a fine crumb. I did one sleeve at a time since I have a smaller bowl on my machine. Pour crumbs into mixer and add cream, softened cream cheese, peanut butter and salt. Blend until a smooth ball forms.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each until smooth. Time varies by microwave. Scoop walnut-sized balls of peanut butter mixture and roll into ball, then dip into melted chocolate. Place onto waxed paper-lined plate and chill until chocolate is firm. Enjoy!

You can also try these as peanut butter cups in mini-muffin pans, or roll the balls in finely ground peanuts. My taste testers' favorite version were the traditional truffle-like chocolate-covered version.

Dirt Cake

So, the most fun part of this dirt cake was the root-beer flavored gummy worms from Oriental Trading. I've (amazingly) only made dirt cake once before in my life, and that was before I had kiddos.

This time I intended to make it for our Halloween dinner party, but didn't get to it, so made it the following evening.

Vanilla pudding, light Cool Whip, crushed chocolate Oreos and WhoNu? sandwich cookies (which are fantastic, by the way - I like them more than Oreos), all layered and served up with the worms!

Luckily, we did have some last-minute dinner guests to enjoy this with and they had two servings each. It was a hit and very easy to whip up.

Wordless Wednesday: Velvety Birthday Goodness...

Bûche de Noël - 2011

Key-lime filled, tinted-whipped-cream frosted jelly-roll Bûche de Noël this year for 2011. I decorated it solo, since the kids were busy playing games with Grammy, Ukki and Papa.

It really is the very best recipe for a jelly roll, is from Daisy Martinez, and rolls nicely from either the short or long end (I used the long end for the Yule Log). I also trim the sides before rolling, which makes everything nice and neat.

Hooray for Snow Cream!!

Last year we never got the chance to make this, so today we got busy on making a batch right after lunch!

Vanilla Snow Cream

Freshly scooped snow from the backyard...

Snow Cream

1. Scoop up a big bowl of clean snow from your backyard, and bring it inside.
2. Take a cup of cream, half-and-half or whole milk, a couple Tbs. of sugar, 1 tsp (or so) of real vanilla (and 1/2 tsp of real peppermint extract if you have it). Mix it all up until the sugar dissolves.
3. Scoop snow into dessert bowls and pour "cream" on top!
4. Enjoy!! Delish! (Can also top with whipped cream and sprinkles or crushed candy canes for an over-the-top snow cream sundae!)
5. **I'm also tempted to try eggnog snow cream... doesn't that sound fabulous?!

Hi Hats for Jamie and Conor's Birthdays!

When I saw Hi Hat Cupcakes on Bakerella's blog, I thought of Jamie. She loves chocolate-dipped soft-serve ice cream cones, which these cupcakes resemble. And, even though Jamie is in Japan for her birthday this year, I still felt the need to make these cupcakes, because I'm crazy like that. The only problem is that I have a lot of cupcakes now to get rid of... but, I think that will be easy enough to remedy.

Anyway, on to the Hi Hats! When I first read this recipe, I wondered about the physics of dipping the tall piped-on marshmallow "frosting" into the melted chocolate coating—really, how could that work?? And, it turns out that (for me at least) it was a comedy of errors...

Dip...

Really? Is this working??!

Wow...

Umm... no. Dang it!

Then, I put the pre-dipped cupcakes in the freezer for about five minutes while I let the melted chocolate coating cool completely (it was a little warm, but not hot before). And, then, it worked like a charm!

See? Beauty!

Oh, and since the chocolate cake here is gluten-free, and one of the recipients of these is a gluten-free and egg-free gal (unless the egg is baked into something), I made a handful of cupcakes with a chocolate ganache topping too (and some Halloween-y sprinkles for fun)!
Recipes are from Gluten-Free Girl, right here, and Bakerella (and Martha Stewart, really) right here and here.

And, best of all, they made for some happy kiddos this afternoon at Conor's 2nd birthday party!!

Healthier Fall Baking...

The recipes that I adapted are posted. Others can be found at WeightWatchers.com...

Mixed Berry Muffins with Broiled Marshmallow Fluff "frosting"
(inspired by Weight Watchers Blueberry Streusel Muffins)
(3 POINTS)

1 large egg
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. reduced-fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. 1% milk, divided
1 c. flour
1 c. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
2 c. mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, loganberries, etc.)
1 small jar of Marshmallow Fluff

Preheat oven to 375ºF, and line 16-24 muffin pans. Beat sugar and egg until light and fluffy, then add sour cream and vanilla. When combined, add the dry ingredients, and half the milk to the mixer bowl, then blend. Add the remaining milk, mix, then fold in berries and scoop batter into muffin cups. Bake for about 35 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.

Pipe Marshmallow Fluff on top of muffins, then broil until golden brown.

Gramma's Pumpkin Muffins
(2 POINTS)

Crackle Spice Drops and Chocolate Cupcake Brownies
(both recipes are 1 POINT/treat)

Crackle Spice Drop Cookies
(adapted from WW)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 stick butter
2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a mixing bowl, on medium speed, beat butter with brown sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla extract; beat until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and spice.
Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into powdered sugar to coat, and bake until golden, about 8-9 minutes. Make 3-dozen cookies (1 cookie/serving).

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
(3 POINTS)
(adapted from WW)

2 1/4 c. flour, divided (1/4 c. for topping)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 large egg
1 c. sugar, divided (1/4 c. for topping)
3/4 c. reduced-fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. 1% or skim milk, divided
2 c. blueberries
2 Tbsp butter, melted (for topping)

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place 16 muffin liners in muffin tins.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat egg with 3/4 cup of sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and beat until thoroughly combined; blend in vanilla extract.
Add half of flour mixture and half of milk to sugar mixture; beat until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and milk; beat until smooth.

Fold in blueberries and fill each muffin liner using large scoop; set aside.
To make streusel topping, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup each of sugar and flour. Pour in melted butter and combine with fingertips. Divide crumb mixture over muffins; gently press into top of muffin batter with fingertips.

Bake until slightly golden and a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in pans for about 10 to 15 minutes and then transfer muffins onto racks to cool completely.

Wordless Wednesday: Margarita Cupcakes!

Rr is for Rainbow!

Rainbow Jello that is... this week Madeline's class is studying the letter Rr, so we made a big batch of rainbow-striped Jello blocks to share with everyone. Thankfully, she's in a school where that's still allowed.

Munkki = Doughnut

In Finland, you'd request a munkki (Moonk-KEY) if you wanted a doughnut, and Vesa loves 'em. And finding Finnish-style jelly doughnuts here is very hard with the nasty artificial filling that even the "good" doughnut shops use. So, for Ukki's birthday I made a doughnut birthday cake with both filled (seedless raspberry jam) and glazed (raspberry glaze with "essential cane" raspberry sugar sprinkles) munkki. Stack 'em up, sprinkle with raspberries, and you have a fantabulous birthday cake!

Erik loved helping cut out the doughnuts and sprinkle on "just a touch more flour, Mama," when we rolled them out. Madeline built a great barricade between the living room and kitchen when I was cooking the munkki too. Because, 350-degree scalding oil and small kiddos do not mix...

Happy Birthday to Ukki! His birthday was Friday, but what he wanted to do for his celebration was go geocaching with us and out to Mexican for lunch (the other diners at the restaurant were coveting the pretty stack o' doughnuts too.) Mmmm... They were tasty!

Oh! And, I used the recipe from right here. Under the High Chair is a great foodie blog, and Aimée (a former pro/chef in the kitchen) is now a writer, editor of Simple Bites, and mom to two preschool-aged boys. Check out her blog. Oh, and these doughnuts really were worth the trouble. Krispy Creme's got nothin' on these babies!

And finally, do you remember this? Well, this month I'm going to choose the cookie recipient by lottery... Just leave a comment on this post, and tell me what your absolute #1 favorite cookie is, and you'll be in the "hat" to be chosen by random chance to receive the April cookie giveaway! One of the kids will be drawing names or number (of the comment) from a hat on Wednesday evening, 4/21. Best of luck!!

Coconut Heaven — and 15 Years!!

It's a tradition of sorts for Joel and I to have a Pepperidge Farm coconut cake on our anniversary. There have been years that we've had a different "birthday" cake or pie, but usually it's coconut, and there are always candles. Always. This year, I decided to bake a coconut cake, complete with cracking a fresh coconut. It was fabulous...

And, my sous-chef-in-training LOVED using a hammer in the kitchen!

It was pretty fun when Erik and I realized that one of the pieces broke into a "C" shape during the cracking, hulling and peeling process!

Fresh Coconut Cake
(recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, April 2010)

Batter
5 eggs (at room temp)
1 c. unsalted butter (room temp - I used 1/2 salted and 1/2 un.)
1 c. whole milk (room temp)
3 c. sifted cake flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla

Frosting
3 egg whites (at room temp)
2 c sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 c. hot water
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 fresh coconut, husked, peeled and shredded (use your food processor) about 3-4 cups

Cakes: Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Let eggs, milk and butter stand at room temp for 30 mins. before beginning. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. Prepare 3 8-inch pans with parchment in the bottom and grease & flour all pans. In Kitchenaid, beat butter for 30 seconds, add sugar and vanilla and beat on medium about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Then add flour and milk alternately, beating on low until just combined. Batter should be satin-smooth when ready. Divide between three pans and bake 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes, then remove from pans to cool completely.

Coconut: Pierce eye of coconut to drain coconut milk, then strike all over with hammer, on a towel until husk cracks. Remove husk, and then peel brown skin from coconut meat with vegetable peeler. Shred coconut with grater attachment in your food processor.

Frosting: Combine sugar, cream of tartar and water in medium pan over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Cover and bring to boil, then boil 2 minutes. Attach candy thermometer and cook, without stirring until 240-degrees F (5-10 mins). If your candy thermometer is broken and you let this reach 250 (like I did), the frosting will be less fluffy/lower in volume, so test that thermometer and keep an eye on the syrup. Meanwhile, in Kitchenaid with whisk attachment, beat eggs until frothy, then add the 1/4 tsp. salt and beat on high until stiff peaks form. When the syrup is 240, stream it into the eggs whites with mixer on low. Beat in the vanilla and increast spped to med-high. Beat until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes).

Assemble cake by layering frosting and cake layers, then frosting the whole cake with the remaining frosting. Finally, apply the coconut to the top and sides of cake with your hands quickly and press down to "stick." Enjoy!! Serves 16.

To choose a good coconut, make sure it feels heavy for its size (compare others), and shake it. You should hear the coconut milk sloshing around inside. If the one you pick is bad, return it to the store for another! Really, the fresh coconut is worth the trouble (we had fun doing it).