Linden's Coconut Cake and Hazelnut Plum Crumb Tart

So I am beginning to start a slight weight-loss program, but it hasn't gotten to the part where I exclude delicious cakes and sweets from my diet, which is good because I wouldn't be able to explain this post. My current (likely unrealistic) plan involves eating better breakfasts and lunches, and not worrying about my cake intake yet. These are my most recent attempts.

The first is a coconut cake with chocolate chunks, which was super delicious, but probably more calorie-dense than I would like to admit. It does, on the other hand, travel fairly well, although there is some coconut loss along the way. (A big slice of this cake travelled with me to Paris a few weeks ago.)

This cake was one of those, "I want to bake something but have nothing interesting in the pantry" shots. Found and modified a recipe off epicurious for it - next time I would use less chocolate.

This cake has a better story. There is a store in Engand called Waitrose, which has a wonderful habit of making extreme price slashes when its food is about to go off. Right before Easter, they had some extra good reductions because they were closed Easter. I got a bag of six plums for 30p, and thought I had better use them up quickly rather than eat squashy plums.

So, I made this delicious hazelnut plum crumble, which has a hazelnut crumb base and topping, and a custard with plums going through the middle. Mm, tasty.  (It also has the advantage of using up some ground hazelnuts in the pantry, which were left over from chocolate hazelnut christmas cookies.) I would heartily recommend this one to anyone who is looking for some delicious good hearty fruity baking. (I always use milk instead of cream in these recipes, as I don't see the point of buying cream and it's still delicious with milk.) Pulled off the very reliable smitten kitchen.

Linden's Panang Curry

If you go to www.oed.com - that would be the Oxford English Dictionary's website, for those of you not in the know - and search "potato effect", you will find three entries. The first is spelling-related, pertaining to the 'e' introduced when pluralizing the word. The second has to do with Ireland, and thus is of little interest here, as their cuisine is not predominantly what you would call photogenic. Our family has a historic, if tense, relationship with the third.

When Papa cooks plain baked potatoes, his thoughts go something like this: There are five of us, and these are big baking potatoes, so reckon 3/4 each (maybe a whole one for me), better make four and hope someone isn't hungry. There are usually two left.

When he roasts potatoes, he can cook the same amount and only have one or two little potatoe eighths remaining (the runts of the litter). When he makes french fries - which, I would like to point out, he hasn't done in years, a major failing of his kitchining - he uses the same number and we all complain that he didn't cook enough.

His response is always to retaliate with baked potatoes, and then complain that we aren't eating them. He says, "I don't know how you expect me to estimate how many potatoes people will eat when one night you want more than a whole one each and the next all of you together barely manage one", and feels very righteous about his own consistent intake.

However, this is easily explained by what is commonly known as the potato effect, which refers to the phenomenomenon whereby delicious food is less filling.

I have found that chicken experiences the potato effect when cooked in the form of Panang Curry. I will cook enough raw chicken that I expect enough leftovers for another full meal, and there will be absolutely nothing left, or maybe enough for a small snack the following day. Unlike Papa, however, I am an adapter. I just double my quantities.

Linden's coconut shrimp

I made coconut shrimp.




Because my kitchen is really really not equipped to handle deep frying (and thus, alas, no spring rolls this summer!) I baked them in the oven instead of the traditional deep frying. They were delicious, and they would have been more delicious if England had anything other than dessicated coconut. Nevertheless! Delicious.

You may be thinking, "Linden, this is a sure Xan smackdown! He loves coconut shrimp and has never posted about the on the blog (although who knows, maybe once you post this, he'll dig up five instances of when he did it and have a little maniacal laugh in the corner, because he's not as nice as he fools everyone into thinking, and enjoys crowing like a crow. Why don't you sound more happy?"

It's because I'm going to link the recipe so that he can make them for himself, because I am a loving and devoted little sister.


Also, as requested in the comments, the link to the banana bread cobbler: that's the basic recipe, but I play pretty fast and loose. I think in the filling I subbed in 1/4C rum for 1/4 of milk, and used oil instead of butter. I think I left the topping as it is.

Linden's Coconut Bread

So months and months ago, I bought some coconut thinking, "I love coconut! Coconut is wonderful! This will get used up in a jiffy." And it has spent months and months in my cabinet (under the sink. for this is the only cabinet I have in my room, and thus many of my bits and bats get put here.  Why yes, this does include my socks and underwear.

I also have a box, entitled the Box of Shame, wherein get put all of the things I have discovered I cannot eat, like chocolate and biscuits and flavored teas and things of this nature. It lurks under my desk.)

However! The things in the Box of Shame shouldn't really be used up by me, but the things in my sink cupboard should. And this week, I thought to myself, it is time to use up this coconut! It has been here for months, and It Must Go.

So in my recipe dredging this week, I kept my eye out for coconut recipes. This one looked quick and easy, which is what I go for during the week, and thus it got done.

Sadly, because I was in a bit of a rush, and have become lackadaisical in baking, I added 1/4 cup too much milk, and didn't realize until I'd mixed everything together and it was a very watery batter. "Self," I thought to myself, "Something is not right!" (Fortunately, I didn't turn into a French nun.) So I added some more flour to balance it back out, but alas this meant my batter got overmixed and proportions weren't quite right, but it turned out okay anyways, as these things so often do.

Now I currently have a problem when I bake, because all my friends have left and there are fewer people to inflict things on. So sometimes, I wander the halls with baked goods in hand, hoping to find some unsuspecting acquaintance to force cookies and breads onto. Last night I got lucky, for my friend Nicole had lured Griff, who hails from my hometown, to the Annexe for dinner and I came upon them in the hallway! And gave them some bread. Which was a relief because their powers combined with my flatmates got it down to a manageable amount.

And now, I am going to clean my desk and get started on work for the day! For I am virtuous like that.