Cooking with Goats!* IronChefToni's Goat Cookbook

Love me som spit-roasted Cabrito

I’m guessing that if I use medium sweet soy sace, I can skip the sugar…

Wait, we’re getting a recipe a day??
This is gonna have to be one craptastic month in order for you to get any net blame. (Except for any weight gain for trying said recipes, of course)

2/2 Groundhog day! Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so 6 more weeks of winter. Today, people would say that in North Texas winter is just now starting. The current temperature at my abode deep in the 'burbs of the DFW sprawlplex is 50f. The low is predicted tonight for 24f with freezing rain and more on thursday. So what do north Texans do before ice storms? Go to the store and buy milk and bread. Even if you never buy milk and bread all year long, you buy it then. It’s the rule. I think the Texas legislature passed a law. Go look it up. They have passed more stupid stuff than that. So with the impending cold weather, I give you SOUP! This is not an official prize winning recipe but it’s a winner to everyone I have made it for. Enjoy!

Toni’s Vegetable Soup method
More of a method than a recipe. It’s very flexible and comes together quickly. It also freezes well.

To start, in a 5 quart Dutch oven or stock pot

Bring to a boil and lower to medium heat, 1/3 cup of pearled barley and 1 quart of beef stock. Cook covered for 10 minutes. *a note on barley, Don’t use quick cooking barley. It will turn out mushy. Barley expands, a lot. For a big pot of soup, you wouldn’t think that 1/3 of a cup is enough but trust me, it is. Even if you think about adding more. Don’t, just don’t.

Add 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock and diced potatoes. I do 1 small potato for each person I’m serving plus one “for the pot”. Cook covered for 10 minutes.

Add 2 to 3 cups (or more) frozen veggies of your choice. Mixed Vegetables, Corn, green peas, whatever you like. I like to add baby green lima beans.

Add 1 can diced tomatoes and 16 ounces of V-8 or tomato juice. Season to taste. I like to add thyme, savory, and/or marjoram. Also Penzey’s Mural of Flavor is a great combination. Salt and pepper can be added but go easy on the salt since there is a lot of salt in the stocks and tomato juice. Cook for 10 minutes.

While veggies are cooking; in a skillet, brown 1 pound lean ground beef. Optional, saute some onion and garlic along with the beef. Drain if necessary and add to soup. Shredded chicken is a good addition too.

Simmer until ready to serve. Serving with cornbread or crackers.

@ironcheftoni
Please do a good fancy chicken recipe this month. I don’t eat red meat or pork so I cook a lot of chicken and need something new to cook. Also some good side dishes would be awesome. A recipe a day is a great idea!

I can already see that this thread will be bookmarked and likely copy/pasted for safekeeping. I’m putting pork tenderloin on the shopping list
/giphy mmmmmm

Waiting for Banana Pudding Taco Tuesday

The only thing I regret about this is that since you got February we’re going to get 2 or 3 fewer recipes than we could have had!
Do you have a good green chile recipe?

2/3 North Texas is a frozen wasteland this morning. The snow may look pretty but underneath is a treacherous layer of ice. So staying warm is the key today and I would have to give up my native Texan card if I didn’t post a good recipe for chili! My Aunt Monell’s recipe that I tweaked a bit over the years got me 2nd place in 2002 at the Tex-Mex Contest. It’s not one of those set your ass on fire chilis but mildly spiced. But if you’re into that sort of thing, hey I don’t judge. Adjust the spice level for your own butt burning tastes. And don’t start the debate do beans go in chili. This is Texas, beans are a side dish and never go in the chili. 'nuff said.

Aunt Monell’s Chili

1 2-pound chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons bacon grease
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 14 ounce cans beef broth
1 cup strong coffee
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup water
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons chili powder
1/3 cup masa harina (see note)
1/3 cup cold water

Cook meat, onions and garlic in oil and bacon grease until meat is gray and moisture is almost gone. Do not brown. Add broth, coffee, sugar, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, water, tomato paste and chili powder. Simmer 2 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally. After 2 hours, skim a few tablespoons of oil from the top of chili and mix with masa harina and cold water and mix well. Add to chili, stirring well. Continue simmering and stirring occasionally for 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Notes – if you don’t have bacon grease, you can add more olive oil but why don’t you have bacon grease. I once saw bacon grease for sale at Kroger for $9.99 for a pint jar. If you have to buy bacon grease, you aren’t cooking enough bacon and that’s an easy remedy to fix.

if you do not have masa harina, which is the corn flour that tamales and corn tortillas are made from, put some cornmeal in a food processor and process until fine. Measure after processing. Using just regular corn meal will make the chili grainy.

This is so great! Have you written your own book? I’m going to write one this year and give it as Christmas gifts to all of my family. My sister has been bugging me forever and I’m finally doing it.

2/4 North Texas is still a frozen wasteland. Except for LBJ Freeway which looks like a frozen version of Mad Max due to all the idiots that they think they can drive in ice. But I digress, on with today’s recipe. Which you can blame @Star2236 for it’s complexity because they asked for a fancy chicken dish. This won 1st place in the One pot meals contest in 2017. Well, technically it’s a one pot meal after it’s all assembled. Also I have pictures. In the last few years I have been entering the fair, I have been documenting my entries better. Bon Appetit! and happy weekend!

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

Pasta
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
8 ounces lasagna noodles

Line a tray with a silicone baking sheet. In a large pasta pot, bring water to a boil. Add salt. Boil lasagna noodles for 6 minutes until al dente. Remove from water and spread in a single layer on prepared tray; set aside.

Chicken
(Can substitute a rotisserie chicken for this step if you like)
1 package boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt, pepper, garlic salt, and onion salt
1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio)

In a 10-inch sauté pan, place chicken breasts. Add wine to come halfway up the sides of chicken. Season with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and onion salt. Cook over medium heat for 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Cover and remove from heat. Remove from poaching liquid and shred into bite sized pieces.

Cream Sauce
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided use
2 cups cream
2 cloves garlic
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio)
2 cups shredded parmesan cheese, divided use

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring with a rubber spatula. Crush oregano and basil into garlic oil; cook for 1 additional minute. Add wine. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes until wine is reduced to approximately 1/3 cup. Add cream and milk; bring to a boil. Cook for 12 minutes until mixture is reduced slightly. Remove from heat and whisk in salt, white pepper, and 1 cup Parmesan cheese.

Spinach and Artichokes
1 (5-ounce) bag fresh baby spinach
1 (14-ounce) can artichokes quarters, drained and coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

In saute pan, heat remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add spinach and stir with tongs for 1 1/2 minutes until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat, grate nutmeg on top and set aside.

To assemble: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray a 12x8-inch casserole with no-stick spray Ladle 1/2 cup cream sauce into bottom of prepared casserole and spread evenly. Top with 1/4 of cooked lasagna noodles. Top with 1/3 of the chicken, 1/3 of the cooked spinach, and 1/3 of the artichokes, distributing evenly. Sprinkle with a portion of Parmesan cheese. Ladle 6 Tablespoons cream sauce evenly over top. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Repeat twice, starting with lasagna noodles. Top with remaining lasagna noodles, ladle remaining sauce on top, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Spray a piece of foil with no-stick spray and cover lasagna.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting.

2/5 something a little easy today and dessert!
Most of the contests at the Fair, mixes or convenience foods are not allowed. Which is why most of my recipes will be from scratch. One contest where mixes are allowed and that is the Speedy Dishes Contest. Where all recipes must be 6 ingredients or less; salt, pepper and water excluded. This recipe got Honorable Mention in the 2021 Fair. It won’t be in the cookbook because only 1st, 2nd and 3rd places get published. I still think it’s good. Named after the lady that gave me the recipe, my mom’s best friend.

Jane’s Unbelievable, Incredibly Good, Incredibly Easy Cake

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 package Butter Pecan Cake Mix (Betty Crocker brand)
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 15.5 ounce can Coconut Pecan Frosting (Betty Crocker brand)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour bundt cake pan. Sprinkle bottom of pan with chopped pecans. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil and water. Beat on medium speed of mixer until combined. Fold in frosting until blended with cake mix mixture.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for one hour or until tests done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.

2/6 another dessert! From the 2012 Cookie Contest. I have won very few ribbons from the Cookie contest. That’s when everyone enters because like the contest runners tell me, everyone makes cookies. In past years there have been over 300 entries across 6 categories. So when I win a ribbon in Cookies, I’m shocked that I was able to stand out among the crowd. In 2012 there were 217 total entries. Still a lot of cookies. In this photo, mine are in the front on the right side from the Bar Cookie category. I got second place.

Toffee Bars

Crust:
1 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. In bowl combine wafer crumbs, pecans and brown sugar. Stir in butter. Press into 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

Toffee Layer:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Combine butter and brown sugar. Cook over moderate heat stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour over baked crust spreading carefully. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Let stand 2-3 minutes until chocolate is shiny and soft. Spread evenly and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Cut into bars or triangles. Chill until firm.

2/7 Apologies for the duplication of yesterday’s recipe. There was a hiccup on the forum page and now it’s not letting me delete it. But hopefully not today.

Today’s recipe is from the contest, Southern Comfort Foods in 2016. It was a good day too. I brought four things and came home with five ribbons. How could I have won more ribbons than entries? I won the coveted Best of show for Company’s a Coming Banana Pudding! Enjoy! I’ll post the rest of those first place winners in the coming weeks.

Company’s a Coming Banana Pudding

2 cups milk
1/2 cup half and half
3/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
4 egg yolks, reserving whites
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons banana rum cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5-6 medium bananas (ripe but still firm)
juice of 1 lemon
11 ounce package vanilla wafers

Heat milk over medium heat on stove until scalding. In a large bowl, mix half and half, sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks and salt. Stir in milk slowly and and return to saucepan. Continue to stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add vanilla, banana rum cream and butter Let cool to room temperature. Slice bananas and toss in lemon juice to prevent browning.

Pour and spread a 1/3 of the custard in bottom of a casserole dish. Top with vanilla wafers. Top with sliced bananas. Repeat layers until none of the custard is remaining. Top with meringue and brown in oven broiler 5-6 minutes or brown with a blowtorch.

Meringue
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
4 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Heat over high heat, brushing down sides of pot as necessary with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cook until sugar syrup registers 240 degrees on candy thermometer.
While sugar syrup is cooking, combine egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Set mixer to medium speed and mix until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, carefully and slowly drizzle in hot sugar syrup. Increase speed to high and whip until desired stiffness is achieved.

Notes regarding cooking with alcohol. I don’t drink much and instead of buying huge bottles of stuff, I just get the little airplane miniatures. This way I can experiment with different flavors and not spend much money if it doesn’t work out. The banana rum cream is a happy accident I have come across. The brand name is Blue Chair Bay and I found it at Total Wine & More. You can omit it if you like or use any other banana liqueur instead.

2/8 part two! The second recipe for the day was inspired by a visit to the annual Taste of Dallas festival at Fair Park. Most of the food vendors obviously for fast service, had foods prepared ahead of time and just warmed up onsite. Except one vendor who had a grill outside, roasting fresh corn, then cutting it off the cob and throwing in a skillet on a portable propane stove. I loved it so much, I got two servings! The first one I practically inhaled. The second one to dissect so could go home and make it for myself. It’s the most requested dish from friends that have fajita or taco dinner parties. If you don’t want to use fresh corn and roast it yourself, the frozen fire roasted whole kernel corn from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods is a great substitute so you can still get that good roasted flavor. Cojita cheese is a traditional Mexican cheese that has a flavor similar to a very mild parmesan cheese. So parmesan can be used as a substitute if cojita is not available. This won second place in 2014 in the Farm to Market to Fair contest featuring fresh produce which is why I used fresh corn.

Elote Off the Cob
6-8 ears of corn
2 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
juice of 1/2 lime
salt to taste
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
Preheat a grill over medium heat. Carefully pull down husks and remove silks. Replace most of the husk and grill for 5-6 minutes per side or until some of the kernels are charred. Remove husk and cut kernels off of the cob. Measure 2 cups of corn kernels.
Melt butter in large sauté pan. Stir in corn and season with salt. Add chili powder, paprika and lime juice and stir to combine. Remove from heat and blend in mayonnaise. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with Cotija cheese.

2/9 - Let’s do one more soup and then will move onto other things. For fans of Panera Bread’s Black Bean Soup will like this now that Panera has discontinued it. That was the inspiration for this recipe. I first got Honorable Mention for it in 2014 in the One Pot Meals contest. Since it didn’t make the cookbook, I entered it again in 2015 and got first place. Once a recipe makes it to the cookbook, I do not enter in the fair again. Hey, look! Another use for the cotija cheese you got for the corn yesterday. Taste before adding the salt since there is already salt in the beans and chicken broth. Enjoy!

Southwest Savory Black Bean Soup

2 15-ounce cans black beans, do not drain; divided use
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 medium tomato, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
crumbled cotija cheese for garnish

Pour one can of beans in a small bowl. Process with a stick blender until mostly smooth. Set aside.
In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add jalapeno, onion and garlic. Sauté until tender. Add remaining beans to sautéed vegetables. Add sugar, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, tomato, blended beans and chicken broth. Stir until combined.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour stirring frequently. Add cilantro and simmer an additional 15 minutes.
Serve each bowl of soup with a garnish of cojita cheese in the center of the soup.

2/10 part two - Next up takes a few days which is why I posted ahead of the “big game”. Boiled Peanuts is about as easy as you can get. Four ingredients, in a crockpot, for two days. Cannot get any easier. This recipe, sadly did not garner a ribbon but I think it’s still good.

Tailgatin’ Boiled Peanuts

24 ounces raw peanuts in the shell
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup Cajun seasoning
1-2 quarts hot water

Wash peanuts in cool water until water runs clear. Place peanuts in large crockpot. Combine pepper flakes and Cajun seasoning in four cups of hot water. Stir until seasoning is dissolved. Add seasoned water to crockpot. Add additional hot water until peanuts are completely covered with water. Cook on high in crockpot for 24 hours adding extra hot water as needed to keep peanuts covered. Lower heat to low on crockpot and cook for an additional 18-24 hours or until shells soften and peanuts reach the desired tenderness. Peanuts should have the consistency of cooked pinto beans. Can be served hot or at room temperature. Shell and eat.

2/10 Thirdly, A seafood dip, Shrimp Butter. Shelf stable canned shrimp have been used for this recipe but cooked salad shrimp can also be used. It won third place in the Cooking with Cheese contest in 2005

Shrimp Butter

2 3 ounce cans tiny shrimp, drained
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese softened
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon cocktail sauce
1/2 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
paprika for garnish

In a small bowl, mash shrimp with a fork until crumbled. Set aside.

Cream butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add shrimp and remaining ingredients. Transfer to serving container. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Garnish with paprika and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers.

This is awesome, Toni. I’m trying to keep up but am enjoying your posts. I’ve been doing IT work for 25 years and as much as I love the tech side of things, my Zen spot is cooking, baking, farming and bushcraft. I like to be off grid when I can. I used to be SUPER into beer brewing. I grew my own hops, milled my grain, built my water from scratch… I was a micro micro brewery. I did a lot of local competitions, some regional, and actually had 3 of 4 beers advance to the finals in the AHA competion (8,000 entries) My daughter loved to help and at the age of 4, she became an award-winning brewer. She picked the hops, weighed the hops and ran the hop schedule during the boil. When she started kindergarten, I told her that if the teacher asked what she did over the summer to not mention all the beer brewing Life is busy at the moment, but I’m going to recreate at least one of these Fun post… thanks!

2/11 It’s time for Carrot Cake. This got first place in the Cake contest in 2014. The before and after judging photos is example of why coworkers liked “loser food” better than “winner food” There are 12 categories in the cake contest so that means a lot of judges to serve for best of show.

That’s a lot of Carrots Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup applesauce
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, and salt into a mixing bowl. Add oil, applesauce, and eggs. Mix until incorporated. Fold in grated carrots.
Grease and flour 2- 9 inch cake pans. Divide the batter between pans. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter, cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Blend in vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. Wait until the cake is completely cooled and then frost.

02/12 - Here’s a gluten free recipe! I love going to restaurants and bakeries. Finding something I really love and then going home and making it for a fraction of the price. These cookies, I first saw in Central Market bakery. An upscale offshoot of Texas Grocery chain HEB. It’s like a Whole Foods that’s not run by Amazon for non Texas people. Last time I looked, they sold cookies like these in little packs of four for $5. They may have gone up since I last looked. I perfected these and won two awards for them. I won third place at the State Fair at the Cookie contest in 2008 and in 2009 I entered them in the Dallas Morning News Holiday Cookie contest and got second place. Ironically the judging for the Dallas Morning News contest was held at Central Market.

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
Pinch salt
2 1/3 cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Combine the cocoa, sugar, salt and pecans in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. With the mixer running, slowly add the egg whites and vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, until the mixture has thickened slightly. Do not over mix.
With a 1-ounce cookie scoop, or a generous tablespoon, scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, to make cookies that are 2 inches in diameter. Space the cookies widely.
Put the cookies in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 325 degrees. Bake about 15 minutes, or until small, thin cracks appear on the surface. Switch the pans halfway through baking. Pull the parchment paper with the cookies onto a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before removing cookies from the paper.

Note: Ghirardelli brand cocoa is Dutch processed. Also Hershey’s Special Dark.

02/13 - A great Sunday Morning recipe Bananas Foster Sticky Buns. These got first place in the Bread Contest in 2019. Another use for the Banana Rum Cream.

Bananas Foster Sticky Buns

Dough
1 cup lukewarm water
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 medium banana, mashed
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
4 to 5 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 packets active dry yeast
Filling
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Dough may be prepared by Bread Machine or Traditional Method

Dough Preparation; Traditional Method:
Dissolve yeast in water. In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, milk powder, sugar, and salt. Stir in egg, banana and remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in lightly oiled bowl and cover; let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes or until double in size.

Punch down dough and turn out onto well floured board. Knead lightly and shape into a 18 x 24 inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of buttered dough. Starting with long side of dough, roll tightly and seal ends. Cut into 1 inch rounds and place in pan on top of sticky topping. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until lightly brown and firm to the touch. Turn over on to large baking sheet.
Sticky Topping
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
5 tablespoons Banana Rum Cream
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup chopped dried banana chips

Over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup in a saucepan, Stir constantly until all ingredients are combined. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and add banana rum cream. Divide topping into two into well greased 9x13 pans or all in a greased jelly roll pan. Sprinkle evenly with pecans and banana chips.

02/14 - Strawberries and Cream pie. This won the coveted Best of Show in the Let’s Do Lunch contest in 2017. I had wanted to enter it in the Pie contest the day before. I called the Creative Arts office to make sure it would be allowed in the cream pie category. Sadly, their definition of a cream pie is cooked custard topped with a merengue or whipped cream. Well, shit. So the Let’s Do Lunch Contest the next day had a dessert category and the switch paid off!

Strawberries and Cream Pie

Crust
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 cup almond meal
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
pinch of kosher salt

In a medium bowl, mix together all the dry crust ingredients well. Pour the melted butter over all and stir until moistened. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Set aside until completely cooled.

Filling
8 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
4 cups medium sized strawberries, hulled
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

In a large bowl, beat the cheeses together until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar and almond extract. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into cooled crust. Chill until filling is set. Arrange strawberries, pointy side up, over filling. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Garnish with sliced almonds. Return pie to refrigerator until ready to serve.

Hint for melting and drizzling the chocolate. Put chocolate in a ziploc bag, seal and put in hot water to melt. Take out of water and clip a tiny corner off the bag. Instant pastry bag!

Opening this thread was a bad idea…

2/15 part two This was half of an entry that won 1st place in a Soul Food contest in 2003. The other half was Black eyed peas with Ham hocks. Yellow cornmeal can be used if desired. I’ve always used white corn meal because it’s what I grew up with. My grandfather grew corn and once it dried sent some to a local mill to be ground into cornmeal. The heaping measurements are as they were told to me by my mom. She never measures anything when she makes cornbread and when I wrote down the recipe, I had to watch her make it.

Buttermilk Cornbread
2 tablespoons bacon grease
1 heaping cup white cornmeal
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (not heaping)
1 heaping teaspoon salt
2 heaping tablespoons flour
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat bacon grease in cast iron skillet in 425 degree oven. Blend together all dry ingredients. Add buttermilk and stir until just moistened. Stir in hot bacon grease in batter leaving just enough in skillet to coat bottom. Pour batter in skillet and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven, invert cornbread and serve hot in skillet bottom side up.

I am gonna gain 20 lbs because of this amazing thread!!!

02/17 - Chicken and Dumplings! I have entered a couple of variations in contests over the years. This is the most recent one that got 3rd place in the Southern Comfort foods in 2016. This is the long version timewise, so I will include shortcuts below the recipe.

Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

2/3 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons chicken fat from defatted chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 to 2 cups flour
1 pound chicken pieces, cooked and deboned; reserving broth
additional chicken broth if necessary
1 tablespoon or more milk
Black Pepper to taste

Combine chicken stock, chicken fat and salt in a glass bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Roll dough out on lightly floured board real thin. Cut into one inch strips and tear strips into bite sized pieces. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Measure 4 cups chicken broth adding additional broth if needed. Bring chicken broth to a gentle boil in a wide deep skillet or saucepan. Add dumplings to hot broth. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken, milk and pepper blending well. If too thin, add more milk. Serve hot.

Notes - Canned stock can be used and butter in place of the chicken fat. When I take the time to make a homemade stock, I save the fat and store it in the freezer so I always have it on hand. If using canned stock, a de-boned rotisserie chicken works too.

02/17 - the real one. Country Apple Fritter Bread got first place in the 2015 Bread contest.

Country Apple Fritter Bread

1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 apples, peeled, grated and drained of extra juice, mixed with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9x5-inch loaf pan and spray with non-stick spray. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.

In another medium-sized bowl, beat granulated sugar and butter together uuntil smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended in; add in vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder eeand salt together in another bowl and add into creamed butter mixture and stir until blended.
Mix milk into batter until smooth. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan; add half the apples and half the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Lightly pat apple mixture into batter.
Pour the remaining batter over apple layer and top with remaining apples and brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Lightly pat apples into batter. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, approximately 50-60 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes before removing from pan. Let cool completely and drizzling with glaze.

Old-Fashioned Cream Glaze
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Mix powdered sugar and cream together until well mixed.

The drizzle was not that great of a job that day! The ziplock bag trick was not used on this entry.

02/18 a good recipe for a weekend brunch. This won 3rd place in Cooking with Eggs contest in 2004

Ham and Potato Poached Eggs

4 tablespoons butter, divided use
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound potatoes, shredded and drained of excess moisture
12 ounces cooked ham, diced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
6 eggs
1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Cook onions and potatoes in butter until onions are soft; stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add ham, cheese, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper and spread into a buttered baking dish. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and form 6 wells into potato mixture using the back of a spoon. Gently break a egg into each well. Melt remaining butter and combine with hot sauce. Drizzle butter over eggs. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until eggs are set. Garnish with parsley and serve.

02/19 - who doesn’t like pie? The Pie contest is one of my favorites. This one first place in the Pie contest in 2009.

Two Layer Key Lime Pie

Crust
3/4 cup granola
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Using on/off turns blend granola in food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer granola to a medium bowl. Mix in graham cracker crumbs, melted butter sugar and pecans. Press crumb mixture over bottom and up sides of 9 inch deep dish pie dish. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 300. Remove crust from oven and cool completely.

Baked Layer
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup lime juice
3 egg yolks

Whisk condensed milk, lime juice, and egg yolks in medium bowl to blend. Pour into pie crust. Bake until custard is set, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Chilled Layer
1 8 ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sweetened Whipped Cream

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, condensed sweetened milk, lime juice, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Pour over cooled baked layer and smooth top. Cover and chill until firm, at least 4 hours. Pipe sweetened whipped cream decoratively around edges of pie.

For the rest of the month, I will take requests. I have ideas for what to post for Tuesdays but the rest of the month is a blank. I’m your Goat! What do you want? More savory? More sweets? More unusual and bizarre? Ask me how I made Baklava using canned biscuits!

What’s your most requested dish?

2/20 I’m traveling this weekend and thought this was posted this morning. I was having to work off my phone

This recipe did not win a ribbon but it’s been a family favorite all my life. My paternal grandmother was an excellent cook and one of my influences when it comes to cooking. She didn’t have a wide variety but what she did make was always good. For the life of me I have never been able to duplicate her fried chicken and cream gravy. This spaghetti dish we have always called Nonnie’s spaghetti. When she passed, I inherited the one cookbook she owned, a 1936 copy of the Watkins cookbook given to her by her brother in law who sold Watkins products. In the cookbook was the label of the Mexene chili powder bottle with this recipe on it. And decades later, sometimes I still find it on the label at the store. Sorry for the long winded explanation. I hope you enjoy.

Nonnie’s spaghetti

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped (optional)
2 cans tomato soup
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (note, I use penzey’s roasted garlic)
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces pasta of your choice (Nonnie used Skinner’s cut spaghetti but they don’t make that anymore. I use wagon wheels or broken spaghetti)

In a skillet, brown ground beef with onions and bell pepper. Drain if necessary. Add soup. Use a little water to rinse out the soup cans and add to skillet. Add spices, cover and lower to simmer while pasta is cooking. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to skillet. Adjust spices to taste and serve.

Award winning sauces would be great. Chicken, pork chops, fish filets, grilled veg, stuffed mushrooms…
/image sauces

Homemade candy corn?
To tide us over until Meh is unloading another couple of trailer loads.
/image candy corn

2/21 - another recipe from way back, 2005 from the International Cuisine contest. This contest they have now replaced with a contest called Ports of Call. Previously they had 20 categories of various countries including Cajun and Soul food. Which I don’t know how that qualifies as International. Now the Ports of Call contest they randomly select 5 countries to represent. I’m sure that makes it easier on the judges. This got first place in the German category.

Pork Chops in Onion Sauce

4 Pork chops
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced and quartered
1 cup Beer (Spaten premium)
1 cup Beef broth
2 teaspoons Cornstarch

Season pork chops with salt and pepper; dredge with flour. Heat oil in a heavy frying pan. Add pork chops; fry for 3 minutes on each side. Add onions; cook for another 5 minutes, turning chops once. Pour in beer and beef broth; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove pork chops to serving platter. Blend cornstarch with a small amount of cold water. Stir into sauce and cook until thick and bubbly. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired. Pour sauce over pork chops and serve.

You got any recipes for shrimp and grits? That and crab cakes with hush puppies was my rotating dinner when I visited Georgia.

02/22 Two for Tuesday, sadly no Mehrathon. But hope this will make you feel better. You might have to wait until tomatoes come in season to make this. First up is Five Pepper Chili Sauce. This is a Canning recipe which has gotten a couple of ribbons in the Canned Foods contest. It finally got first place in 2016. I have to process it in half pints for the Fair contest but if you want to process it in pint jars, add 5 minutes to the processing time. If you don’t want to can this, you can store in the fridge but use within a few weeks. It might can be frozen but I’m not sure since I have never done it. I just like looking at pretty foods in jars.

Five Peppers Chili Sauce

4 quarts peeled, cored and chopped tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup sugar
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons canning salt
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cups 9% acidity distilled vinegar (see note)
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon whole allspice
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon whole celery seed
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon whole mustard seed
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

In a 8 to 10 quart stock pot, combine tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, sugar and salt. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil; stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in vinegar. Tie spices into a cheese cloth and add to tomato mixture. Simmer until sauce reaches desired consistency, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. As sauce thickens, stir frequently. Ladle sauce in to hot jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. Process in water bath canner for 15 minutes. Note: If using 5% acidity vinegar, increase by 1/2 cup. Yield: 11 Half Pints

02/22 - part two. Okay, now that you have 6 or 11 jars of this chili sauce taking up all the space in the pantry, what do you do with it? Make the best Meatloaf in the world!
This won first place in 2016 in the Southern Comfort Foods contest.

Five Peppers Chili Sauce Meatloaf

1 1/2 pints Five Peppers Chili Sauce
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 egg, beaten
3/4 pound ground pork
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 pint chili sauce, egg, milk, ground beef, ground pork and breadcrumbs. Mix with hands until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste. Form into a loaf shape and bake in a casserole dish at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with remaining chili sauce and bake for an additional hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

02/23 by request, Colossal Crunch Crab Cakes! Occasionally, the Fair will have company product sponsored contests. These contests will have a cash prize; sometimes substantial along with company swag as prizes. Contests in the past have been SPAM, Ro*tel tomatoes, Texas Wines, Martha White baking mixes, Imperial Sugar, Fleischman’s yeast, Ghirardelli chocolate and many others. This recipe was entered in the Malt-O-Meal cereals contest. We had to come up with a dish using their bagged cereal products. This one used two. Their Cap’n Crunch and Rice Krispies knock offs. And it got first place!

Colossal Crunch Crab Cakes

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon asian style chili sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 pound lump crabmeat
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1 1/2 cups crushed Malt-O-Meal Colossal Crunch cereal (about 3 1/2 cups uncrushed)
2 cups crushed Malt-O-Meal Crispy Rice cereal (about 3 1/2 cups uncrushed)
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, chili sauce, lime juice & zest. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix together crabmeat, cilantro and onion. Add 1/3 cup mayonnaise mixture and egg to crabmeat. Reserve the remaining mayonnaise mixture for dipping. In a third bowl, mix the crushed cereals together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir 1 1/2 cups of the cereal mixture into the crab mixture. Form into 1/2-inch-thick cakes, using 1/2 cup mixture for each. Dredge cakes in the remaining cereal mixture. Arrange in a single layer on a tray or baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours. When ready to cook, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium low heat. Working in batches, add the crab cakes and cook until golden brown, about 3 - 4 minutes per side. Serve hot with reserved dipping sauce on the side.

Catching up on this thread, why is there no award winning cheesecake recipe?

2/24 - by request Banana Rum Cheesecake. The Cooking with Cheese contest is always popular and the Cheesecake category is even more popular. I’ve seen over 40 cheesecakes entered in previous years. That’s a lot for the judges to taste so something really has to stand out. As I have mentioned before, my favorite thing to do is try something in a restaurant and then go home and duplicate it. My favorite cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory is their Banana Cream Cheesecake. So here is my version. It received third place in 2004. Look! More use for that Banana Rum Cream you bought a few weeks ago.

Banana Cream Cheesecake

Crust:
3/4 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
3/4 cup almond meal or finely ground almonds
1/3 cup butter, melted

Line bottom of a 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper. Combine vanila wafer crumbs, almond meal and butter. Press into bottom of pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. When cool, line sides of cake pan with a strip of parchment paper as wide as the pan is tall. Secure ends to pan sides with a dab of butter.

Cheesecake Filling:
24 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon banana rum cream
3/4 cup mashed very ripe bananas
3 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup banana curd (recipe follows)
Dried banana chips for garnish.

Combine cream cheese, sugar cornstarch, banana rum cream and banana. Mixing on medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour over crust. Place pan in a pan large enough so that there is at least 1 inch clearance around all sides of the pan. Fill larger pan with boiling water until it is up to the halfway mark of the pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes; turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven for 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature. Remove cheesecake from pan and refrigerate overnight.
Whip 1/4 cup cream until stiff. Fold in 1/4 cup banana curd. Spread on top of cheese cake. Garnish with dried banana chips. Return to refrigerator until ready to serve.

Banana Curd (can be made days in advance)
1/4 cup banana rum cream
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs

In double boiler, combine banana rum cream, butter and sugar and heat over hot water until butter is melted.
In a small bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add butter mixture slowly to eggs, stirring constantly. Return mixture to double boiler and continue cooking over low heat until mixture is very thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a cool bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.

Note… I bake cheesecakes in a waterbath. It makes for a smoother texture and no cracking in the center. Because of that, I do not use a springform pan. Instead I use a 9 inch round 4 inch deep cake pan and line the tops and sides with parchment paper for easy removal from the pan. If you want to skip the waterbath and use a springform pan, bake at 350 until filling is set.

2/25 - Since we are coming on up Mardi Gras weekend, let’s do some Cajun stuff. I am ready for @mike808 to pick it apart! This won first place in the 2017 Speedy Dishes contest. Boudin (pronouced boo-dan) is a Cajun sausage containing rice and pork. It’s great smoked and served on it’s own but also makes a great filling for bell peppers.

Cajun Stuffed Bell Peppers

7-8 Bell Peppers (can use different colors or just green ones)
1 teaspoon salt
water (enough to cover peppers)
24 ounces boudin sausage
14 ounces smoked link sausage, diced
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs (Progresso Garlic & Herb)
4 tablespoons melted butter

Remove the tops and the inside pulp from the bell peppers. Add salt to water and bring to a boil. Parboil (semi-cook) the bell peppers in water for 8 minutes. Remove from water, drain and let cool.
Remove boudin casing and crumble into a large bowl. Set aside. In a large skillet, saute smoked sausage until lightly browned. Add smoked sausage to boudin and mix to combine.
Stuff each bell pepper with the loose boudin and sausage mixture. Mix bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle on top of the stuffed bell peppers.
Place the stuffed bell peppers in a baking dish with one inch of water. Cover dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 mintutes or until tops are golden brown. Remove from waterbath and serve.

2/26 - I know I am setting myself up for more blame and abuse from @mike808 but here’s another Cajun recipe. Or maybe it’s more Creole since it has tomatoes in it. This won first place in the international cuisine contest in 2003. You can be very flexible on the proteins. I made this for a local VFW fundraiser and used smoked sausage instead of crawfish since some attendees had shellfish allergies. So switch them out however you like.

Chicken and Crawfish Jambalaya

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 8 ounce can tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon or more Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere’s)
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pound chicken pieces, cooked, deboned and partially shredded
1 cup parboiled or converted rice (Uncle Ben’s)
1/2 pound crawfish tails

In sauté or frying pan, heat oil and sauté together onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic until onions begin to turn transparent. Add tomato paste and allow it to caramelize slightly. Once vegetables are translucent and tomato paste achieves a red mahogany color; deglaze the pan using 1 cup chicken stock. Stir until smooth. Add Creole seasoning, tomatoes, bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low-medium heat for 10 minutes. Add chicken and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Check seasonings, add rest of stock and stir in rice. Cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until rice has absorbed all of the liquid and is cooked through. Add crawfish and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove Bay Leaf and serve.

2/27 - We are coming up on the homestretch folks! So only two more days left before I resign as your goat. It’s been a great run and I hope I have shouldered the blame to your satisfaction. So let’s do a two fer! One Bakers Dozen of eggs, two cakes! First up is Lucky Thirteen Angel Food! Next, I show what to do with all the leftover egg yolks. This won first place in the cake contest in 2004.

Lucky Thirteen Angel Food Cake

13 egg whites (2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups Sugar
1 cup cake flour, sifted

In large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar, vanilla and salt on medium speed of mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time until well incorporated. Sift about 1/4 of the flour over egg white mixture, gently folding in. Repeat process; folding in about 2 tablespoons flour at a time until no more flour remains. Turn into an ungreased angel food pan and bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until tests done. Invert pan over a funnel or bottle and let cool completely before removing from pan.

2/27 part two! What to do with all those egg yolks. Make this lemon cake, of course. The won third place in the Farm to Fork contest, Egg Dessert category at last year’s fair.

Just Yolking! Lemon Cake

3 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 large egg yolks, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water

Grease and flour a large tube cake pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350. Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until very fluffy and thick. Gradually beat in sugar, beating 2 minutes on high speed, stopping to scrape the bowl and beaters. Reduce speed to low and add vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and water. Gradually, add sifted flour mixture while beating on low, scrape bowl. Beat only long enough to blend, about 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown or tests done. Cool for 15 minutes on wire rack before removing from the pan. Loosen sides of cake from pan with a spatula, then remove from pan. Brush warm cake with warm lemon syrup. Cool completely on wire rack. Transfer to serving plate and drizzle with lemon glaze.

Lemon Syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Mix together water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

In a small bowl, sift powdered sugar. Gradually add lemon juice until a smooth thick but pourable glaze.

2/28 - my last day as your goat. It has been a fun time shouldering the blame for you. And here is my last recipe. Today is also my mom’s birthday. She is 85 and while she has always been overly critical of my cooking, in her old age she has softened and actually lets me cook holiday meals now. This recipe won first place in a local restaurant sponsored contest called Blue Plate Specials at the Fair in 2018. Upon tasting it, my mom said this was as good as the Bryce’s Cafeteria’s in Texarkana, TX(now closed). Believe me, it’s her highest compliment!

Coconut Cream Pie

Crust
6 tablespoons butter flavored shortening
1 1/2 cups unbleached pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons ice cold water

Cut shortening into flour and salt using fork or pastry blender until particles are the size of coarse crumbs. Add water to flour mixture one tablespoon at a time until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of the bowl. Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round onto lightly floured board. Roll into circle two inches larger than upside down pie plate. Arrange into pie plate pressing firmly into bottom and sides of pan.
Line crust with parchment paper and weigh down with dried beans or pie weights. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until edges of crust are lightly browned. Let cool completely.

Filling:
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
1 cup milk, divided use
2/3 cup sugar, divided use
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened grated coconut, toasted, divided use
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine coconut milk, 3/4 cup milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Heat until mixture reaches a simmer. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining milk, sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch until smooth. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into egg mixture. Return to heat and simmer over medium heat stirring constantly. Continue cooking until mixture is thickened and just starting to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in butter, 3/4 cup coconut, vanilla and coconut flavoring. Stir until butter is melted. Pour into prepared crust. Place plastic wrap directly over filling and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Combine cream and powered sugar and whip until soft peaks are formed. When ready to serve, top with whipped cream and garnish with remaining toasted coconut.

Notes: you can use packaged pie crust, if you must. If you follow my recipe, use half all purpose flour and half cake flour if you do not have pastry flour. I use King Arthur brand pastry flour. The coconut I have found that works best is finely grated or macaroon coconut.

Many thanks, and I hope you’ll still drop a reipe on us once in a while and post pictures of your scrumptious-looking prize-winning creations.