Coconut Macaroons

Another snow day here in Baltimore - this time there is actually snow! Snow days seem to be the perfect excuse to blog. Tonight is the first night of Passover, which is the Jewish holiday that commemorates the Jews exodus out of Egypt. A traditional Passover dessert is a macaroon, so for tonight's seder, or holiday dinner, I made homemade macaroons.

Coconut Macaroons

Recipe adapted from: Brown Eyed Baker 

http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/06/19/chocolate-dipped-coconut-macaroons/

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 large egg white
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3½ cups sweetened flaked coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla and salt until combined. Stir in the coconut until well blended.

3. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Form the cookies into loose haystacks with your fingertips, moistening your hands with water as necessary to prevent sticking.

4. Bake, one sheet at a time, until the cookies are light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets until slightly set, about 2 minutes; remove to a wire rack with a wide metal spatula.

Yield: 30 macaroons

Total Time: 35 minutes (10 minute prep)

Note: The original recipe calls for dipping the macaroons in chocolate after they have been baked...I think they taste pretty great without the chocolate, so I have omitted this step.

I am a HUGE fan of coconut, so I love these just the way they are. Maybe next year I will try to make chocolate chip macaroons! It's always nice to put a twist on some favorite recipes. Passover food is usually so bland and boring, so trying out new recipes or modifying old ones is a great way to liven up a holiday that is not normally associated with great food.

Snow day in Baltimore - pretty nice view from the backyard!

Two Pounds of Pecans

Hello and welcome to my blog! It's a snow day here in beautiful Baltimore, and so I decided to start this thing. I'm pretty sure this "snow" would be called "rain" anywhere else, but I will take advantage of this extra day off! My wonderful husband and I recently joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) - which basically means we bought a (tiny) share of a farm. Starting in June, we will be getting a random assortment of crops each week. This blog was started to document our adventures cooking loads of radishes, squash, etc., but I couldn't wait until the summer to start posting!

Recently, my lovely parents (Hi Mom and Dad!) spent some time in Georgia, and they brought us back a big bag of pecans. What do you do with two pounds of pecans? Any suggestions? I am trying to figure out what to make besides pecan pie. So far, the only thing that has been made is:

Pecan Crusted Salmon

(or..a first attempt at cooking with pecans)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb salmon
• 1/2 lb pecans (in the shell) - approximately 8-12 pecans
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 egg

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the egg and set aside. Place salmon on baking sheet.

2. Shell your pecans - not sure the most effective way to do this, but I used a can opener to crack the small diameter of the shell. Then, I picked off the shell and tried to get the entire pecan out. Maybe a nutcracker would be more helpful next time?

3. Place pecans in food processor and grind until it resembles breadcrumbs. Be careful not to over process, as you will end up with pecan butter!

4. Mix pecans with brown sugar. Use egg wash to lightly coat the salmon, and then cover with pecan/sugar mixture.

5. Cook salmon in oven until done - roughly 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Serves: 2 

Total Time: 40 minutes (10 minute prep)

The finished product - served with a side of roasted parsnips and sweet potato!

We really enjoyed this dish - it was easy to make and very delicious! The brown sugar and pecans gave the salmon a nice crunch and a slightly sweet taste. I had never cooked with fresh pecans before, and I am looking forward to the next recipe! Only 1.5 pounds of pecans left!

The aftermath of shelling the pecans...time to invest in a nutcracker?