Hawaiian Delights - August 2007

Diva: Lovina

Drinks: Sara
Hawaiian Punch with Champagne

1 can frozen cranberry juice
1 can frozen lemonade
1 can frozen limeade
1 bottle white wine
4 cans club soda
1 bottle of brut champagne

Mix and serve over ice with fruit garnish.

Appetizer: Ashley
Coconut Shrimp with Sweet chili-lime sauce

Sauce
¾ c Asian sweet chili sauce*
3 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 ½ T fresh lime juice

Shrimp
¾ c all purpose flour
1 tsp curry powder (preferably Madras style)
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1 c club soda
Vegetable oil (for deep-frying)
1 ½ cups medium shredded unsweetened coconut
16 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left intact

For sauce:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Add egg and club soda; whisk just until combined but still lumpy. Let stand 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour enough vegetable oil into heavy large saucepan to come halfway up sides of pan. Attach deep-fry thermometer to pan; heat oil over medium heat to 375°F.

Line baking sheet with paper towels. Spread coconut on plate. Working with 1 shrimp at a time, dip into batter, allowing excess to drip back into bowl, then roll in coconut. Working in batches, deep-fry shrimp until cooked through, about 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to paper towels to drain.

Salad: Nicole
Tropical Salad with Pineapple Vinaigrette

6 slices bacon
¼ c pineapple juice
3 T red wine vinegar
¼ c olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 (10 ounce) package chopped romaine lettuce
1 c diced fresh pineapple
½ c chopped and toasted macadamia nuts
3 green onions, chopped
¼ c flaked coconut, toasted

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

In a cruet or jar with a lid, combine pineapple juice, red wine vinegar, oil, pepper and salt. Cover and shake well.

In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, pineapple, macadamia nuts, green onions and bacon. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Garnish with toasted coconut.

Soup: Erin
Shrimp Coconut Soup with Ginger and Lemongrass

This is a variation on the classic soup Tom Kha Kai (Chicken-Coconut Soup with Ginger and Lemongrass), kicked up with shrimp instead of chicken.

¼ c chopped fresh lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed
2 T peeled and thinly sliced fresh ginger
5 small Thai chiles, stemmed and lightly crushed
4 Kaffir lime leaves, crushed
3 c shrimp stock or fish stock (ok, I think I cheated here and used vege stock.)
1 c fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
¼ c fresh lemon juice
3 T Thai nam pla, or Vietnamese nuoc nam (fish sauce), or more to taste
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 ½ c coconut milk
2 T finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt
Steamed jasmine rice, accompaniment, recipe follows

In the center of a 6-inch square piece of cheesecloth, place the lemongrass, ginger, chilies and lime leaves. Draw up the sides to form a pouch and tie with kitchen twine.

In a large pot, combine the stock, mushrooms, fish sauce, and sachet in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp, coconut milk, and cilantro, and simmer until the shrimp are cooked, 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and discard the sachet. Season, to taste, with salt or additional fish sauce. Serve with jasmine rice.

Steamed Jasmine Rice

2 c jasmine rice, other long-grain white rice can be substituted
3 c water

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the rice and water and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to low, and cook undisturbed until the water is absorbed, 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Side Dish: Michelle
Mango rice side dish.

1 c long grain rice
2 c vegetable stock
½ tsp turmeric powder
¾ c pineapple chunks
½ c mangoes, chunks
¼ c walnuts, coarsely crushed
1/3 c Raisins
½ c cucumbers, chopped

For the dressing
4 T lemon juice
3 T honey
2 T pineapple juice
1 clove garlic
salt, crushed
pepper, crushed

Wash rice thoroughly. In a pan, bring stock and turmeric to a boil. Add rice. Simmer until rice cooked. Drain, rinse and spread rice on a tray to cool. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. In a bowl, mix rice with pineapple, mango, Raisins, cucumber and celery. Gently fold in the dressing. Serve.

Entree: Jen Russell (Sub for Mariah)
Slow Kalua Pig

3 lbs pork butt (shoulder)
1 ½ tsp liquide smoke
2 ¼ tsp salt

Pierce, rub, low for 16-20 hrs, turn once.

Dessert: Stacey
Pineapple Upside-down Cake

Topping:
1 c dark brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple slices...or use fresh

Cake:
1 ½ c flour
6 T cake flour
6 T ground almonds (about 2 oz. whole almonds)
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ¾ c sugar
2 sticks butter--room temp.
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
¾ c sour cream

Start by making topping. Combine brown sugar and butter in small saucepan. Melt together over medium heat until bubbly (about 4 min.) Pour mixture into a greased 10 inch diameter (round) cake pan with 2 inch high sides. Arrange pineapple slices in a single layer on top of caramel topping.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk flours, almonds, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. In a separate bowl beat sugar and butter together. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream in two additions each, beating well after each addition. Pour batter over pineapple.

Bake for about 1 hour and 10 mins. until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cake cool 10 minutes on rack. Turn cake out onto a cake platter. Serve warm. Enjoy!!!

Lottery: Tamara
Served with neck, wrist and ankle leis!