Heidibella in the Tropics

King Cake

I haven't made a king cake since I lived in New Orleans. Every year since moving back to Panama, my sisters and I say we're going to make king cakes and we never do. This year, Michelle and I decided we would have a proper mardi gras celebration with king cake and all...and here it is!

In true New Orleans tradition, there is a plastic baby hidden inside the cake. The person whose slice contains the baby is charged with making the next king cake. We'll have to make up a different penalty for today's party...maybe get more ice...yeah that's a good one...nobody ever wants to be the one to get more ice.

Here is the baby giving its final farewell before drowning in a sea of gooeyness.

The recipe I used for my king cake is a combination of several different Emeril Lagasse (of course!) recipes. I couldn't find one that had all the elements I wanted (filling, glaze, sugar, etc), and I'm very happy with this one. For the colored sugar, all you have to do is put some regular white granulated sugar in a jar or plastic bag, add a few drops of food coloring, and shake shake shake. Have fun...and I hope you don't get the baby!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 to 5 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/2 cup warm milk (105 to 115 degrees)
• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperatur
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 pecan half, uncooked dried bean or King Cake Baby
• 2 tablespoons milk

Glaze:

• 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons milk
• Purple, green and gold sugar crystals

Directions

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Combine the warm water, yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside to a warm place for about 10 minutes. Combine 4 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, nutmeg, lemon rind and add warm milk, melted butter, egg yolks and yeast mixture. Beat until smooth. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place the dough in a well-greased bowl. Turn once so greased surface is on top. Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours).

 Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1 cup of the confectioner's sugar. Blend by hand or with an electric mixer on low speed. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your fingers, pat it out into a rectangle about 30 inches long and 6 inches wide.

Spread the filling lengthwise over the bottom half of the dough, then flip the top half of the dough over the filling. Seal the edges, pinching the dough together. Shape the dough into a cylinder and place it on the prepared baking sheet seam side down. Shape the dough into a ring and pinch the ends together so there isn't a seam. Insert the king cake baby or pecan half into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough. Place a well-greased 2 pound coffee can or shortening can in the center of the ring to maintain the shape during baking.

Cover the ring with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm, draft-free place. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brush the top of the risen cake with 2 tablespoons milk. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove coffee can immediately, and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the icing. Combine 3 tablespoons milk, the lemon juice, and the remaining 3 cups confectioner's sugar in medium-size mixing bowl. Stir to blend well. With a rubber spatula, spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals, alternating colors around the cake.

Cut into the cake and hope you do not get the baby.

Sunday Morning and a Biscuit

Every once in a while, a craving for homemade biscuits hits my house like a bomb. It's like all of a sudden everybody HAS to have a biscuit. It was a tradition when I made weekend trips from Boston to New York City to visit Michelle and Austin that I make biscuits on Sunday morning. For some reason, Sunday morning and a biscuit go so well together.

The trick to making good biscuits is to cut the fat (make sure it's cold) into the dry ingredients so that the fat pieces are about the size of peas. Then, when you're kneading the dough, only knead four to six times, just to bring the dough together. You still want to be able to see pieces of fat intact throughout the dough. The idea here is that the fat will melt in the hot temperature of the oven and create little air pockets that will make your biscuits flaky and oh so wonderful!

This recipe works well for me:

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup shortening

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450F. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together so there are no lumps. Add the shortening and drop the butter into the bowl in small pieces. Cut the shortening and butter into the dry ingredients with a knife or pastry blender until the fat pieces are the size of peas. Make a well in the center and pour the milk in. Mix the dough together with a wooden spoon or other utensil just until the liquid is absorbed.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead only a few times (about four to six) just until the dough comes together. Do not over-handle the dough. Press the dough out flat until it is about 3/4 of an inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter, or a drinking glass, cut the biscuits out and put them on a baking sheet. Bake for 11 to 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Enjoy with butter, honey, jam, or anything you like! Also great to accompany soups, stews, or anything with a gravy.

Parmesan Carrot Risotto

I can't remember when I discovered risotto. But there are risottos that I remember very clearly. I remember the risotto with squid ink that I had in Vegas...oh that one I will never forget. I remember the chicken risotto with carmelized onions that I made about a year ago. It was the first one I made with my risotto pot given to me by Michelle. How I love that thing! When I traveled to Porto Alegre on business for the first time and realized that risotto is a staple down there, I knew I was in heaven.

Risotto has a stigma attached to it that it's hard to make. Many people, including my Dad, think it's fattening because it's creamy, and anything creamy must have cream in it. Both of these, are untrue. Risotto is not hard to get right. It might be a bit labor-intensive in that you have to stir it often, but think of it as a good workout for your stirring arm. Good risotto is creamy, yes, but the creaminess comes from the cooking method, not cream. The more you stir a risotto, the more the grains of rice rub together. The rubbing causes some of the starch to come off the rice, thus making it creamy.

In the Jan/Feb issue of Everyday Food Magazine, there is a recipe for a parmesan-carrot risotto. I decided to try it out last night and all I can say is WOW! If you're watching your carbs, it's a lighter risotto than normal because it only calls for 1 1/4 cups of rice and the rest of the bulk is from 6 shredded carrots that have a similar texture to the rice and give it a wonderful, sweet flavor. It's a great one to make if it's your first risotto because there aren't a lot of ingredients, and it's so delicious that if you don't eat risotto often, you will get hooked. I decided to pair it with some flank steak on top, but this could also be served with a salad, some fish, chicken, or even on its own. Enjoy!

 

Tomatillos at last!

I have been craving tomatillos for the longest time. Well, I don't know if I can actually say I was craving them. Can you crave something you've never tasted?  I've been reading recipes that call for tomatillos, watching chefs add them to salsas and sauces, and I've been drawn to the things like bees to honey...but I have never been able to find them in Panama. Until...I went to Riba Smith and lo and behold...tomatillos!  I couldn't believe it. So I bought a bunch, not knowing what I would do with them, and my sister Michelle suggested I make Rachel Ray's (or Retchel as Michelle calls her) Tilapia with Tomatillos. I used corvina in my recipe and it was delish. Rachel suggests a filled avocado but I served mine with white rice and it was perfect because it soaked up all the delicious tomatillo sauce. If you ever find tomatillos in Panama, get some and make this recipe. It's easy, and so delicious! I'm definitely adding it to my regular routine. Thanks for the suggestion, Michelle!