Talking Big

For some reason, I swore to my husband I would get through five full pineapples on this trip. I knew that I'd aimed high, but I figured if I used it in cooking (hence the last recipe posted below) it would work out. And if I was really struggling, I'd just pick up some baby pineapples.

It's the spirit of the bet, right?

There have been no baby pineapples. No baby pineapples! No shortcuts, just me and gigantic Maui Gold pineapples.

Sigh.

Hence, this:

You know that episode of the Simpsons where Homer eats the 64 slices of American cheese? I now have pineapple blindness. And I only got through a quarter pineapple in that sitting.

I think I have a full 3 pineapples left to go.

And we're leaving tomorrow.

This is not going to turn out well.

Pineapple Cucumber Salsa

I've got a bottle of Wailua Wheat Beer sitting by me as I write this from the lanai of our condo at the Kahana Village on Maui. Isn't that how all days on the islands should end?

When we left Kauai today, both Phil and I were feeling kind of bummed. We've passed the halfway mark of our time here and *only* have 5 nights left before the long haul back to Toronto.

Wah. Wah. Wah.

I feel like a huge baby for admitting that. What I should be saying (and am saying now) is: we have five nights on Maui, and we're going to enjoy every minute of it. Driving along the highways here made me feel like we were home. We drove past Olowalu, where we got married almost 2 years ago (I waved at the site), picked up some frappuccinos from Bad Ass coffee and grabbed some groceries from Costco (GIGANTIC containers of mac nuts for everyone). I'm so happy right now, I could explode.

For dinner, I wanted something light and fresh. We picked up some opah from Costco. For those of you not in the know, opah is also known as moonfish, sunfish or kingfish.

And it's freaking huge.

We're grilling it up with some pineapple cucumber salsa I just whipped up.

Have I mentioned how happy I am right now?

Pineapple Cucumber Salsa for Fish




Ingredients

1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped finely
1/2 English cucumber, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2-1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (seeds and ribs removed if you're not into heat)
juice of 1/2 lime
1 green onion, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to allow flavours to meld.

Another Cottage Recipe: Huli Huli Chicken

One of the things I miss about not being in a house with a yard is a barbecue. With hints of sun finally appearing after what feels like a month (or more) of rain, all I want is to be able to stand outside and cook my food.

On the second floor apartment without a balcony, this dream gets deferred until I'm at the cottage. Over the May long weekend, I knew there was no way I was going to let the throngs of mosquitoes that like to come out at the dinner hour keep me inside. And, as much as I hate applying DEET, sometimes, you've just got to make the hard choices.

I chose flank steak, burgers and Huli Huli Chicken. And, in spite of the DEET, I have at least 5 bites around my ankles.

But, I stand by my decision. The chicken was worth it.

 Huli Huli Chicken is one of those fantastic Hawaiian recipes that has about a million variations. The short? Barbecued chicken marinated with (amongst other things) pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. We chose to spice it up considerably with the sriracha.


Huli Huli Chicken

(adapted from Norah's Menus)

Ingredients

Marinade
4 cups water
1 cup soy sauce (I like to use low sodium here)
½ tablespoon vegetable oil (you can use sesame if you like)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1" knob fresh ginger, grated or finely minced

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

Sauce
2/3 cup pineapple juice (the fresher, the better)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cup soy sauce
2 tbsp cup ketchup
2 tbsp cup rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1" knob ginger, freshly grated
1 teaspoons sriracha

1 cup each applewood and hickory wood chips (soaked 30 minutes)

Directions

1. In a large, nonreactive dish, whisk together the marinade ingredients (water,  soy sauce, oil, ginger and garlic). Add chicken and marinate for at least an hour, but no more than 8. The chicken will be too salty if you let it sit for longer.

2. In a saucepan, stir together sauce ingredients (juice through sriracha). Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer until sauce is reduced to approximately ½ cup. This will take anywhere between 20-30 minutes. Set aside.

3. Using tinfoil to create foil packages for your wood chips. This step is essential in creating a smokey chicken. It really makes the dish. The size of the package doesn't really matter, so long as the wood is packed in nicely. Cut several slits in the top of the package so the smoke can escape.

4. Place foil package on bbq burners (Norah has great instructions if you're using other kinds of barbecues), and fire up the grill, with all elements on high. While the grill is heating up (and preferably before the wood is smoking), oil the grill. I find the easiest way to do this is to dip some paper towel in oil and use tongs to swab it across the grates.

5. Once wood packet is smoking, reduce elements to low on all sides and place chicken on grill. Move quickly, because you don't want the smoke to escape. You can discard the marinade at this point.

See that sweet smoke? Hello flavour country!

6. Depending on the thickness of your chicken (and your cut), grill for about 15 minutes (8 per side), or until internal temperature registers 165º. Resist the urge to peek at the chicken. You'll be paid off by flavour in the long run. Brush with sauce and let brown for 1-2 minutes extra. Serve with any extra sauce.

Caribbean Dutch Baby Pancakes

This morning, I reached for the apple I knew was in the fridge, only to discover that it was not there at all. But, you see, I needed that apple for the Dutch Baby Pancakes I was going to make for breakfast this morning.

I looked through the vegetable drawer, hoping that the apple had escaped and was hiding under the limp kale, but the only fruit I came across was a very happy mandarin orange.

It was far too delicious to put in the pancake. I have lunch plans for that orange.

I considered making the pancake without fruit, but that just felt pointless. The caramelized fruit is my favourite part of the whole Dutch Baby experience.

And then, sitting proudly on the top shelf of my fridge, the leftover pineapple spoke to me.

"Why not choose me and some coconut milk?" it said.

"Excellent." I responded and wondered why my fruit was speaking to me. Last time I'd checked, I wasn't living in a Jim Henson production.

Some allspice and cinnamon add a nice warmth to the whole recipe.

Caribbean Dutch Baby Pancakes (maybe that should be Dutch Caribbean...)

(based on this recipe)

Ingredients

1 knob butter (about a tbsp)
¼ fresh pineapple, peeled and cored
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp water
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice

3 eggs
3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup flour
¼ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400º.

2. Slice the pineapple into ¼ - ½" thick rounds. Cut each round into quarters.

3. Heat a cast iron (or oven proof) skillet over medium heat, add butter. Once butter is melted, place the pineapple slices in the pan and let brown.

4. Once pineapple has browned on both sides, add brown sugar, water, cinnamon and allspice. Let the sugar mixture bubble away and reduce a little bit.

5. While the sugar mixture is reducing, whisk together remaining ingredients in a large bowl until smooth. Remove skillet from heat and pour batter over top of the fruit. Place skillet in oven and let cook until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with icing sugar if desired!