Saturday, August 08, 2020
Recipe Round Up: Arabic Grilled Chicken, Coconut Cake with Lemon and Raspberry Fillings
Arabic Grilled Chicken (Dejaj Meshwi)
This grilled chicken is what I remember about summers growing up as a child. The family would bring the marinated chicken in bags to a park along with trays of rice, salad that had a bright, lemony dressing, and watermelon. The men would grill the chicken, the children would play and women would talk and serve everyone more and more, insisting that they hadn't eaten enough. It was a great way to eat all summer.
5 pounds bone in, skin on chicken (we like to use chicken thighs and legs)
25 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 cups plain, full fat yogurt
juice of 3 lemons, strained
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (you may substitute freshly ground black pepper)
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
Purée garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, salt, Aleppo pepper and saffron and pour into a bowl large enough to hold the chicken. Coat the chicken in the marinade and seal the bowl, putting in the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight.
Grill chicken over medium heat until it is cooked through. Serve with rice and salad or bread, and enjoy.
Coconut Cake with Lemon and Raspberry Fillings
I love this cake. It is delicious and not hard to make. The compote and frosting are also great to use in other desserts or cakes.
Cake:
3 cups pastry or all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sugar
2 cups full fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract
6 egg whites (you can use the yolks to make custard for ice cream , or just have extra rich scrambled eggs the next day)
1/8 teaspoon salt
lemon curd (jarred or homemade)
raspberry compote
coconut frosting
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease three 9-inch cake pans well, and line bottoms with parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar well, then add coconut milk and vanilla paste.
Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, in thirds, beating well to incorporate ingredients, and scraping down sides of bowl each time.
Beat egg whites with 1/8 teaspoon salt until they are stiff peaks. Fold into batter mixture.
Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out cleanly from middle of cake . Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out of pans onto cooling rack to cool completely.
Raspberry Compote:
3 cups raspberries, frozen or fresh
3/4 cup sugar
juice of one lemon
Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir constantly, until all sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to medium and stir, until thickened, about 5 - 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. Can be made ahead and refrigerated for a few days.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
Whip together butter and cream cheese, until smooth. Mix in confectioner’s sugar, little by little, and beat well. Add coconut milk and beat until smooth and spreadable. Stir in shredded coconut.
Assembly:
Split each cake into two layers. Place one layer on cake plate and spread with lemon curd. Place next layer on top and spread with coconut frosting. Place another layer on top and spread with raspberry compote. Top with final layer and frost entire cake . Use last two layers to make a smaller cake with lemon curd and raspberry compote in between the layers, as an extra cake . Frost with coconut frosting.
This grilled chicken is what I remember about summers growing up as a child. The family would bring the marinated chicken in bags to a park along with trays of rice, salad that had a bright, lemony dressing, and watermelon. The men would grill the chicken, the children would play and women would talk and serve everyone more and more, insisting that they hadn't eaten enough. It was a great way to eat all summer.
5 pounds bone in, skin on chicken (we like to use chicken thighs and legs)
25 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 cups plain, full fat yogurt
juice of 3 lemons, strained
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (you may substitute freshly ground black pepper)
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
Purée garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, salt, Aleppo pepper and saffron and pour into a bowl large enough to hold the chicken. Coat the chicken in the marinade and seal the bowl, putting in the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight.
Grill chicken over medium heat until it is cooked through. Serve with rice and salad or bread, and enjoy.
Coconut Cake with Lemon and Raspberry Fillings
I love this cake. It is delicious and not hard to make. The compote and frosting are also great to use in other desserts or cakes.
Cake:
3 cups pastry or all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sugar
2 cups full fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract
6 egg whites (you can use the yolks to make custard for ice cream , or just have extra rich scrambled eggs the next day)
1/8 teaspoon salt
lemon curd (jarred or homemade)
raspberry compote
coconut frosting
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease three 9-inch cake pans well, and line bottoms with parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar well, then add coconut milk and vanilla paste.
Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, in thirds, beating well to incorporate ingredients, and scraping down sides of bowl each time.
Beat egg whites with 1/8 teaspoon salt until they are stiff peaks. Fold into batter mixture.
Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out cleanly from middle of cake . Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out of pans onto cooling rack to cool completely.
Raspberry Compote:
3 cups raspberries, frozen or fresh
3/4 cup sugar
juice of one lemon
Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir constantly, until all sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to medium and stir, until thickened, about 5 - 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. Can be made ahead and refrigerated for a few days.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
Whip together butter and cream cheese, until smooth. Mix in confectioner’s sugar, little by little, and beat well. Add coconut milk and beat until smooth and spreadable. Stir in shredded coconut.
Assembly:
Split each cake into two layers. Place one layer on cake plate and spread with lemon curd. Place next layer on top and spread with coconut frosting. Place another layer on top and spread with raspberry compote. Top with final layer and frost entire cake . Use last two layers to make a smaller cake with lemon curd and raspberry compote in between the layers, as an extra cake . Frost with coconut frosting.
Labels: Birthday, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
