So, I decided I needed something to keep me distracted and cheer me up a little…my solution: cake. Something sweet and moist and yummy, but also somewhat healthy and fortifying. So, I made up my own recipe for groaning cake. The idea of the groaning cake is a cake that a women makes while in early labor, that she can then eat during and after labor to give her strength and energy. There are other traditions and superstitions that go along with the whole idea, and generally I find the concept fascinating. Seems like a good idea to me too… Something to keep you distracted in early labor, and provide you with much needed calories after labor.

At first I thought maybe my idea for cake was a little too ambitious, since I’ve been reacting to eggs lately, and making a cake without eggs isn’t exactly easy. But, I think I ended up making something that worked really well. I really liked how it turned out (granted my sister also tried it and didn’t like it at all, but my husband and toddler both liked it too so I figured three out of four was pretty good).

The cake has a dark, molasses-like, gram cracker-like, flavor. It’s not very sweet, but I don’t like things overly sweet anyway anymore. Here’s the recipe as I made it, along with the additions I plan on making when I do the next test run this week. If all goes as planned and the second cake turns out as well as the first (not to mention if the baby comes during the day and I’m up for cake making in early labor) I plan on making this cake as a birth day cake for baby girl.

Beth’s Groaning Cake

Ingredients:

2 or 3 plums (I used yellow plums, I think other fruits would work well too – I might try apples or cherries)
2 tablespoons yogurt (I used vanilla flavored sheep’s yogurt)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup milk (I used whole raw milk)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup mesquite flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Additions I plan on trying next time:

2 tablespoons hemp hearts
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Some chopped walnuts

Directions:

Mix all ingredients, except plums, together.  Grease a cake pan with a bit of coconut oil and preheat oven to 350. Slice plums and arrange half the slices on the bottom of the pan. Pour cake mixture into pan. Arrange the rest of the plum slices on top of the cake. Bake for about 45 minutes or until done.

Have any of you heard of the tradition of a groaning cake?

Or made one yourself? If so, what was it like?

Or do you have any nutrient dense yumminess you think I should include next time I make this cake?

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Bethany Stedman

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As usual this recipe doesn’t come with exact measurement but just general guidelines and recommendations – add to it as you see fit and I doubt it’ll do it much harm. Enjoy this little taste of summer amidst the cold today.

Quinoa Tabouli

Cooked Quinoa*
Chopped Parsley (roughly as much parsley as you have quinoa – in volume, not weight)
Grated Carrot (I used one large one)
Chopped bell pepper (I used a yellow one)
Baby Tomatoes, quartered (I used roughly a handful or so)
Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of a Lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and a splash of lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste. That’s it! Enjoy!

*For cooking quinoa. I recommend that you rinse it first (it has a slightly bitter/acidic coating on it) and then soak it over night before cooking. To cook put it in a pan with enough water to just cover and cook until all the water reduces out and the quinoa is soft. For this recipe allow it to cool and then fluff it with a fork before using it in the salad.

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Beth Stedman

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Ok, I know you’re suppose to post pumpkin pie recipes BEFORE Thanksgiving, but I feel like breaking the rules and posting these now. Besides, I like this pumpkin pie so much I think it should be enjoyed throughout the fall and winter and not just at Thanksgiving.

The trick to this pumpkin pie is to use a fresh pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin puree. It’s really not as hard as it sounds. All you have to do is slice the pumpkin in half, take out the seeds and pulp and place it cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 F until the meat inside is tender and soft. Scrap out the meat and put it in a food processor or blender and blend until you have a smooth puree. That’s it. Now that you have your puree you can use it in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin puree with the result being a much fresher pumpkin flavor.

So, here’s my pumpkin pie recipe…

Pumpkin Pie Made With FRESH Pumpkin

• 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
• ¾ cup Unrefined sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla (I recently used maple extract instead because I didn’t have vanilla and that worked well too, although the vanilla is much better)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk (or cream or a combination of milk and cream)
• 3 eggs
• 1 pie crust (if possible make your own – it tastes so much better and it’s not nearly as hard as it seems. If you have kids let them mix the butter in with the flour and roll it out – they will love it and you save yourself the hard work.  I’ve been using this recipe but without the sugar and we like it)

Mix it all together and pour it into the pie crust. Bake at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit until it is not really wiggly anymore. You want it to jiggle just a little though because it will solidify more once you take it out of the oven.

Eat it warm or cold, however you like. It’s great topped with a little whipping cream made from scratch by beating a bit of cream until it thickens (you can add a little sugar and or vanilla or maple syrup to the whipped cream to sweeten it if you desire).

ENJOY!

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Beth Stedman

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This risotto was inspired by a trip to a local farm where they grow LOTS of pumpkins and squashes. We had a great time exploring the different types of pumpkins, checking out their chickens and petting their rabbits. It was a perfect fall outing and I came home wanting to make an equally perfect warm and hearty fall meal. As soon as I saw the package of risotto which had been sitting in my cupboard for who knows how long, I knew it was just the thing to satisfy my autumn craving. And so Autumn Beer Risotto was born.

Autumn Beer Risotto (or Czech Risotto)

• 1 package (500g) Risotto
• 1 Butternut squash
• 3-4 Carrots (depending on the size)
• 2-5 small (to medium) Onion (how many will depend on how big they are and your taste preferences)
• 1 small parsnip
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 inch piece Ginger
• Butter (for sautéing)
• 1 cup Beer (I used Czech Kozel, which is a sweeter dark beer)
• 3 cups homemade Chicken stock
• ½ cup Edem cheese (or any other run of the mill white cheese – Jack would work I think)
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

First, peel the butternut squash and carrot and cut them into bit size pieces. Place both in a roasting dish and roast in the oven at about 350 degrees F until they are soft.

While the squash and carrots are roasting, chop the onion, parsnip, garlic and ginger. Place all of those things in a pot with a bit of butter and sauté until soft and slightly caramelized. Add the risotto to the pan.

Stirring constantly add the beer about ¼ a cup at a time. Next add the chicken stock about a ¼ cup at a time. Continue stirring the risotto all along. Then add the squash and carrot, still stirring all the time. Next add the Edem cheese, still stirring all the time. Are you catching a theme here? The theme is STIRRING. Risotto should be an arm work out.

Add a pinch of nutmeg and plenty of salt and pepper to taste, and continue stirring until the risotto is softened but still al dente. You don’t want your risotto to be mushy, but you do want it to be cooked.

That’s it. We personally really liked how this turned out. It was a great autumn risotto that was definitely warm and filling.

NOTE: We tried something different with the leftovers this time that I also wanted to recommend. I shaped the cold risotto into patties and fried it in a frying pan with a little butter. We then served it on a bed of kale with a squeeze of lemon – yummy.

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Bethany Stedman

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This soup is GREAT for when you are sick or for when you want to avoid getting sick! Here’s why…

Homemade bone broth:

We all know that chicken soup is wonderful for a cold, but did you know the main reason is because of the broth? Bone broth/stock contains tons of essential minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Not only is it loaded with these and lots of other minerals, these minerals are also in a form that the body can easily absorb. Broth/stock also contains gelatin, which has been found to be helpful in the treatment of various diseases. It also aids in digestion, which means that instead of spending energy on digesting difficult things, your body can spend energy fighting whatever little illness you are struggling with.

PS – Here’s a little trick for you: add a little vinegar to the water when you make bone broths/stocks to help extract the calcium and improve the nutritional value of your stock.

Onion:

Onions have been used for their healing powers for centuries all over the world. According to this site “Early American settlers used wild onions to treat colds, coughs, and asthma, and to repel insects. In Chinese medicine, onions have been used to treat angina, coughs, bacterial infections and breathing problems.” Onions are rich in a number of minerals and vitamins – Shallots and Green onions, in particular, contain high amounts of vitamin A and antioxidants. All onions have antibacterial and antifungal properties, which makes them truly perfect for when you are sick. Onions can help break up mucus and aide the immune system.

Garlic:

In our household we consider garlic the king of the spice cupboard AND the king of the medicine cabinet as well. This popular food is incredibly beneficial for health and overall well being. The benefits of garlic truly deserve a blog post all their own, but for now let me just give you the short story. Garlic contains substances which are potent anti-viral, anti-fungal and antibiotic agents. They stimulate the immune system and aide in fighting off a variety of diseases. Garlic has even been found to be effective in treating antibiotic resistant diseases.

PS – A little tip, if you leave the garlic at room temperature for about 15 minutes after you crush/chop it you will trigger a chemical reaction in the garlic that maximizes the health benefits.

Simple Onion and Garlic Soup:

3-4 quarts of homemade bone broth
6 (or more) onions (use a variety of different kinds to maximize the flavor and health benefits)
3 (or more) cloves of garlic, sliced
2 (or more) cloves of garlic, crushed
1 additional clove of garlic for each person you are serving the soup to
Cut the onions however you want. I like to mix it up, by chopping some, slicing some and quartering some. I think this gives the soup more texture which I like. But, if you want to just chop them all that will work great too.

In a large pot sauté the onions until they are soft and just a bit translucent. Then add the sliced garlic and sauté for another few minutes until the garlic is just softened. Next add in the bone broth and crush 2 (or more) cloves of garlic into your soup. Allow this to cook for a bit (especially if your broth was cold).

Just before serving add one crushed clove of raw garlic to each bowl, and then pour the hot soup into the bowl. Serve with sliced green onions to garnish and homemade bread to dip.

This is a very simple soup, there’s not a lot of substance to it, but served with some warm bread it can make a wonderfully warming meal for a cold winter day or for whenever anyone in your family is sick or wants to avoid getting sick. In fact I think I will make up another batch this weekend.

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Beth Stedman

I’m entering this post in the following Blog Carnivals:
Fight Back Friday
Food on Friday
Click on the links to enjoy lots of other great posts. Enjoy!

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Pancakes might not seem like the ultimate comfort food to you, but for me they are pretty close – or at least they are when they are served with peanut butter, applesauce and pure maple syrup. That’s how my family used to always eat pancakes so whenever I have them like that it reminds me of my family and takes me right back to my childhood.

I knew as soon as I woke up that it was going to be a pancake day.

But, I felt like experimenting so I also knew this wouldn’t just be any old pancakes that I would be making. I wanted to try my hand at gluten free pancakes so that I could freely share them with my baby. I gave him his first taste of wheat over the weekend, but wanted to take it slow with this grain so I decided I wouldn’t be giving him any more wheat for a day or two.

I had amaranth and buckwheat in the cupboard and I have been enjoying playing around with both. I knew these would be my base, and then I just had to experiment and see what happened. The result was really very good! I was actually a little surprised. They were light and fluffy, and if I hadn’t known better I would have never guessed that they were gluten free.

My baby and I both thoroughly enjoyed these and they were the perfect start for what promised to be a long and difficult day.

Gluten Free Pancakes (with Amaranth, Buckwheat and coconut flours)

¼ cup amaranth flour
¼ cup buckwheat flour
2 Tablespoons coconut flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 eggs
¼ cup yogurt
¼ cup milk (I used goat milk)
2-3 Tablespoons applesauce or some sort of fruit jam or jelly

Mix it all together. Get a frying pan nice and hot (add coconut oil if desired) and then pour some of the batter onto the pan. Cook on one side until bubbles start to form and then flip the pancake and cook on the other side until just golden brown.

Serve my family’s special way – with peanut butter, applesauce and pure maple syrup. Or serve however your family likes their pancakes. Enjoy!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

EDIT: Ok, so I made these pancakes again and this time left out the applesauce as I didn’t think it would effect the outcome that much – well, it did! The pancakes without applesauce were too dry and didn’t have the same nice taste and texture. I don’t recommend leaving out the applesauce!

I’m submitting this post to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Hearth and Soul (formerly Two for Tuesdays). Click on the links to find lots of other great recipe and food related posts.

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While we were there, we had the privilege of meeting Andrew Jones, aka Tall Skinny Kiwi. He and his family are traveling through Prague visiting some good friends of theirs (and ours) before they head to the states for a while.  I was sad that his wife and kids were in the city visiting with friends and I didn’t get to meet them. I’ve heard such wonderful things about his wife and I would just love to meet her sometime.

In many ways meeting Andrew was a little strange for me. He has inadvertently and completely unknowingly had a profound influence on my faith journey as well as my blogging journey. I have to admit I was a little star struck. In many ways I felt a little intimidated and awkward meeting him and didn’t know really what to say or talk about.

In other ways, though, it was also very, well… normal to meet Andrew. He’s a very nice, very normal guy. A guy who has a dog and makes crepes for his family every Sunday. Sure, he’s a guy who has chosen a very counter-cultural life style, and a very untraditional way of doing ministry, but he’s still just a very normal, chill, easy to be around guy. He’s not some disconnected theologian, or some affected overly connected pastor. He’s just a guy who loves, laughs, and clearly enjoys hanging out with people.

Anyway, it was really great to meet him and I hope to have the chance to meet his lovely wife sometime in the future. We had a great time checking out their amazing truck (where their whole family has been living for some time now), watching our friend Mathias try to ride Andrew’s 1960’s motorcycle, seeing the new ceiling and wall that has been put up in “the restaurant”, exploring the property, and enjoying a little picnic of bread, cheese, meat, wine, tea, and of course cake.

I made a plum and peach cake that was so good I even let Thaddeus have some. It was the first time I’ve ever let him have any wheat or sugar. Here’s a picture documenting his first bit of cake:

We also did some foraging while we were there. What did we forage? Well, it’s September so APPLES, of course! There’s some big over-grown apple trees on the property so we picked a whole bag full and I’m excited to make some apple pie and other apple goodies. We also picked some elderberries (I’m going to make this syrup with them today) and some rose hips for tea.

Overall it was a really nice day and I just had to share it with you. I also had to share it with the little baby tick I got because of the outing, but that’s another story and one I don’t really care to relive…

Here’s the recipe for the Plum and Peach Cake. I really loved how this turned out. Soft and very moist, buttery and not too sweet. It was perfect. Sorry no picture – In the joy of eating this yummy cake I completely forgot to take one.

Plum and Peach Cake

4 (or 5) plums (pitted and sliced)
1 large peach (pitted and sliced)
¼ cup amaranth flour
¼ cup oats
¼ cup buckwheat
½ cup wheat flour (white or whole wheat)
3 eggs
½ cup butter (softened)
½ cup unrefined cane sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place the slices of fruit in the bottom of a shallow cake pan (I used a pie pan and it worked perfectly). Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the top of the fruit. Bake at about 350 degrees F until it’s golden brown and looks done. Enjoy!

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Bethany Stedman

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Two days ago I made this peach crisp from 101 Cookbooks. I was actually really excited to tell my husband that I actually followed the recipe for once… well, I followed the recipe but left out the plums and used all peaches, and left out the cinnamon (because I’m allergic to it) and used vanilla instead, oh and I left out the arrowroot because I didn’t have any at the time. He laughed at me because clearly I didn’t follow the recipe at all, but for me that was the closest I’ve come in a long time to following a recipe.

Tonight I set out to make these vinegar cookies and I had every intention of following the recipe. The only substitution I planned on making was using organic unrefined cane sugar instead of white sugar. But, somehow when I got in the kitchen things just started happening and before I knew it I had a completely different cookie from what I had intended. Different, but oh so yummy. I really liked how these turned out so I decided I’d share the recipe I ended up with.

½ cup butter (softened)
½ cup organic unrefined coconut oil
½ cup organic unrefined cane sugar
½ cup white sugar (I didn’t have enough unrefined sugar after all, so I used some white sugar that I still had in the back of the cupboard)
¾ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup white flour (I didn’t have enough whole wheat to do the whole thing whole wheat)
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 Tablespoons yogurt
2 heaping Tablespoons ground flaxseed

Mix everything together. Roll into balls (I use a melon baller to get even cookies – it’s a trick my mother-in-law taught me and it works GREAT) and place on a cookie sheet (greased or lined with wax paper). Bake at about 375 degrees F until they are light golden brown on top.

Obviously, with so much flour and sugar, these aren’t healthy, but I did make myself feel better by adding the flaxseed. Hehe – oh, the little rationalizations that go on in my brain.

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Bethany Stedman

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One of the things I love about Bethany’s blog lately is the discussion of food and recipes. I love food. My husband actually makes fun of me about it and says it never fails that if you put food in front of me that I am about to eat I will have a huge smile on my face… and he’s pretty much right.

So I enjoy watching Food Network tv and learning cooking tips and trying new recipes. Sometimes I really get in the mood to cook and CREATE something, almost like an artistic endeavor. So sometimes I search www.foodnetwork.com or other websites or magazines for interesting recipes and for something new to try. A lot of the recipes take a little more work than your usual week night dinner. Some of them have been big flops. I remember I tried one homemade roasted tomato soup recipe. About 3 hours and two whole sink full of dishes later I had a bowl of soup that basically tasted like Campbell’s canned tomato soup. So disappointing after all that work! But I’ve picked out two recipes today that while they do take a little effort, are well worth it, at least in my opinion.

Chicken Tetrazzini by Giada

Ingredients

• 9 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt

• 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• 1 pound white mushrooms, sliced

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 4 cups whole milk, room temperature

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 12 ounces linguine or spaghetti noodles

• 3/4 cup frozen peas

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

• 1 cup grated Parmesan

• 1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

  Click here to get the directions for the recipe.

My little tweaks/recommendations

• Like I said this does take a while to prep, so I cooked the chicken ahead of time.

• I did ½ pound of white button mushrooms and ½ pound of crimini mushrooms, just because I love the meaty smoky flavor of the crimini

• Definitely try and use the fresh thyme if you can, the fresh herbs just make all the difference

• I don’t normally buy whole milk so I just used a little less milk than the recipes called for (2% is what I used) and a little more heavy cream than was called for in the sauce and it turned out super creamy and delicious!

This second recipe is a special occasion dessert I found from the local newspaper around Christmas time. It too takes several steps but I really enjoyed it. It really lives up to its name. Obviously if you’re allergic to egg whites or don’t like meringue better skip this one.

Cherry Berry on a Cloud

For meringue

• 6 egg white, room temperature

• ½ tsp cream of tartar

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 ¾ cup of granulated sugar

For middle layer

• 6 oz cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 cups heavy cream, whipped

For topping

• 1 can (16 oz) cherry pie filling

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 2 (15 –ounce) packages of frozen strawberries in sweetened syrup, thawed

To make meringue shell, preheat oven to 275 degrees. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until frothy. Continue beating gradually adding sugar and continuing to beat until stiff and glossy, about 10 minutes. Spread into greased 13×9 inch glass baking dish. Bake 60 minutes. Meringue should about double in size and be a golden color. When done, turn off oven but leave in oven to cool completely. (Now me being the impatient cook that I am didn’t allow it to “completely cook” and the meringue kinda collapsed and cracked in places, but even with that it was still good! Next time I’ll try to find my inner patience and allow to “cool completely” )

When shell is cool, blend cream cheese with sugar and vanilla. Fold in whipped cream. Spread this mixture over meringue shell and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

When ready to serve, mix topping ingredients and spoon over cream-cheese mixture. If you want to go the no preservative more natural type of route I would try skipping the packaged cherry pie filling and frozen sweetened strawberries and just mashing up some fresh strawberries mixed with sugar for the topping. I’m sure that would be just as delicious.

This recipe has just the right amount of creaminess with the middle cream cheese but doesn’t get to heavy because the meringue is so light and fluffy. It really is like biting into a delicious heavenly cloud!

Tips for whipping cream: If you haven’t whipped cream before I let you in on the trick that my husband had to teach me. Everything needs to be cold. The cream, the bowl you are going to use to whip it, and even the beaters. So put the bowl (glass or metal) and beaters in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you whip the cream. I always use an electric stand mixer. If you can do it my hand you get the elbow grease award!

I’m a Christian, wife, medical professional, and soon to be mother from Phoenix, Arizona. I am fascinated with the physiology of our bodies, love almost all things food, and love to travel when I get the opportunity. I often find myself trying to find a balance between two very different ideas i.e. the science of western medicine and the methodologies of Eastern and naturopathic medicine, having a “family bed” vs “Ferberizing” my baby, fighting between champagne taste and a beer budget, etc. I feel like there is a ying and yang to everything and and my journey right now is about trying to find that balance… that and doing all the other everyday chores that need to be done.

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Gelato #1 (Creme de Menthe Gelato without an ice cream maker)

My dad came up with this recipe on the fly and it turned out good, but not quite right. It was a bit too sweet and had a little too much of an alcohol flavor to it. The videos feature my dad, my aunt and my cousin (I’m doing the taping) – ignore the kids in the background and the sound of the ice cream maker at the end of the last one.

Heat in a pan over medium heat

1 cup Flavored Alcohol (we used Crème de Menthe)
½ cup sugar

Just until sugar is dissolved. Then remove it from the heat and allow it to cool completely (you can place it in the fridge to cool if you want to speed up the process). If you don’t want to use alcohol in your ice cream you can replace the alcohol with water and then add whatever flavoring you want (like vanilla extract for example) later on.  If you don’t want to use alcohol or sugar you can instead puree fruit (like raspberry’s for example) and use that in place of the alcohol and sugar mixture.

Next whip

1 pint of heavy whipping cream

Until it is about the consistency of Buttermilk. When you pull a knife through the cream it should leave a trail behind it, like this:

Next slowly mix together the slightly whipped cream and the alcohol sugar mixture. Then place the mixture in an ice bath – here’s how: Get a big bowl and fill it half way with ice. Then add a little water so that the ice will move around and about a ½ cup of salt (rock salt works best). Then place the bowl that contains your gelato into the bowl that contains your ice.

Leave it in the ice bath (stirring occasionally) until it starts to thicken.

Once it has thickened quite a bit move it into an air tight container and place in the freezer for SEVERAL hours. You can stir it occasionally if you want to encourage it to freeze evenly. Or if you have an ice cream maker you can put it in an ice cream maker to make. But, for the poor man’s gelato (i.e. gelato without an ice cream maker) all you have to do is let it sit in the freezer for several hours.

After it’s frozen up a bit you can add chocolate to it. Melt the chocolate in a double broiler first and then quickly stir it into the gelato and get it back into the freezer to let it sit for several hours (over night works well).

Gelato #2 (Maple Gelato without an Ice Cream Maker)

This Gelato had a really nice flavor but the texture wasn’t right at all. I think I did too things wrong – I over whipped the cream and I didn’t add enough sugar – since I learned later that sugar helps keep the ice crystals in the ice cream small, thus creating a better texture.

1/2 cup water
3 Tablespoons unrefined cane sugar

Place water and sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves to create a simple syrup.

1 pint heavy cream

Whip the cream until it is the texture of buttermilk and just slightly thickened. (I whipped mine closer to runny whipped cream which was too much)

Allow your simple syrup and your slightly whipped cream to chill in the fridge until cool. Then mix them together and add 2 Tablespoons of real Maple Syrup. Chill the mixture in an ice bath for several hours and then move to the freezer for a few hours.

Gelato #3 (Rum and Coconut Gelato with an Ice Cream maker)

I liked this one – although I could have used less rum. The taste was sort of like a pina colada. The texture still wasn’t quite right though – not creamy enough. This could have been due to the fact that I used only milk instead of cream. I think the low amount of sugar could also have contributed to the off texture.

Meat of 1 young coconut
A little water
2/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup unrefined cane sugar
2 Tablespoons of rum

In a food processor blend the meat from the coconut with a little water until you have a fairly smooth texture sort of reminiscent of applesauce. Next add the milk, sugar and rum to the food processor and process the whole thing until well blended and smooth. Place the mixture in the fridge for a bit to chill and then place it in an ice cream maker, following the directions provided for your specific machine.

Ok, so there are three Gelato recipes that are ok, but not really right. I share them thinking maybe some of you might have some suggestions for how to improve them. Or maybe you have your own favorite gelato recipe you could share with me. So, what do you think??

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedmany

This post is my contribution for Two for Tuesdays this week. Check out the link for lots of other great posts.

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