Coconut & Lime Cream Cheese Cookies

Dragon Fruit - What is it and how to eat it

Dragon fruit (Pitaya) is part of the cactus family, and has sweet, kiwi-like flesh. Dragon fruit is quite exotic for our latitudes and if your grocery store does not carry it, usually you can find this bright red skinned fruit, very rich in vitamins B and C as well as fiber, at your nearest Asian market. You can easily check if fruit is ripe by pressing on it, just like you’d choose ripe avocado, kiwi or peach. If it’s too soft that means it is overripe and the texture will not be as good. If it is too hard, you can still buy your dragon fruit but let it stay in cool dry place for few days to fully ripen. Any dry brown spots or dry spines on dragon fruit leathery skin are a sign to avoid it.

Green Curry, Coconut, Garlic & Ginger Clams

This recipe is one of my favorite spicy seafood dishes - there's nothing better than eating this with your family for a relaxing night at home. Serve with chilled white wine. I personally like it with good riesling like Zind Humbrecht or Richter Veldenzer Elisenberg. Enjoy!

Roasted Marinated Chicken with Mango Salsa

A roosted chicken, hot or cold, is a most delicious meal. Stuff it or not, and serve it with tiny roast potatoes and broccoli with drawn butter. In summer, when green corn is plentiful, a cold roast chicken and corn on the cob make a delightful meal. This, with a good green salad and some chilled fruit, is a dinner that will serve both family and guests.

If you are to serve cold chickens, cook your birds in the morning or early afternoon and let them cool rather than chill. A bird cooled without refrigeration is much more crisp on the outside, and the meat is juicier and more flavorful. A faint touch of the oven heat should remain.

Ingredients:

For the marinated chicken:

• 6 whole chicken legs, skinned
• 2 Tbsp Asian fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp peanut oil
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds

For the mango salsa:

• 2 ripe, firm mangos, 1/2" dice
• 3 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried fire-roasted tomatoes
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice
• pinch of sea salt

Directions:
To make the salsa combine all ingredients together and gently mix. Adjust individual ingredients to taste. Store covered in fridge until ready to use.



To marinate the chicken in the small bowl combine fish sauce, peanut oil, soy sauce, cilantro, garlic, ginger, honey and sesame seeds. Coat the chicken with the marinade. Let stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and roast for 45-50 minutes, until cooked. Serve with mango salsa, cilantro and lime.

Papaya-Lime Soup with Strawberries - simply prepared but satisfying end to any meal

Papaya is at its best uncooked, so it typically makes its way into recipes like fruit salad and sorbet. But this soup is a more elegant venue for the sweet, earthy fruit, and it's especially perfect for papayas too ripe for salad. Add a little lime juice to round out spark the flavor. The result is a refreshing, velvety, vivid orange soup that is entirely welcome after a rich meal.



Serve it as is, or with sliced strawberries, or have fun dressing it up with other fruit like cubed melon, or with scoops of sorbet or ice cream.



From the book "The last Course"


Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 large papayas
• 3/4 cup of syrup (2 cups of sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water for 2 1/2 cups of syrup)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, or to taste (from 2 to 3 limes)
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced in quarters
• sage for garnish

Directions:

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let the syrup simmer for one minute, then turn off the heat and allow to cool. Use 3/4 cup for the soup and the rest will keep almost indefinitely in a tightly sealed bottle in the refrigerator.

Halve the papaya and scoop out the seeds. Cut into thick slices, then peel away the skin. Cut into cubs.

Puree the papaya with half of the strawberries in a food processor or blender. Put it in the bowl and stir in 1 1/2 cups water, the syrup, and the lime juice, adding more lime juice to taste if necessary.

Chill the mixture until very cold, at least two hours.

Serve the soup with sliced strawberries and garnish with sage.