Coconut-Lime Macaroon Nests

The calendar said it was spring a week ago, and I'm starting to believe it. Yesterday Anne and I went for a walk, and when the sun came out from behind the clouds and the wind stopped blowing for a second, it was too hot for my big coat. Daffodils and tulips are poking their leaves through the ground, and I saw a whole row of fully-bloomed purple crocus. The birds are chirping! My seedlings are really growing; most of them have sprouted their second set of leaves (the first set of true leaves!), and I'm going to have to start thinning and repotting them already; more about that later! I can't believe how fast they're growing!



These little macaroon nests are perfect for Passover and Easter; cute enough to please the littles (if their baskets full of peeps and chocolate bunnies aren't enough), not too sweet, and subtly flavored.

Happy Spring!

Coconut-Lime Macaroon Nests

Adapted from Bon Appétit

2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon lime zest
7 ounces (about 3.5 cups) coconut flakes/chips, available at Whole Foods or similar stores

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites and sugar until frothy. Whisk in the salt and lime zest and add the coconut flakes. Toss to coat. Scoop the coconut mixture in heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, making your best attempt to shape them into nests; they're not very cooperative. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheets, and when they're cool, arrange whatever "eggs" you like on top. I used peanut butter M&Ms, but those little Whoppers robin eggs would be great, or jelly beans, or any of the other myriad egg-shaped tiny candies available at your nearest sweets emporium (aka Target).

Orange Sweet Rolls

Ever since our crazy heat wave in March, I've been just waiting for the warm weather to return. It's not that it's even been that cold, but those couple weeks of summer-ish heat ruined my tolerance for a normal cool and rainy April. I want to wear dresses (without tights!), ride my bike, have a picnic, walk around in the sunshine during my lunch break, and shop at the farmers market! Speaking of which, the Green City Market comes out to play again starting this Saturday, May 5! I can barely contain my excitement.

That first trip to the market tends to be a little disappointing, though. I'm trying to manage my expectations. Green onions and garlic scapes, probably. Maybe asparagus. Is it too much to hope for a few shimmering pink stalks of rhubarb?! Rhubarb makes my heart go pitter-pat.

The warm weather seems to be creeping back, too! This morning, my walk to work was cool and pleasant. The forecast this week is in the 70's and 80's with a chance of thunderstorms every day. I'll take it!



My mom has made these orange rolls every Easter since I can remember. When I moved out and wasn't able to come home for Easter, I learned to make them for my friends. The rolls are a rich yeasted sweet dough, brushed with butter and sprinkled with a mixture of sweetened, flaked coconut, sugar, and orange zest. They are then rolled into crescents and baked, and then doused in a bubbling sauce of butter, sour cream, sugar, and orange juice which seeps into each one, making it sticky and irresistible. I highly recommend that you make them for your mama for Mother's Day (May 13! Don't forget!).

If you're scared of baking with yeast, go read this post first.

Put the dough together (details in the recipe below), and let it rise once, then divide in half and roll them into a 10- to 12-inch circle. Brush with melted butter:



This is my sister. She was visiting for Easter. She's good at sprinkling coconut. Isn't she pretty?



Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut into 12 wedges, and roll up.



Line 'em up in the pan, cover and allow to rise about an hour, or until you feel that you cannot wait any longer...



While they're baking, make the glaze, and as soon as they come out, pour it over and sprinkle with more coconut. Make some coffee, too, while you're at it. Start with two rolls on your plate. I dare you to eat only two. This Easter, I think I ate six. At least.



Sticky, sweet, buttery, citrusy BLISS!



Orange Sweet Rolls

For the rolls:
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) dry active yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
scant 3 cups flour

For the filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
2 tablespoons grated orange zest

For the glaze:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Dissolve yeast in water and allow to sit until foamy. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, salt, butter, eggs, and sour cream. Mix in yeast mixture. Add flour, starting with about 2 1/2 cups, and mixing in more as needed. The dough should be smooth and not sticky. Cover and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free area for two hours.

Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Knead dough 15 times and divide in half. Combine sugar, coconut, and orange zest in a small bowl and toss together. Roll one half into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle with half of coconut mixture. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 12 wedges. Roll up like croissants, starting at the wide edge, and line up in 3 rows in prepared pan. Repeat with other half of dough and filling. Cover rolls and allow to rise about an hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until rolls are puffed and golden. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, sour cream, orange juice, and butter over medium heat. Stir until melted and smooth, bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Pour glaze evenly over hot rolls, and sprinkle with coconut. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Tropical Fruit Pavlova + Our Lady of the Angels

Last week, as I participated in the rededication of the church at the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels in West Humboldt Park, I was reminded that the Resurrection is not a one-time event. I didn’t even know that the mission existed until mid-March, when I went with a group from my church to help out with their monthly mobile food pantry. The story of this place takes my breath away.

Our Lady of the Angels used to be a thriving parish in a largely Italian-American neighborhood. In 1958, a devastating fire in the parish school killed 92 students and 3 nuns and injured many others. The school was rebuilt and reopened in 1960, but closed as a result of declining numbers in 1999. The parish closed in 1990. The demographics of the area have changed drastically since the time of the school fire; today it remains an area of poverty, gang activity, and violent crime. In 2006, the median household income in the area was $21,000, and 35 percent of adults did not have a high school diploma.

In 2004, Fr. Bob Lombardo answered Cardinal George's call to rebuild the church in this depressed Chicago neighborhood. When he arrived, many of the buildings were vacant or in disrepair. With virtually no budget to make repairs, Fr. Bob relied on the help of neighbors and friends to donate time, money, skills and prayer to rebuild this mission. The state of the mission today is a testament to Fr. Bob’s great faith and tireless work, and to the reviving power of God.

In 2006, the Franciscan mission opened in the completely renovated rectory. Kelly Hall, which had been the vacant and crumbling parish center, reopened in January 2009 as a fully renovated YMCA community center. The convent has been beautifully renovated, and now serves as a facility for retreats and other community gatherings. The Franciscans of the Eucharist, a fledgling religious community, began serving the mission in 2009. Today, the mission helps about 700 families each month to get good, healthy food. About 130 children participate in the after school program, and several hundred are involved in activities and programs at Kelly Hall.

The most recent project was the church, which completed renovations and was rededicated on April 14, 2012. The church was packed with people who had come to celebrate the remarkable resurrection story that has occurred in this place. There was such joy! And they didn’t pause their community outreach for the celebration, either: the day of the rededication, they held their monthly mobile food pantry, hosted a Daddy-Daughter Dance at Kelly Hall, and then served a fabulous dinner to all the guests at the Mass.

For more information about Fr. Bob and the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels, visit their website, www.missionola.com, where you can learn about their many volunteer opportunities, donate money to support them, and view lots of pictures of volunteers and community members, and amazing before-and-afters of their ongoing renovations.

Tropical Fruit Pavlova

Pavlova is simple and elegant, and a perfect dessert for Easter, Mother's Day, or any other springtime gathering. Swap out the tropical fruit for berries in the summer. Also, I've heard it described as a symbol of the resurrection, since it spends 2 hours resting in the "tomb" (the oven that has been turned off) before it's done. A bit of a stretch, but kind of cute, right?

adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Meringues and Fruit:
4 large egg whites
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 kiwis, peeled, quartered, and sliced thin
1 1/2 cups pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the meringues: adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. Gradually add 1 cup sugar and whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.

Scoop six 1/2-cup mounds of meringue onto prepared sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.  Gently make small indentations in each meringue using back of spoon. It will be really sticky, so just do the best you can.Bake until meringues have smooth, dry, and firm exteriors, about 1 1/2 hours. Turn oven off and leave meringues in oven until completely dry and hard, about 2 hours. (Meringue shells can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.)

For the fruit: Gently toss mango, kiwis, and pineapple with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in large bowl. Let sit at room temperature until sugar has dissolved and fruit is juicy, about 30 minutes.

For the topping: Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip heavy cream, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes.

To assemble, place meringue shells on individual plates and spoon about 1/3 whipped cream into each shell. top with about 1/2 cup fruit. Serve immediately.

Grapefruit-Ginger Curd

There is drama in this week. We start with a parade into Jerusalem, with palms and Hosannas. There is a feast. The king washes the feet of his friends, and then, even after that radical display of love and humility, one of the same friends betrays him. He is arrested, tortured. The people who hailed his entry into the City of David cry in a frenzy for his execution. And then the king, speaking not a word against those who mock him, beat him, and spit on him, is nailed to a cross. The sun refuses to shine, the curtain of the temple is torn asunder, and the king dies with forgiveness on his lips.

Two days pass in darkness and despair and then, a miracle. Bearing the marks of his crucifixion on his body, the king walks again among the living. The world as we've known it is changed.

Drama.



Grapefruit-Ginger Curd
adapted from 101 cookbooks

This would make a fantastic accompaniment to Easter brunch. Serve it at home, or give it as a hostess gift. They'll be glad they invited you. This can be safely canned in a hot-water bath, too. Process in boiling water for 10 minutes. After canning, it will remain fresh at room temperature for two months. After opening, refrigerate and use within a week.

2 cups freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, strained
10 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
4 egg yolks, room temperature
4 whole eggs, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
2 tablespoons ginger juice (press grated ginger through a fine-mesh sieve)

Simmer the grapefruit juice in a small saucepan until reduced by half. I couldn't tell by eyeballing it, so I just poured it back into the Pyrex measuring cup a couple of times until I had a cup. Allow to cool slightly.

Cream the butter in a medium stainless bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), and then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the salt, and then the grapefruit, lemon, and ginger juices, working them in gradually.

Set the bowl over a saucepan (you can use the same one you simmered the grapefruit juice in) of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is about 166 degrees F and coats the spoon, about ten minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to jars. Process in a hot water bath if desired.

Yield: about 4 cups (2 pints). Recipe can easily be cut in half.