The first was the coconut gelato. I was really psyched about this one, and was hoping for something amazing after I spent about 30 minutes babysitting the coconut milk I was reducing on the stovetop---there was no time indication given in the recipe (Cook's Illustrated has definitely spoiled me there), so I didn't know if I was going extraordinarily slow or if that was about right for reducing 2 cups to 1 cup, but I didn't want to turn up the heat and scorch it. Anyway, I used Chaokoh brand coconut milk, which is usually my favorite, but this time, there was some kind of off flavor going on in the background which I smelled as soon as I opened the cans, and naturally that flavor transferred into the gelato. I have no idea what was going on there. I made a point of not saying anything to M about the weird flavor I tasted, and I think he's had it three times now without saying anything other than "this is good." Maybe my tastebuds are in a funk. (I've heard about pregnancy affecting your sense of taste, so let me head off any suspicions of that sort by assuring my readership that this is not the source of the problem.) I'd be willing to try this recipe again. It's certainly very pretty in its pristine whiteness---looks just like snow.
The second recipe had me a little disappointed, but probably because I had very high expectations here as well. Sherry described how she would eat frozen Mounds bars at the beach growing up, and introduced the recipe as her take on that candy. Maybe Mounds bars have evolved since whenever Ms. Yard was growing up, but the Mounds bars I know (and unfortunately love) are not quite...this. Which I knew before making the recipe: it consists of a thin, very lightly sweetened shortbread base, with a refined chocolate ganache poured over the top. Hardly the super-sweet gunky coconut and who-knows-what-else fillng wrapped in "dark" chocolate that is a Mounds bar. Anyway, part of what had me so excited to try this recipe was the revelation that you can make a chocolate ganache using entirely coconut milk (rather than cream). Chocolate and coconut are two of my very favorite flavors. Unfortunately it seems that when you have them in equal amounts, the chocolate well overpowers the coconut flavor, as was the case here. I sprinkled sweetened coconut on top and cut them into bars, which I'm storing in the freezer. Last night I had one (okay maybe three) after they chilled in the fridge to set the ganache and they were pretty good. I would definitely add a pinch of salt to the shortbread, and if I could get my hands on coconut extract that would also probably help a lot with bigger coconut flavor in the ganache. I'm certainly not complaining about "having" to eat the rest of these over the course of the next few weeks (okay maybe days).
Surprisingly, my favorite dessert I've made this week was a creation all my own. And oh so sophisticated. It goes like this:
1 sleeve (about 12 cookies) ladyfingers
1/3 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. dark rum
1/4 whipped cream, well chilled
1 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
1 oz. dark chocolate, slightly warm
Whip the whipped cream to soft peaks, then add sugar and vanilla and whip to stiff peaks. Set aside.
Mix together orange juice and rum in a shallow bowl. Briefly dip 6 of the ladyfingers in the mixture (2-3 seconds per side), then transfer to a small dish. Smear half the whipped cream over the cookies. Use a vegetable peeler or grater to shave half of the chocolate over the cream. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Chill for at least a couple hours.
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