Finding Joy in the Journey. . .: June 2012

If you like the flavor of citrus, but not the mouth puckering tang as some citrus deserts give then the Caribbean Truffle, one of my favs, is a perfect treat to try!

There are a lot of steps, but it is pretty easy to make. . . .

oh, and you will use several bowls. . .

5 + the food processor to be exact

sorry, but sometimes good things are worth doing dishes for!

. . . BUT so worth it!!!!

This stuff is scrumptious. . .

seriously,

I could easily consume and entire pan by my lonesome in a single day. . .

That’s how good it is

The first thing to start with is the streusel:

you can easily make this a few days in advance. . .

using one of your bowls, mix the streusel together.

Simply put the flour, sugar and butter in one of your bowls.

Then using a pastry cutter or similar device. . . a fork and knife will do the trick . . . smash and blend until the cold butter is in small little pea size little balls.

then stir in the coconut

Now spread out onto cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper

Toast in oven, checking every minute

did I remind you to check and stir every minute for 7-8 minutes?

okay, now check and stir this mixture every 60 seconds until light and toasty brown. . .

I cannot tell you how many batches of streusel I have burned because I have forgotten to check it every 60 seconds or so. . .

in other words, this series of little steps is very important. . .

Bake . . . . 60 seconds

check & stir . . . 1 min

check & stir . . . another 60 seconds!

check & stir . . .60 seconds. . .

check and stir . . . 1 more minute. . .

. . . check again and stir

after another minute. . . check again and. . .

okay, it should be done about now

perfectly golden brown, slightly crunchy streusel topping. . .

yum yum

remove from oven create a slide by bringing the parchment paper edges together and pour the streusel in a bowl.

Set it aside

you will use this at the very end for a garnish

This will make more than you need, you can store the left overs in a baggie and use it as a topping for other things like oatmeal, or cake or homemade pop-tarts. . . or whatever your imagination comes up with

Next UP:

the Graham Cracker Crust . . .

begin with 1 package of graham crackers

I know these look like they were on a week long backpacking trip,
they look kind of scary, but I did this on purpose . . .

I typically start them out in the package by breaking them up just a little

The easiest way to make graham cracker crust is to use a food processor,

if you don’t have one of these handy kitchen accessories, put your grahams in a gallon size baggie and crush/roll them with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbles

or you can buy graham crackers already crumbed,

. . . is "crumbed" an actual word???

i tink it is today

. . . but they are more expensive that way.

Add the sugar and drizzle with melted butter

turn on and mix until you have a crumby buttery mixture like this. . . .

. . . yum!

now spread into the bottom of your pan

using the palm of your hand press and compress the graham crust flat

sprinkle with coconut, and lightly press again

bake in oven for about 7-8 minutes. . .

the coconut will turn golden brown, and the crust becomes firm and crunchy as it cools.

. . . set aside for now

using one of your bowls measure out your white chocolate chips

. . . set these aside

Put the cream cheese in another bowl

with an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy

. . . set this aside for right now too

zest your lime

set the zest aside for just a few minutes. . .

in a medium sauce pan add

one small package (2.9 oz) cook & Serve Lemon pudding mix

DO NOT USE INSTANT PUDDING MIX

Let me repeat this, it is very important

DO NOT USE INSTANT PUDDING MIX!!!!

dump the cook-&-serve lemon pudding mix into your sauce pan and pour in the sugar

squeeze the lime juice from the zested lime right into your pan

along with the juice from one more lime

I’m sure you see the bits of tomato and avocado in the background. . . don’t worry you won’t need those ingredients today!

Please Forgive me. . . this picture is from the summer salsa post a couple of weeks ago, I'm re-using it because I didn't get another picture of lime squeezing

I’m not sure why, but I love the bright flavor and color of citrus fruits . . . I just do!

add in the egg yolks

whisk in the water and cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a full boil

meaning it will bubble even while stirring

It’s sort of difficult to take a picture of bubbling pudding, but this will have to do

doesn’t this look soooooo yummy already

and we aren’t finished yet!

once it boils while stirring remove from the heat and stir in the lime zest

now. . . add 1/2 cup HOT pudding to the white chocolate chips

I recommend using a fork over a whisk for this, I just think it’s easier. . .

but then again, the basic kitchen fork is one of my most used tools in the kitchen!

does that make me a little strange?

. . . not that it matters

. . . I would still use a fork!

you will end up with a big gloppy, slimy, gluey looking mixture

But it’s yummy . . . I Promise!

Now combine the chocolate chip mixture to the cream cheese

. . . you may use your electric mixer to make mixing this part together easier

stir the sour cream into the remaining pudding mixture

you will have two separate bowls of yummy concoctions. . .

the first is the cream cheese/white chocolate chip part
second is the pudding and sour cream part

. . . just keep them separate, and you will do just fine!

Now, using a small angled spatula

very gently spread the white chocolate chip/cream cheese

mixture on top of the graham cracker crust

Be careful not to spread back and forth but spread gently from the center

toward the corners so you don’t pull up the crust

once the edges are sealed in with the chocolate chip mixture. . .

gently spread the pudding/sour cream mixture on top

see those beautiful specks of lime zest?

mmmmmm, it hard to wait for this to chill for a couple of hours!

your pan will be filled to the brim

mmmmmm . . . .

Only 2+ hours to scrumptiousness meeting taste buds!

wait

wait

paitence

patiently wait

almost there

2 hours later

Now that your Caribbean Truffle is chilled,

it is ready for the final touches. . .

I typically cut mine into squares advance so

it is easier to serve when you take it somewhere

First lightly sprinkle your streusel on top. . .

remember you will have extra and that's okay!

this is the stuff we toasted in the oven for about 6-7 minutes at the very beginning,

. . . it should be sitting in a bowl or baggie somewhere in your kitchen

you may notice there is no picture for this. . .

so just do as I say here, not as I show

good,

. . . so relieved we had that little discussion

now that you have sprinkled the streusel on top make the whipping cream:

you will need three basic ingredients for the whipped cream:


vanilla	super fine sugar	real whipping cream

I don’t recommend vanilla bean paste here, I prefer a soft white. . . without specks whipping cream for this dessert.
Superfine sugar is ideal for whipping cream as a topping. . . it dissolves almost instantly and therefore will never leave that gritty texture that is sometimes left behind when using regular sugar. Also because it dissolves instantly, it reduces the chance of getting your cream too sweet for those of you who prematurely give it a taste test to make sure it is “just right”
use pasteurized whipping cream. the old style is thicker and produces a creamier texture. If you use the ultra-pasteurized type it leaves behind a little bit of a burnt taste and doesn’t whip quite as well, due to the high temperatures they use to give it the “ultra pasteurized” title. . . not necessarily better in this case.

whip with an electric mixer until soft and creamy but will hold it’s shape. . .

Put a large star tip inside a pastry bag. . . disposable bags work just fine. You can even use a baggie if you don’t have a pastry bag around. They are a little messier, but it will work

if using a baggie, cut off one corner and put your tip in, the rest will essentially be the same.

a common question I get asked is how do you fill a pastry bag without getting

EVERYTHING . . .

all messy?

well, I will tell you:

fold over the top of the bag around your hand

using a spoon or rubber scraper, scoop in your cream

pinch the bag over your spoon or rubber scraper and pull out the spoon

now unfold the cuff, and twist the bag, this will keep all the yummy stuff in the bag where you want it and not all over your hand!

Hold the bag around the twist and gently squeeze, applying even pressure and pipe out a circular little dollop of cream, like you would if you were making an ice-cream cone from a soft serve machine. . .

As the cream empties out of the bag lower where the twist is and repeat . . .

super easy!

pretty simple

AND. . . not very messy!

Now, pipe a circle of cream on each square of Caribbean Truffle

cut super thin quarter slices of lime for a garnish

If you want, you can super lightly sprinkle a tiny bit of streusel on top of the cream dollops