Holiday Cookies - Peppermint Snowballs, Monster Marshmallow Choco, Fudgy Flourless Choco, MATCHA Snowball Cookies

Polly's Photo Journal of 2020 Holiday Cooky Galore.

Peppermint Snowballs

Monster Marshmallow Chocolate Cookies with Peppermint and Pecans

MATCHA Snowball Cookies

Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cookies

without Pecans

with Pecans

Homemade Fresh Shredded Coconut - Shredding with Food Processor vs Manual Shredder Bar (with bench)

It's nice to have some kitchen tools to help in making fresh shredded coconuts.  The ones being sold in the store is loaded with sugar and I just don't like it's texture in the desserts.  It's feels like bunch of fine wood barks dropped in.  But the fresh ones you make at your home will melt in your mouth, and they are just delicious.  In S. Viet-Nam, they use a manual shredder bar to shred, which I managed to own one and had successfully produced finely shredded flavorful coconut.  I wondered if I can do the same using the Cuisine Art Food Processor.  So I tried.  The disadvantage of the food processor is that it couldn't shred all the coconut meat, and it doesn't have the fine shred setting.  So between the food processor and manual metal bar shredder, the winner is the metal bar shredder.

The food processor could not shred the coconut meat.  It left chunks of coconut meat that slipped away by the fast spinning blade.

Spread on dehydrator tray and dry for few hours.

Food Processor vs Manual Coconut Shredder Blade

Older the coconut, thicker and firmer the coconut meat.  If specifically purchasing the coconut to crop the meat, then, buy the mature coconut with browned husk.

from previous post - https://rockdavinci.blogspot.com/2013/12/how-to-make-home-made-coconuts-cream.html

The blade can shred coconut into tender soft threads

Sprinkle some sugar on if desired, toss, then, spread onto a parchment lined sheet pan and heat in the oven to dry at 100-125'F.  Becareful not to cook it.  The flavor in the cakes are wonderful.

Making Delicious Lime Flavored Dehydrated Persimmons - HOSHI KAKI

 After trying a several different ingredients to bring out home grown persimmons' flavor making them into this and that, adding lime juice or lemon juice with a bit of sugar bring out the best taste of KAKI.

Squeeze 2 lemons, Dissolve 1 Tbsp Sugar.  Sprinkle some Fruit Fresh.

Toss them well.

Optional:  Add ground Cayenne Pepper or dried chili pepper

Prepare Dehydrator.

For 20 - 25 persimmons, I use 8 dehydrator trays.  Have two fruit roll up trays handy for the extra soft KAKI.

Core and peel KAKI that started to give in a bit.  I keep the crispy one to be eaten fresh.

Cut into halves and remove the seeds.

Place on each tray and dry until they are dry, chewy, but not crispy. 

After removing the copy, peel the skin, Slice into halves and remove seeds.  

Toss in the bowl with Lime juice mixed with sugar and sprinkle a bit with Fruit Fresh powder.

Slicing a KAKI into 4 slices produced 'bark' feel KAKI.  Slicing into halves is more satisfying.

For me without the gallbladder, KAKI helps me regulates "control" digestive system.

Between lemon and lime, I prefer Lime.  The added sugar helps the lime or lemon juice to stick to the KAKI better during dehydration.

Slicing the KAKI into halves result in better chewy dried KAKI then 4 slice KAKI that would result in somewhat like a bark.

Store in sanitized Mason Jars.

Polly's Adventure in 2020 Holiday Royal Plum Pudding

Holiday's new addition - A Royal Plum Pudding.  So, this year, I tried this Royal Plum Pudding dessert.  And it is explained, Plum Pudding doesn't have plum in it.  I was bit apprehensive about the taste turn out as I can see it is a bit similar to Fruit Cake, but steam for 6 hours!!??  But with COVID-19 copped up in the house, why not, why not try something different.  Just to see if the Royal Queen does make this every year, and checked out in several articles that it seem credible, so I did.  And is it a real treat.  I love it and my families love it.

So, here is my version because I didn't exactly have all the ingredients it called for, but here it is:

The two websites I visited for verification are:  

https://people.com/royals/get-the-royal-familys-special-pudding-recipe/

https://britishheritage.com/the-royal-family-s-official-christmas-pudding-recipe

 

Polly's Royal Plum Pudding Ingredients.  I used what I had in my pantry and refrigerator

80 g raisins - chopped
80 g white raisins instead of currants - chopped

75 g dried pitted home grown JuJube - chopped

40 g dried cranberries - chopped

80 g Marachino cherries - chopped - strained and quite air dried
185g soft butter instead of sultanas
1 Tbsp candied Orange Peel, 1 Tbsp Lemon Peel instead of 150g mixed peel

8 g of mixed spices such as 1tsp each of  Ground Cayenne, Ground Ceylon , Cinnamon, Ground Cardamom, Ground Cloves instead of 12g mixed spice

250 g Bread Crumb - I used Japanese PANKO

90 g Flour
2 whole Organic eggs
180 g Cane Sugar instead of demerara sugar
275 ml KIRIN Japanese beer
40 ml Meyers dark rum

40 ml Brandy

 

Instructions - I prepared Qty - 4 - 6 inch cake molds

Prepare a Large Canning Pot with Steam Basket turned upside down to give a lift so that enough water can be added to last several hours of steaming.  

*and mine lasted the entire 6 hours without adding water.

1. Combine all dry ingredients.
2. Stir them up.
3. Add the eggs and the liquid.
4. Stir again.
5. line the bottom of the cake mold with organic unbleached parchment paper
6. Press the cake mix into basins.
7. Cover the top with aluminum foil
8. Fill with water up to 3/4 of pudding basin height.
9. Steam 6 hours.

10. Once cooled, flip it out of the cake mold; place on top of aclean dry parchment paper, enclose in plastic bag and refrigerate.   

Gift them after cutting them into quarters and pre-sliced.   That is less intimidating to the recipients, and it will be quickly consumed with a joy!  because it is so delicious and they wished they had more, but truly enjoyed and appreciated and look forward to next year's!!

11. On Christmas Day, reheat sliced pudding in a steamer for 5 min.  

       *When steaming a whole pudding, it will take longer.
12. When the pudding is a whole - serve: with garnish or flambé and serve with brandy sauce and cream, if desired.