Cooking With Canned Pineapple, "Apple-Pineapple Compote," Corona Lock-down Recipe #2

This is the second in the series of recipes I've been making with the goodies we've received in "care cartons" for senior citizens here in Shiloh during the Corona Lock-down. See, sample and share:

Cooking With Canned Beans, Corona Lock-down Recipe #1



Corona Lock-down Recipe #2:

The box of goodies/staples sic, we received as senior citizens included a few cans of lightly sweetened pineapple. I decided that with the addition of a few apples and a teaspoon of cinnamon, we'd have Apple-Pineapple Compote.

Yes, that's the recipe plus a bit more water than was in the can. I cooked it all up until the apples were soft, and we ate it for dessert on Shabbat.  There's still some leftover. My husband, who's not much of a fruit eater even liked the compote.

The Apple-Pineapple Compote was very easy to make. The most difficult part of the preparation was opening the can. Thank Gd I have an old simple can-opener.

Corona Lock-down Recipe
Apple-Pineapple Compote

Simply Marvelous Apple Compote

Friday afternoon, I decided to make apple compote. I had hoped that it would distract me from eating cake on Shabbat for dessert.

First I cut up a bunch of apples, keeping the peels on, and put them in a pot. Then I added cinnamon bark, though the ground cinnamon would have been fine, too. For a bit more flavor and sweetness I added very little dark brown sugar.

While it was cooking, I got inspired and decided to add some pitted prunes.

Our guest and I absolutely loved it. My husband was happy with the cake and isn't a fruit lover.

The prunes added so much to the richness of the flavor, and to be honest, if you're adding prunes, leave out the sugar. BTW prunes have more flavor than raisins.

Now that I have four burners, bli eyin haraa, I ought to remember to make compote more often.

Ingredients
apples
prunes
cinnamon
dark brown sugar (optional)
water

Directions
slice apples, cutting out core
add cinnamon, prunes and optional sugar
other fruit, fresh and dried, can be included
water, almost to cover
cover pot
bring to boil then simmer until colors change
turn off flame
leave covered until it cools down

Eat warm or cold from fridge.

Coconut Milk "Ice Cream"

The other day I bought myself some coconut milk/liquid to use in coffee, with the hope that reducing cow milk would make my cold better. There was one minor though crucial problem. I just couldn't stand the taste. The coconut milk was creamy and sweet, no need to add any sugar at all, but it totally overwhelmed my very strong French Press coffee bought in Power Coffeeworks.

The coconut milk cost too much money to waste/dump, so I needed to figure out something useful to do with it. Since I remembered from a previous purchase of the "milk" that you can freeze it and make a sort of ice cream, that's what I did. I decided to combine the coconut milk with a couple of perfectly ripe bananas, chocolate chips and some of my coffee and then mix them up in the food processor.

I used the plastic "dough hook blade," hoping that the bananas would get a bit mashed, but the chocolate chips would stay whole.

To thicken the mixture, I added some coconut flakes. I let it whirl until the most of the bananas were mashed. Then I poured the mixture into a plastic container and put it in the freezer.

I plan on serving it Friday night for Shabbat dinner dessert. Coffee liquor will be offered as a topping. If I had some chocolate liquor that would be good, too. I'll look for that in the grocers today, Gd willing I should remember.

Gd willing, bli neder, I'll report on the success of this ice cream after Shabbat.

I highly suggest using coconut milk/liquid for vegan,  parve, non-dairy dairy-like, lactose free desserts. It is much better and far healthier than the totally synthetic factory-made stuff most people use. So many times I've felt sick after eating tempting desserts people have made with Rich's*. Many of the same people who won't let soybean oil in their houses, insisting it's unhealthy and cook with canola oil instead, have no compunction about serving desserts made with the soybean oil based Rich's.

* non-dairy whipped topping based on soybean oil. Wikipedia 

The Case of the Missing Fruit (Date-Coconut) Balls

One nice dessert I can make sans working oven is Fruit (Date-Coconut) Balls.

Fruit (Date-Coconut) Balls

They are amazingly easy to make and relatively healthy, non-lactose/dairy and totally vegan. All you need is date spread and desiccated coconut. Mix ingredients until you can form into balls, and then freeze. That's it. You can add cinnamon, cocoa powder and other things if you want. I've added sesame paste to make it a "full meal." Since the date spread may be of varying consistency, and you may be adding other things to it, I can't give exact measurements/quantities. 

I made them to serve on Rosh Hashana, at meals with guests.

We had an enjoyable meal, and then it was time for dessert. I took out the cake. No problem. But then I went to the freezer to get the Fruit (Date-Coconut) Balls. I couldn't find them. I remembered very distinctly taking out a bag and packing them away into the freezer. I pulled out everything, once and then again. No bag of Fruit (Date-Coconut) Balls. Luckily the guests were good friends who had been over many times before. Finally I gave up.

We finished the meal with the chocolate chip cake which I had made with my granddaughter and something else I had in the freezer.

After they left, I reviewed in my mind everything I could possibly have done with the fruit balls. I had used baking paper as the work surface and then got out a clean plastic bag, and... Eureka! I had folded up the paper and bagged them all wrapped. I couldln't find them, because I was looking for a bag with dark balls, not a bagged white paper package.

It was right there on the freezer shelf in front of me all the time. ↓⇓

If I hadn't been so hysterically stressed, I would have easily seen them. ➡➜

This wasn't a disaster. If I had misplaced the main course, that would have been more of a problem.

The following day I saw my neighbor and told her that I found them. OK, next time, Gd willing, I'll serve the Fruit (Date-Coconut) Balls. Actually there are enough for quite a few meals.

Dessert: Ice Cream Pie

When my neighbor said that she wanted to organize women's learning on the Shavuot Holiday in my neighborhood, I volunteered to host it on the condition that she made the food. I'm not a "dessert-maker." My specialty is cutting watermelon or other fruit in season, not cheesecakes and other goodies.

We were sure we had a match made in heaven, but then she had to travel and didn't have the opportunity to make anything. She did buy some "pie crusts"and ice cream and instructed me to let the ice cream melt and then put it in the crusts. She said that chocolate syrup would be perfect on top.

This is what we did. Her daughter and I went to her kitchen, found the crusts/bases and nosh/nibbles and ice cream. I brought them home.

I let the ice cream melt a bit, took out some chocolate sprinkles and chocolate chips. And...

covered for the freezer

Delicious Dessert in Piccolino

During my most recent meal at Piccolino, 12 Yoel Solomon Street, Jerusalem, phone: 02-6244186, they recommended that my friend and I share this luscious dessert. I'm not sure what they call it, since one generally just chooses from a "dessert cart/tray."

My friend and I had just happily polished off/shared two delicious low calorie salads, the Seared Red Tuna and the Health Salad, with lots of black lentils and other healthy treats, so decided that we deserved dessert. We weren't sorry at all!  Afterwards we worked hard trying to burn off some of the calories by walking around Jerusalem's Old City at the Light Show.

Easy and Fun Home "Chocolate Workshop"

As I had quickly blogged last night, now you'll see and hear about the chocolate workshop I made for my older grandchildren. Last week, when I asked my daughter what to bring for Shabbat, she replied that I should get some treats-sweets for the kids. That's not my specialty at all, as most people may know. For me personally, fruits, nuts and dried fruit would be the perfect treat, but I know that younger generation. They would not appreciate that food genre at all. So, I asked my daughter for a more specific suggestion, and she said "chocolate." Now, that wasn't helpful enough for me. They have chocolate in the house all the time, and there isn't much in cute children's parve (non-dairy) to get as a treat.

So as I was trying to figure out what to do, I noticed something new at the entrance to Rami Levy on display with the silicone cupcake and muffin pans, silicone pans/molds with tiny shapes for making chocolates. I picked up two of different types of shapes and then in the supermarket I got some 60% chocolate bars (parve of course,) and in my local grocery store I bought colored sprinkles and white chocolate chips. I figured that the kids could first put the sprinkles or white chocolate chips in the molds and then pour the melted chocolate over it, and the resulting chocolates would have fillings and toppings and whatever.

To keep the kitchen table from getting dirty full of chocolate, my daughter covered it with clear plastic, which could be easily gathered and dumped afterwards.

There are two basic ways to melt the chocolate, and you're best with a plain bittersweet which will give a little contrast to the "trimmings," whether sprinkles, fruit or nuts.

1. We made a  double-boiler of sorts by putting two metal jar lids in a pan of boiling water and then on top of them a heat resistant bowl which had the chocolate to melt. I added a bit of oil to make it easier to pour and guarantee that it would easily fill the molds. As you stir, you'll get the feel for it. 
2. Melt in a microwave on a very low short setting, stopping periodically to stir and add the oil. My daughter felt that we'd have more control by using the stove, which we did.

The kids aged 13 down to 5 1/2 all had great fun. They took turns waiting until a batch was ready and the mold emptied. They even asked to melt some white chocolate chips to make a black/white chocolate. To speed up the hardening, we placed the molds in the freezer. When each batch hardened, we took out the fancy chocolates by turning over the molds and pushing the pretty candies onto a plate covered with "baking paper." Then each child put his/hers into a container and in the fridge.

For a more taste-sophisticated Home "Chocolate Workshop" you can add mint extract or liquor to the chocolate or even a bit of strong concentrated orange juice or coffee. And of course, instead of the sprinkles and white chips, you can use fruit, nuts and/or seeds.

Here are some photos from our workshop: 

If you try it, please tell me how it turns out, thanks.