Fresh Coconut Pancakes in the rainy season
A quick trip out to get ingredients can be a big ordeal here in Haiti, especially this time of year. May marks the start of the rainy season. We’ve seen torrential downpours almost daily for several weeks now here in Port-au-Prince. These heavy rains wash out main roads, swell the region’s rivers, overflow the sewers, and cause flash floods which can destroy the fragile homes that line the city’s narrow ravines. Add to this near daily political protests, that bring traffic to a halt with barricades and can shut down whole sections of the city. Recently, two of the three main bridges to the north (on our side of the city) have been out of commission after one collapsed when critical bolts were pilfered. So when I woke up this morning, craving a hearty pancake breakfast, convincing Paul to brave the traffic for butter, milk, or any other breakfast staple was a no-go. This recipe emerged from the bounty of our backyard; toasted coconut from our coconut tree and fresh-as-they-come eggs from Paul’s chickens. These Fresh Coconut Pancakes are absolutely delicious, custardy, and with just the right amount of chew, a perfect start to a rainy day.
Yield: 4 medium pancakes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup coconut water
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoons powdered milk
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup grated coconut, toasted (for garnish)
Steps:
- In small bowl, whisk together the coconut water, eggs, and powdered milk until smooth.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Just prior to cooking, add about 2/3 of the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Whisk vigorously until smooth. Add the remaining liquid and whisk to full incorporated.
- Heat a wide non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Use a little butter (or cooking spray) to lightly oil the pan. Add the batter (about 1/4 at a time) to the pan. It should sizzle as it hits the pan. Note that this is a thin batter and will spread more than an average fluffy American-style pancake. Sprinkle on a tablespoon or two of grated coconut as it cooks.
- You'll cook the pancake for about 2 minutes on the first side, you are looking for bubbles to form in the batter and the outer edge of the pancake to turn from glossy to matte. Flip the pancake and cook for about 1 more minute. This should just give you some color on the second side.
- Repeat until all the pancakes are finished cooking. Serve immediately with toasted coconut, brown sugar, cane syrup, maple syrup, or sweetened condensed milk (if you want to try Paul's new favorite).
Haitian Ginger Cake (Bonbon Siwo), Birthdays, and a Break
As many of you may have noticed, we at the Hungry Hounds took a long break over the holidays from posting. Of course, that didn't mean a pause in cooking and eating, just a pause in posts while we relaxed with family, enjoyed time with our kids, and caught back up on work. This week our Madeline turns two, and last month Gideon passed the six-month mark. Gideon is (finally) mostly sleeping through the night, and Madeline is getting more and more fascinating as her vocabulary grows and she is able to share what she's thinking. Last week when we mentioned her upcoming birthday she asked us if "Maybe...maybe...I can eat cake....that'd be DEEEELicious!" Well cake you shall have, Madeline! We will be making her this subtly sweet Haitian classic ginger cake, Bonbon Siwo. It is a warmly spiced Haitian gingerbread cake that is dark and dense with coconut milk and blackstrap molasses, and boldly flavored with fresh ginger, cloves and cinnamon.
Blueberry Coconut Baked Scottish Oats
If you are following Haitian news, you may have seen that the country is currently in political crisis; with violent and unpredictable protests shutting down normal life and movement. For our family, this has meant that we are in day eight of sheltering-in-place at our home in Port-au-Prince with our two little kids. We are safe, grateful, and praying for a peaceful resolution soon. As we pass the time and try to keep everyone’s moods up, and without access to stores or markets, we are digging deep into creative kid-friendly back-of-the-pantry cooking. Thanks to a recent family visitor’s gifts of dried blueberries and various breakfast grains, we were in luck. This morning’s raging success…Blueberry Coconut Baked Scottish Oats! This easy and adaptable dish is hearty, moist, delicious, nutty, and not too sweet. The Scottish oats and coconut give it a more chewy, dense, and moist texture. The kids were in heaven. And as parents…we earned 45 minutes of sweet, sweet peace and quiet together as they contentedly marched around our courtyard singing and stuffing their faces. So even if you don’t find yourself stuck at home for an 8th day of protests, consider this pantry-inspired take on classic baked oatmeal.
Black Rice Pudding with Coconut & Lemongrass
Black Rice Pudding with Coconut & Lemongrass grew out of our friend Marcia's request for a creative way to highlight the unique flavor and earthy purple hue of black forbidden rice. During my time in Cambodia as a college student, I lived with an outstanding cook who taught me to coax flavor from a limited set of ingredients, often only herbs and rice. This dessert marries the nutty sweetness of black forbidden rice with lemongrass's distinctive bright and herby citrus flavor. Using only coconut milk and egg yolks in the subtly sweet sauce allows the dish to be gluten free and dairy free, two special requests of our friend Marcia. In this case, keeping dairy and thickeners out of the picture allows for a purer flavor and lighter texture. We used fresh mango and toasted coconut as a garnish to contrast with the creamy purple pudding.
Coconut Banana Bread
One unlucky night last week, I got stuck. Our house is perched high atop a series of three steep hills, and sometimes the perfect combination of slick icy snow, and lack of plowing makes the drive impossible. The sound of spinning tires, grunting anti-lock brakes, burning rubber, and my slow slide backwards meant I could go no further. As I left my car and trudged up the hills to our house, visions of a greyhound and whippet propelled dogsled pushed me onward. My groceries got stuck, along with my car, which left a pitiful fruit bowl occupied with some droopy black spotted bananas for sustenance when I got home. I thought to myself, when life gives you bad roads and black bananas, make banana bread. This banana bread is easy, deeply flavored with the triple dynamo of vanilla, coconut, and bananas, and tastes fantastic. I have been making and tweaking this moist coconut banana bread for years, and we love it. Paul tends to be a little obsessed and through our first few years of marriage had coconut banana bread for breakfast almost every morning.
Easy Coconut Baked Oatmeal
We have been in Honduras this past week for work meetings with our regional colleagues. One thing that makes our organization unique, is an emphasis on cultivating relationships and being a good host. In this spirit, our Honduras-based supervisors welcomed us into their home with delicious home cooked meals, among them a scrumptious breakfast of baked oatmeal with fresh strawberries. Not only did we stuff ourselves, but coincidentally, we had been experimenting with our own baked oatmeal recipe over the past month. Our version of Easy Coconut Baked Oatmeal is a hearty, crunchy, warm and filling breakfast. This simple to make breakfast dish will perfume your house with cinnamon and oats and is best hot out of the oven, doused in cold milk, a perfect meal to share with guests.
If you want to try out a spring-ish baked oatmeal recipe, check out our Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal.
