Butterscotch Pudding with Coconut Palm Sugar

Butterscotch Pudding (with vanilla bean)

Several years ago, I bought a bag of something I had never seen before from the proprietors of Coracao Confections; it was coconut palm sugar, and they were using it in their amazing line of organic, raw, low-glycemic chocolates.  Well, coconut palm sugar is now all the rage.  Dr. Oz did a segment on it on his program, promoting it as part of a weight-loss strategy (the idea being that if you evened out the highs and lows of sugar, you wouldn't get so many cravings.)

I've been using this delicious, caramel-noted sweetener in a lot of my almost sugar-free recipes; just a few spoonfuls can bring wonderful flavor and texture to the mix, boosting the flavors and texture of my sweetener trio; erythritol, xylitol, and stevia.  I was inspired in the last few weeks to invent two new pudding recipes using coconut palm sugar.  Both of them are so delicious that, frankly, I blew my own mind.

The first one uses whole cow's milk.  The second one is vegan, and uses whole coconut milk.  Either way - me-OW, that's good eats!  Just be aware that once you get started, it's very hard to stop eating this yummy stuff.  But hey, milk is full of protein and calcium, and coconut milk is very good for your immune system, and either way, it's low carb and low glycemic!


Butterscotch Pudding with Coconut Palm Sugar

Version One:  Dairy
I.
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 TB plus 1 tsp corn starch (or tapioca starch)

II.
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream

III.
2 TB unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a heavy, medium-sized sauce pan, whisk the sugar, salt and starch.

2. Whisk in the milk and heavy cream. Over medium heat, whisking/stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a full boil, and then cook for one minute.

3.  Add the butter and vanilla, and stir well to combine.  Cool, pour into a heat-proof container, and chill. If you wish to prevent a "skin" from forming, you can cover the pudding with a buttered round of wax or parchment paper.

Version Two: Coconut Milk (Vegan)

I.
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 TB plus 1 tsp corn starch (or tapioca starch)

II.
1 can of full-fat coconut milk (14 ounces)

III.

1 tsp vanilla extract


1. In a heavy, medium-sized sauce pan, whisk the sugar, salt and starch.

2. Whisk in the coconut milk. Over medium heat, whisking/stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a full boil, and then cook for one minute.

3.  Add the vanilla, and stir well to combine.  Cool, pour into a heat-proof container, and chill. If you wish to prevent a "skin" from forming, you can cover the pudding with a greased round of wax or parchment paper.

Notes:  the pudding will thicken as it cools, so don't panic if it seems thin when you have finished cooking it.   If you are really feeling expansive, you can use half of a fresh vanilla bean instead of the vanilla extract.

Thai Chicken Coconut Milk Soup (Tom Kha Gai)

From the moment I first took a sip of this classic Thai soup at Manora Thai Restaurant in San Francisco, I was smitten. So rich, so creamy, so nuanced in flavor - a little spicy, a little sweet, a little sour, a whole lot of richness. But the flavor profile was so far outside my comfort zone, I never dreamed I could make it at home, especially not in 20 minutes with a short list of ingredients. I felt resigned to only eating it in restaurants.

But when an acquaintance kept talking about how she was going to whip up a batch for dinner for her family that night, after picking the kids up from swim class..... and then this recipe from a home cook turned up in Sunset Magazine's quick recipe pages - well, that demystified it quite a bit. I went for it. It was easy, it was fast, and it was delicious. All of these ingredients are available from a decently stocked grocery store. Don't be shy - you can do it, too!

Thai Chicken Coconut Soup (Thom kha gai or Gai Thom Kha)

adapted from Jiranooch Shapiro, Anchorage – Sunset Magazine, December 2008

1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk (Native Forest Organic is outstanding)

14 ounces chicken broth

6 quarter sized slices ginger

1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lb. Boned, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

1 cup sliced mushrooms (preferably oyster mushrooms)

1 TB fresh lime juice

1TB Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste (Thai Kitchen is a good brand)

2 fresh lime leaves (optional - I pick mine in the back yard, but a good Asian grocery will have them)

Fresh basil and/or cilantro leaves for garnish

In a medium saucepan, combine broth, ginger, lemongrass, and chicken. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then simmer until chicken is firm and opaque. Remove the chicken from the pan, and let it cool until you can easily cut it into 1” chunks. Using a slotted spoon or “spider” remove and discard the lemongrass, and optionally, the ginger, and discard them.

Add the coconut milk, chicken and mushrooms, along with the remaining seasonings to the chicken broth. Bring the mixture back up to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the mushrooms are cooked and flavors are melded. Test and adjust the seasonings. Serve, garnished with herbs.

Notes from Christine: while this is a lovely outline of the dish, I like to add a little bit more of each of the seasonings; please feel free to adjust this according to your taste preferences. For the mushrooms, I prefer oyster mushrooms, but other choices are delicious too – shiitake, crimini, button....

More notes: the recipe author leaves the lemongrass and ginger in the soup and serves it that way. Personally, I just got tired of fishing inedible bits out of every bite of soup and devised the filtering plan outlined above to eliminate the problem. However, leaving them in most likely imparts more flavor to the soup, and faithful reader "Miss Nati" has reported how much she likes eating the ginger. You be the judge!