Holiday Gift Idea: The Most Beautiful Villages and Towns of the Southwest

Two wonderful books by Joan Tapper with Photographs by Nik Wheeler.  If you love travel, design and great photography these books are a visual travel adventure and make great coffee table books!  

The Most Beautiful Villages and Towns of the Southwest at Amazon

"From pueblos to Victorian storefronts to ski resorts: a vision of the southwest that evokes both America's frontier heritage and the expansive vistas of its future" Nik Wheeler's photo essays include Route 66, Native American Culture, The Southwest and the Movies. From Thames & Hudson.

The Most Beautiful Villages and Towns of California at Amazon

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Kane Hula - Male Hula Dance

Hula dancing evolved from the ancient Hawaiian dancers who performed the dance as part of religious ritual.  It was a uniquely Hawaiian dance, unlike other styles of dance that were imported from other Pacific Islands.  Performed by both men and women, the Hula told the story of people, places and nature.  The Hawaiian culture did not have a written language and all of their history has been passed down from generation to generation through song, dance and 'talk story'. The Hula is a celebrated art form that thanks to King Kalakaua, was resurrected from near extinction in the 1800's as missionaries forbade native islanders from performing this 'devilish' dance.  Each year, the Merrie Monarch festival in Hilo on the Big island of Hawai'i, is the focal point and catalyst that supports and draws together an extensive network of instructional hula studios, hula masters, instructors, researchers, professors of Hawaiian studies and students of all ages who are committed to the perpetuation and advancement of the Hawaiian history and culture of dance.

"Hula is the Language of the Heart and therefore the Heartbeat of the Hawaiian People" from 

Merrie Monarch Festival Website.

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Crazy for Coconut ! Halekulani Coconut Cake with Chocolate Sauce

We are going to the Halekulani Hotel tonight to see  Kanoe Miller Hula Dance at House Without a Key. Then we are having the Hotel's famous COCONUT CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE!!!!  Tomorrow I'll be climbing Koko Crater for a butt burner, but it will be worth it. I called the hotel and Chef gave us the recipe, included below.

I found this great article by the by the New York Times 36 Hours in Honolulu and this beautiful photo of Kanoe MIller by Cory Lum for the New York Times...

HALEKULANI COCONUT CAKE 

with Chocolate Sauce





8 Servings

INGREDIENTS AND METHOD FOR THE SPONGE CAKE:

3/4 cup Cake flour

1/3 cup Sugar

1 tsp Baking powder

1 pinch Salt

2 Tbsp Salad oil

1 each Egg, large, whole

2 Tbsp Water

4 each Egg whites

1/4 cup Sugar

1 pinch Cream of tartar





- Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, sift together the cake flour, 1/3 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Reserve.

- In a separate bowl, combine salad oil, whole egg and water. Add to sifted ingredients to form a batter, and mix until a smooth consistency is obtained.

- In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and continue to whip until a stiff meringue is formed.

- Fold meringue into the batter and mix thoroughly.

- Pour the batter into an ungreased 9" spring form pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan, cool upside down on a cooling rack.





INGREDIENTS AND METHOD FOR THE PASTRY CREAM:

1 1/2 cups Milk

1 each Vanilla bean, split in half

1/3 cup Sugar

3 tbsp Flour

4 each Egg yolks

1 1/4 cups Coconut flakes





Method:

- Bring the milk and the split vanilla bean to a boil. Reserve and let cool.

- In a mixing bowl combine the sugar, flour and egg yolks, whip together.

- Remove the vanilla bean from the cooled milk and add 1/3 of the milk to the egg mixture, mix well.

- Pour the egg mixture into the pan of remaining milk. Over medium heat, continue stirring until mixture begins to bubble and thicken.

- Remove from heat, cover with aluminum foil and stir occasionally to prevent crusting. When completely cool, add coconut flakes.





INGREDIENTS AND METHOD FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM:

1 ½ cups Whipped cream

3 tbsp Sugar

1 ½ cups Coconut flakes





- In a mixing bowl, combine the whipped cream, sugar and 1/2 of the coconut flakes.





Half of this mixture is to be folded into the pastry cream and the remainder is to be used to frost the cake. The remaining half of the coconut flakes is to be used for coating the frosted cake.





INGREDIENTS AND METHOD FOR THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE:

1 cup Milk

3/4 lb Chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup Heavy cream

1 tbsp Butter

1/4 cup Sugar





- In a sauce pan, combine the milk and chocolate, bring to a boil. Add the cream, butter and sugar and again bring to a boil. Remove from heat and keep warm.



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TO ASSEMBLE & SERVE:

- Cut the cooled cake into 3 layers.

- Spread pastry cream atop the bottom two layers, assemble the cake.

- Frost with the whipped cream and sprinkle with coconut flakes to finish.

- Slice the cake into desired portions and serve with warm chocolate sauce.

I'm craving Salmon and Eggs

I'm craving Salmon and scrambled eggs this morning! Check out this beautiful presentation of a Silver Salmon we caught in Alaska this summer at Winter Lake Lodge. The very talented chef new we were leaving the next morning so she prepared our big Silver for breakfast. She presented the fish on a platter with salmon mouse AND individual servings of Salmon Hash with scrambled eggs and spinach. I thought it was brilliant to make a visual presentation of our gorgeous fish and separately prepare each serving. Talk about a visual feast for the Table!

Dropped in by Heli for Fly Flishing. Great way to go when there are NO ROADS! Naturally, most of our fishing was Catch & Release. Our Fishing Guide demonstrates his very soothing and compassionate method! I guess he was calming the big Silver down before releasing. We used special "no barb" hooks to allow for easier release

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