Presley's Pantry

Cauliflower Mojo De Ajo is the vegetarian version to the legendary Puerto Nuevo dishes many of us Latinx grew up on. When I was a kid/teen my family would take road trips down to Rosarito for the weekend on many occasions. We would all pack into my uncle’s van and head south of the border for a little taste of Mexico on the beach. I have so many fond memories of that time spent with my family and the meals we shared.

I’m talking Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies today. Since I have been home bound due to Covid-19 I have fallen into complete comfort food zone. I need something to cradle me through this tough time, and these cookies definitely are doing the trick. I like using salted peanuts and both milk and semisweet chocolate chips. They crisp up nicely on the outside and keep moist on the inside. The classic combo of peanut butter and chocolate take their love affair to new heights in cookie form and makes staying home a lot easier.

I just need to gather my myself and take a seat after the weeks we just had. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed my city of Los Angeles in such unrest and unity at the same time.  A beautifully tragic dichotomy to behold.  It’s taken us a long time to get here, and we still have a long way to go.  Like I said, it’s a lot to process.  In that process I have been seeking more time for myself.  Taking comfort in the simple things such as finding serenity in my patio surrounded by my plants with a little ‘trago’ in hand.  I usually make a pitcher of Sparkling Spiked Limonada and keep it in the fridge for an easy go-to drink.

Bright yellow custard… Sweet tangy lemon…. Meaty coconut… Wrapped in English short bread cookie crust. Chewy and magnetically addictive. Then imagine a toasty cloud of swiss meringue up top. I just described my Lemon Coconut Meringue Bars!! If they only existed on another planet, I’d have to book my flight.  They could transport me to a coffee shop across the Atlantic with brick stone roads and cold air.  Or I could easily be in outer space floating on air… that’s how these bars make me feel.  Close my eyes and entwined in their delicious magic I feel comforted at home and ready for aa another bite.

Ingredients for Lemon Coconut Meringue Bars:

Crust

• 1 1/2  – sticks of butter (12 tablespoons) (room temperature)
• 1/2 – cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/4 – cup flour
• 1/4 – teaspoon salt

Filling

• 2 – cups sugar
• 4 – eggs
• 3/4 – cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 4 – tablespoons flour
• 1 – cup shredded sweetened coconut (optional to toast before using)

Meringue

• 4 egg whites
• 1 1/3 cups bakers sugar

Directions:

1. Spray a 8×8 or baker’s edge pan with non stick cooking spray, or grease then sugar dust. Set to the side
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Crust:

1. In a mixer cream together butter and powdered sugar for about 3 minutes. 
2. Then add in flour and salt and mix until dough comes together. 
3. Press dough into the bottom of baking pan.
4. Bake for 17 minutes, or until dough turns slightly browned at the edge.
5. Remove from oven and set to the side. Leave the oven on.

Filling:

1. In a mixer add in sugar and eggs and mix until completely combined and mixture turns a light yellowish color. About 5 to 6 minutes on a medium high speed.
2. Then pour in lemon juice, and mix to combine.
3. Sprinkle flour over mixture and mix for another minute. Then fold in coconut.
4. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3 hours.
6. Once cooled, run a knife along the edge and carefully remove from pan using a small spatula.
7. Cut into desired size bars.

Meringue:

1. Mix egg whites and sugar over a double boiler on a low flame. Mix constantly with a whisk until you can no longer feel the sugar between your fingers or until the temperature reaches 150 on a candy thermometer.
2. Remove from the double boiler and place in standup mixer. Mix with whisk attachment on high for 2 to 3 minutes or until firm peaks form.
3. Place in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and design meringue on top of each bar.
4. Then with a torch on a low/medium flame, toast the top of each bar for a golden look.

For more direction please find the video of my how to make Lemon Coconut Meringue Bars in my Instagram Highlights.

My Mom loves a hearty plate of tofu smothered in sauce. Her name on Instagram is Tofupansa for gawdSSSSsakes… what more do I need to say to convince you she LOVES tofu. Anyhow, she’s always asking me to make her a batch and I kinda blow it off. Not because I’m trying to ignore her wishes, but more because I hadn’t really dreamed up the perfect way to serve it up.

When I think of a day spent at the amusement park… I instantly think of a crispy glazed funnel cake too. I picture myself on a warm Summer night enjoying a freshly fried plate of this finger licking crunchy treat in between water rides and firework shows. Ahhh memories of summers past. I miss those experiences and am really craving some Summer fun.

When I was a wee young girl, I attended a Magnet elementary school in Brentwood, CA and used to get bussed there. It was a one hour ride in each direction as we zigzagged our way through my beloved City of Angels. I feel like I learned so many back streets and the lay of the land beyond East LA from that bus ride. We used to make a stop in front of Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown, and the owner’s son would get on board the school bus. A handful of times he brought a box of cream puffs to share from his famed bakery. It was then that I was introduced to the delicate pastry.