coco-cooks.com

In every city there is a trusted authority people seek for the latest in food, wine , and cocktail industry news. I’m fortunate I can count Chicago’s Audarshia Townsend as a friend. She is also a features journalist covering food, cocktail, culture and travel. She knows everyone and chronicles her dining adventures on her Facebook Page 312 Dining Diva.

The other day I was sitting with a friend during her own food photo shoot for a international critically acclaimed newspaper, and she  reminisced about the first food she tasted of mine over a decade ago. If you have some boxes of Girl Scout Samoas, obligatorily  procured a few month ago from co-workers, some macadamias in the freezer, and cream cheese and eggs, this recipe is for you. Rather than use cream or sour cream in this cake I decided to add coconut to the theme by using Cream of Coconut, which is thicker and sweeter than coconut milk.

So in thinking of a smooth emulsified nutritious drink that’s not your typical smoothie, I came up with the jelly like aloe vera gel, which I had always enjoy in a fruity drinks from the Asian stores, lemon , which cleanses and hydrates me, and my favorite colorful herbal infusion, hibiscus. For sweetener I melted some pieces of German Rock Sugar with the hibiscus infusion, which is derived from beet juice, and lets the true flavor shine, rather than mask it. So if a smoothie in the classic definition is a emulsified blend of fruits, veggies, ice, dairy and sweetener, this is it. Doesn’t alter taste as much as refined sugars Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Honey Lemon Balm and Rum Ice Cream and How I Develop My Recipes.